Current:Home > ScamsHavertz scores late winner as Arsenal beats Brentford 2-1 to go top of Premier League overnight -Mastery Money Tools
Havertz scores late winner as Arsenal beats Brentford 2-1 to go top of Premier League overnight
View
Date:2025-04-20 02:18:44
LONDON (AP) — Arsenal moved to the top of the Premier League for at least a day after Kai Havertz’s late goal secured a 2-1 win over Brentford on Saturday.
Havertz had been somewhat fortunate to avoid a second booking for a dive in the area earlier in the second half, a decision that proved crucial when he was on hand to head home a cross from Ben White in the 86th minute.
That extended Arsenal’s Premier League winning streak to eight games in 2024 and atoned for a howler by goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale that had gifted Brentford an equalizer just before the halftime break.
It also lifted Mikel Arteta’s side above Liverpool and Manchester City into first place, one point ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s side. Liverpool hosts Man City at Anfield on Sunday and a draw in that game would keep Arsenal top on goal difference.
“Massive win for us,” Havertz said. “It wasn’t nice, especially after conceding so close to the (halftime) whistle. We spoke to each other and wanted to turn it around.”
Arsenal had been on a stellar scoring run, netting a combined 21 goals in its last four league games but couldn’t quite replicate that attacking prowess against Brentford despite taking the lead when Declan Rice headed home another cross from White in the 19th.
Arsenal continued to dominate but Ramsdale’s mistake in first-half injury time gave Brentford an equalizer out of nothing. The goalkeeper, who was given a rare start because Arsenal’s regular No. 1 David Raya is on loan from Brentford, dawdled on the ball and allowed Yoane Wissa to slide in and block his clearance so that the ball looped into the empty net.
Ramsdale made amends with two good saves in the second half, though. He was caught off his line in the 55th and nearly beaten by Ivan Toney from almost 40 yards but managed to swat the ball away while backtracking.
The goalkeeper showed his best side with a good one-handed save in the 71st to tip a header from Nathan Collins over the bar.
Arsenal then had another spell of heavy dominance and Rice hit the crossbar from long range in the 74th after being teed up by Odegaard following a corner.
The sustained pressure finally paid off when White picked out Havertz for the late winner that kept Arsenal’s title charge on track.
“Obviously we had to dig in and earn the right to win it. But I’m really pleased with the performance,” Arteta said. “If you want to be up there, you have to win these types of games.”
Brentford has now gone five games without a win, with four losses in that span, and sits just five points above the relegation zone.
Manager Thomas Frank lamented the decision to let Havertz stay on the field. The German was booked in the first half and then threw himself to the ground in the area after a challenge by Collins midway through the second, but referee Rob Jones opted not to show a second yellow card for diving.
“I actually don’t think Havertz should be on the pitch when he scored. It was a clear dive,” Frank said. “Maybe it is difficult for the ref but the linesman should have seen it.”
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
veryGood! (6214)
Related
- Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
- Queen Bey's 'Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé' reigns at the box office with $21M opening
- British research ship crosses paths with world’s largest iceberg as it drifts out of Antarctica
- Father of slain 6-year-old Palestinian American boy files wrongful death lawsuit
- Beware of giant spiders: Thousands of tarantulas to emerge in 3 states for mating season
- Stock market today: Shares mixed in Asia ahead of updates on jobs, inflation
- Horoscopes Today, December 2, 2023
- 'Colin From Accounts' deserves a raise
- Clay Aiken's son Parker, 15, makes his TV debut, looks like his father's twin
- Michigan takes over No. 1 spot in college football's NCAA Re-Rank 1-133
Ranking
- US wholesale inflation accelerated in November in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- 'We do not have insurance. We have an insurance bill': Condos hit with 563% rate increase
- Alaska Airlines to buy Hawaiian Airlines in $1.9 billion deal
- DeSantis reaches Iowa campaign milestone as Trump turns his focus to Biden
- Taylor Swift Cancels Austria Concerts After Confirmation of Planned Terrorist Attack
- Police in Greece allege that rap singer blew up and robbed cash machines to pay for music videos
- Authorities say heavy rains and landslides in Tanzania kill at least 47 and hurt or strand many more
- Mexican drug cartel operators posed as U.S. officials to target Americans in timeshare scam, Treasury Department says
Recommendation
Meet 11-year-old skateboarder Zheng Haohao, the youngest Olympian competing in Paris
Mexican drug cartel operators posed as U.S. officials to target Americans in timeshare scam, Treasury Department says
Recordings show how the Mormon church protects itself from child sex abuse claims
KISS delivers explosive final concert in New York, debuts digital avatars in 'new era'
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
Gore blasts COP28 climate chief and oil companies’ emissions pledges at UN summit
China says a US Navy ship ‘illegally intruded’ into waters in the South China Sea
Historian Evan Thomas on Justice Sandra Day O'Connor