In the end Bukayo Saka, who started on the bench, made sure of the win in the 91st minute as the Gunners are now 18 games unbeaten in all competitions. With the win Arsenal move on to 33 points, while Brentford stay on 19.

"For Arsenal it is just almost always dominant performances at the moment. They are so strong defensively and they put pressure on and score at the right moments." Former England international Conor Coady added: "It's the control for me. They're just in control of everything they do.

Mikel Arteta said an unprecedented fixture calendar is responsible for Arsenal's ongoing injury problems after two more players limped off in Wednesday's win over Brentford.

One of Mikel Arteta's most-reliable players of the past few seasons has waited patiently for a chance to perform in the Premier League

With around 20 minutes to play, Merino ought to have doubled his personal tally for the night and Arsenal’s lead. When Kelleher parried a low strike from Declan Rice, the rebound fell for Merino, only for him to stumble as he stretched for the loose ball and knock it out of play.

Arsenal hope to bounce back from a weekend slip as they return home to meet fellow London side Brentford on Wednesday.

English Premier League leader Arsenal is back at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday to kick off a big day of league action with a match against 12th-place Brentford.

Preview the matchup between Arsenal FC and Brentford FC with predictions, odds, over/under, betting lines and more.

Arteta’s focus won’t be on making Rice Arsenal’s Kayode with long throws. Instead, he will continue to make him Arsenal’s Action Man in midfield, their Mr Everything, capable in both open-play and from set pieces.