Arsenal have taken on some of Europe's elite this season and prevailed, with Mikel Arteta's men rising to the challenge of Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan. They have won all three games.
However, as the full-time whistle blew on Thursday evening at the conclusion of the Gunners' draw with Brentford, Arteta knew his side had been in a game.
Truth be told, this was one of the toughest away trips Arsenal will have this term and it was arguably one of the most challenging nights work they've got through during 2025/26.
Arteta-Gabriel-Arsenal
The Bees have claimed some prize scalps already this season and have not suffered at all from the departure of Thomas Frank. In fact, they appear to have reached another level under Keith Andrews who looks set to take his side into Europe.
So, was this really that bad of a night for Arsenal? The fact the gap between them and Manchester City was cut to four points suggest it was. Yet, they were not good enough and you have to say they did well to even hold on for a point.
How Arsenal dropped points against Brentford
With Man City defeating Fulham on Wednesday night, the Gunners travelled across London with the pressure on. Whether or not they dealt with that pressure is up for debate.
What isn't up for debate, however, was the level of performance from Arteta's men. This was a battle and a half, let's put it that way.
Arsenal failed to ever really get going in the first half and it took the hairdryer treatment at half-time for the north Londoners to go up a gear. The first 15 minutes after the break was their best spell of the game and when Noni Madueke headed home around the hour mark, it looked like they may well go on to press home their advantage.
Yet, they failed to do so and a late Brentford barrage finally saw them equalise. It's safe to say that they were met with a taste of their own medicine.
The hosts had six corners and countless long throws, causing huge problems for Arsenal in the process. Speaking before the match, Andrews had noted that set-pieces "will be a huge part of the game", suggesting his side could cause plenty of "chaos" from those situations.
Madueke-Arsenal-1
Well, he wasn't wrong. Michael Kayode - who is a long throw specialist - was the man of the hour again, flinging a ball into the box that was flicked on and then powered home by Keane Lewis-Potter. It was a brilliant routine but poorly defended from an Arsenal side who didn't look very comfortable for most of the night.
It was perhaps a surprise that Brentford didn't actually go onto win the game. Igor Thiago was denied by an excellent save from David Raya in the first half and then had two late chances to grab a winner. One effort was blocked remarkably well by Cristian Mosquera before he blazed an opportunity high and wide minutes later.
While Arsenal will potentially be able to take their feet off the gas a bit against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup on Sunday, they will need to improve big time when they face Wolves next Wednesday at Molineux.
How Arsenal can improve against Wolves
While it's unlikely Arteta will make wholsale changes for that clash in just under a week's time, he does need to find an answer to creating and scoring regular goals.
Against Brentford, they managed to create just one 'big chance' in the game, a statistic that rubberstamps how much the offensive line struggled in west London.
The source of those woes was certainly Eberechi Eze. Handed his first start in the Premier League since facing Wolves on December 13th, it's safe to say that the £67.5m signing was not at the races.
Eberechi-Eze-Arsenal
In fact, that has been the story of his Arsenal career to date. While the attacking midfielder did score that magical hat-trick against Spurs in the north London derby, that's about as good as it's got for him in the famous red and white so far.
His performance on Thursday just about summed up his time at his boyhood club. He struggled to get on the ball, didn't really make himself much of an option and failed to provide the source of creativity that Arsenal were desperately craving.
Eze vs Brentford
Minutes played
Touches
Touches in opposition box
Accurate passses
Chances created
Shots
Ground duels won
Aerial duels won
Expected assists (xA)
As a result, Eze was dragged off early in the game, so early that he didn't return for the second half. Martin Odegaard was substituted on in his place.
During the course of his 45 minutes on the field, the England international managed just nine accurate passes and had fewer touches (17) than Raya managed (48). A lack of intensity was clearly on show too, with Arsenal writer Connor Humm perhaps summing things up best. He said: "Eze walks around like Ozil. That’s fine if you’re as good as Ozil but he's not even close."
What was most concerning was his lack of threat. The former Crystal Palace man didn't carve out a single key pass while he also didn't have a shot at goal.
He needs to stamp his authority on games more or else his boyhood dream of playing for the Gunners could peter out rather quickly. The trouble for Arteta is that Odegaard is hardly stamping his claim either and his preferred option in recent matches, Kai Havertz, faces the next few weeks out with a new muscle injury.
There is no need for Arsenal to panic about their position just yet. They are still in the driver's seat to win the Premier League title but they need far more consistent performances from their attack if they are to get over the line. For now, it's time to go back to Odegaard and drop Eze to the bench.
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Mikel Arteta has plenty of options to choose from at Arsenal but it's not been great news for some in the squad.