Feb 13, 2026, 08:11 AM
Open Extended Reactions
Arsenal are 16th for the percentage of their Premier League goals which came from open play -- only Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leeds United, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace have a lower percentage.
Percentage of goals from open play in the Premier League
Manchester City 83%
Liverpool 78%
Brighton & Hove Albion 71%
Aston Villa 70%
Brentford 70%
Fulham 69%
Nottingham Forest 68%
Burnley 68%
West Ham United 66%
Bournemouth 65%
Tottenham Hotspur 64%
Manchester United 64%
Sunderland 63%
Everton 62%
Chelsea 60%
Arsenal 58%
Wolverhampton Wanderers 56%
Leeds United 56%
Newcastle United 51%
Crystal Palace 46%
However, their 29 goals in total from open play is only bettered by Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United.
Noni Madueke's header from a Piero Hincapié cross was a welcome moment of open play joy which gave Arsenal a lead at Brentford on Thursday night.
But they succumbed to an equaliser by Keane Lewis-Potter, and a 1-1 draw means they have lost ground in the title race.
Arsenal were held to a draw by Brentford. Getty
It was a frustrating outing for Arsenal. Their expected goal rate (0.60) was their third-lowest this season in all competitions. Their lowest xG this season was 0.49 against Liverpool on August 31, 2025.
They failed to register a shot on target in the first half for the fourth time this season in all competitions (the third time in the Premier League). Only Wolves vs. Brentford in December had fewer shots in the opening 45 minutes of a Premier League game this season than Brentford vs. Arsenal (four).
Madueke's opener was Arsenal's 31st goal in the second-half of a league match. No other team has more than Liverpool's 28 in second halves.
Madueke's three goal contributions this season (2G+1A) have been in his last three league games.
Arsenal open play stats from past six league games
Minutes per goal: 108 (eighth-best in Premier League)
Shot conversion rate: 12.5% (11th-best in Premier League)
Expected goals: 3.54 (12th in Premier League)
When Arsenal do score from open play, crosses from wide areas are a clear strength. They have scored nine goals from crosses in the league, only Manchester United have scored more (12). Only West Ham (11) have conceded from crosses more than Brentford (10).
Brentford's equaliser against Arsenal came from a trademark Michael Kayode long throw-in. Their fourth league goal via a throw-in is the joint-most alongside Burnley.
Arsenal are now only four points clear of Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League.
They next face Wigan in the FA Cup before their quest to win the league resumes against bottom-of-the-table Wolves on Feb. 18.
ESPN Global Research contributed to this report.