Thomas Partey was Arsenal’s only scorer in their 1-1 draw with Brentford at the Emirates.
Starting at right back for the rested Jurrien Timber, Partey’s goal came in the 61st minute, as the Gunners executed a perfect counterattack to go in front in a tight game.
It was a finish of real conviction from the midfielder not renowned for his goal-scoring, as his powerful finish flew past Flekken in goal.
He did, however, have to come off in the 70th minute with a knock, worryingly for Mikel Arteta.
The Arsenal boss will certainly hope it is nothing serious as they look to avoid any further injuries before the Champions League clash in Madrid on Wednesday.
Partey compares Declan Rice to Zinedine Zidane
This season, Arsenal have been feared as one of the best set-piece teams in the Premier League.
However, in this instance, it was a Brentford corner that led to the Gunners’ breakthrough.
The delivery was gathered safely by David Raya, who rolled it out to Declan Rice before the star man ran the length of the pitch to set up the former Atletico Madrid man.
The assist was Rice’s sixteenth goal contribution this campaign (7 goals and 9 assists), making Partey compare the Englishman to none other than Zinedine Zidane.
Posting a picture of him celebrating the goal with Rice, Partey captioned the image: ‘Zizou is back’
Rice’s game by numbers vs Brentford
Though it was not a performance to write home about from an Arsenal standpoint, fans will feel good about Declan Rice carrying his Champions League form into this game.
| Declan Rice stats vs Brentford | |
| Minutes played | 75 |
| Passes (complete) | 27 (22) |
| Key passes | 2 |
| Big chances created | 1 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Clearances | 2 |
While Arteta will be frustrated dropping points, his record signing will certainly be a shining light on a tough afternoon in North London.
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