Arsenal And Brentford End In 1-1 Draw As Wissa's Goal Impacts Liverpool's Title Aspirations

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Yoane Wissa's goal secured a 1-1 draw for Brentford against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, edging Liverpool closer to the Premier League title. Arsenal, fresh from a 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in their Champions League quarter-final first leg, struggled to break down Brentford's defence. Thomas Partey scored after Declan Rice led a counter-attack from a Brentford corner.

Arsenal had an earlier goal disallowed due to semi-automated offside technology, making its Premier League debut. Kieran Tierney's header from Ethan Nwaneri's cross was ruled out as he was offside. Despite Partey's goal, Arsenal lacked creativity and Brentford equalised in the 74th minute. Nathan Collins headed Michael Kayode's cross back across goal for Wissa to finish on the turn.

Brentford capitalised on limited chances, with an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.19, one of the lowest by a team avoiding defeat this season. Two other teams also held Arsenal to draws with low xG: Everton with 0.09 and Fulham with 0.16 in December. Arsenal have now dropped 16 points from winning positions this season.

Bukayo Saka came close in stoppage time but missed, leaving Arsenal unable to secure a win. An injury to Jorginho left them with 10 men as they had used all substitutions. This draw means Liverpool need only nine more points for the title, while Brentford moved above Crystal Palace into 11th place.

Wissa's goal marked his 15th in the Premier League this season, just behind teammate Bryan Mbeumo who has 16. Brentford is the first team this season with two players scoring at least 15 goals each. Wissa is also the first player to score 15 non-penalty goals for Brentford in a single Premier League season.

Wissa has now contributed to 50 goals in the Premier League (41 goals, nine assists), second only to Mbeumo who has 64 contributions for Brentford. This achievement highlights Wissa’s significant impact on his team's performance throughout the season.

The match highlighted both teams' strengths and weaknesses as they continue their campaigns. Arsenal will need to address their inability to maintain leads if they hope to improve their standings in future matches.