Arsenal responded on Wednesday January 1 to Liverpool’s demonstration on Sunday at West Ham (5-0), by winning 3-1 at Brentford to stay 6 points behind the “Reds” on the evening of the 19th day of the Premier League.
With 45 points and a game late, Liverpool is currently on a path towards the title, but Arsenal (39 pts) did not give up at the end of the year, with three consecutive victories in twelve days.
The coach ofArsenal Mikel Arteta indicated after the match that a virus had complicated the preparation for the match.
The German attacker Kai Havertz was sent home due to the virus, while the England midfielder Declan Rice was only able to enter the field in the second half.
The captain Martin Odegaard would also have been touched before kick-off, and, although he was eventually able to play, he made an error which led to the opener for Brentford par Bryan Mbeumoand was replaced in the second half.
“It affected the players on and off the field. (…) Nothing serious. But it was not an ideal situation”commented the Gunners coach.
“As far as symptoms go, with Kai (Havertz), it was obvious. He wasn’t feeling well at all. He had very clear symptoms… So get away from him, put him in a car and go home in London!”.
Arteta hopes the virus will be nothing more than a bad memory for his side’s trip to Brighton on Saturday.
Belgium
