Ivan Toney's header gave Brentford a thoroughly deserved share of the spoils at Premier League leaders Arsenal.

Toney nodded home from close range with 16 minutes to play, cancelling out substitute Leandro Trossard’s opener, as the Bees extended their unbeaten run in the top flight to 10 matches.

Had Rico Henry or Toney taken very presentable first-half chances, Thomas Frank’s side could well have added Arsenal to their impressive list of league scalps this campaign, but a point was still fine reward for an excellent performance on the road.

Frank makes three changes and reverts to 5-3-2

Brentford switched to 5-3-2 for the trip to the Emirates with Mads Roerslev and Kristoffer Ajer coming into the backline – Aaron Hickey and Wissa dropping out.

There was also a change in midfield with Vitaly Janelt replacing Josh Dasilva.

Arsenal kept faith with their tried-and-trusted starting XI and substitutes, despite defeat at Everton last time out.

Ahead of Aaron Ramsdale in goal, ever-presents Gabriel and William Saliba started in the centre of defence, with Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko either side.

Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and Martin Odegaard lined up in midfield while academy graduates Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Eddie Nketiah formed the front three.

Brentford: Raya; Roerslev, Ajer, Pinnock, Mee, Henry; Norgaard, Janelt (Dasilva 71), Jensen; Mbeumo (Wissa 71), Toney (Schade 90+7)

Subs not used: Cox, Hickey, Zanka, Lewis-Potter, Damsgaard, Baptiste

Arsenal: Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey, Xhaka (Vieira 81), Odegaard; Saka, Martinelli (Trossard 61), Nketiah

Subs not used: Turner, Tierney, Kiwior, Holding, Tomiyasu, Jorginho, Cozier-Duberry

Brentford create the best opportunities during an impressive first-half performance

The game quickly settled into the pattern you would expect with Arsenal dominating possession and Brentford looking to play on the break.

Saka and Martinelli hugged their respective touchlines, with Zinchenko and White trying to exploit the space inside them on the underlap.

The Bees were content to allow Arsenal possession in those deeper and wider areas, ensuring that they protected the penalty area when the Gunners threatened; Janelt doing just that when Odegaard shot after four minutes, making the block inside the D.

Brentford had barely touched the ball up to that point but should, moments later, have gone ahead.

Janelt knocked a ball down the line for Toney. Getting there, Toney spotted Bryan Mbeumo and Rico Henry at the back post, the latter getting there first only to skew his effort wide with the goal gaping.

Zinchenko fired over and Saka prodded straight at David Raya from a tight angle but those were rare moments of alarm for a Brentford side who were creating far the better openings.

With the strength of Toney and speed of Mbeumo combining to great effect, the Bees were able to get bodies forward in support of the attack.

Ethan Pinnock had a volley blocked from Mbeumo’s out-swinging corner before a second glorious opening of the half was passed up.

A passage of neat play on the edge of the box created space for Mbeumo to cross. His cutback was perfectly into the stride of Toney at the back post, but he crashed his first-time effort off the bar from 12 yards.

On Brentford’s next foray forward, it was only a Xhaka intervention inside the six-yard box which prevented Ben Mee opening the scoring with a header from another Mbeumo corner.

Mathias Jensen then whipped a shot well over the bar from 25 yards before Ramsdale was tested for the first time - the Arsenal stopper beating away a swerving Toney effort from 25 yards.

Arsenal did end the half on the front foot, Martinelli volleying over from 15 yards and Mee blocking Saka’s left-footed effort from range, but Brentford more than deserved to go in level.

Toney’s header cancels out Trossard’s close-range finish

The hosts carried their urgency into the second half, realising the importance of the three points in their title charge.

Raya beat away Saka’s near-post effort before showing good handling, low down, to collect Odegaard’s drive.

Brentford’s best chance of the opening stages fell to Toney, but he could only steer Jensen’s cushioned pass into the side netting from 15 yards.

As the game moved past the hour mark, Arsenal stepped up the pressure and eventually got their reward.

During a spell which saw Brentford penned back into their own half, Ajer blocked from Xhaka, Nketiah curled over, and Mee got in the way of a Saka effort before the deadlock was finally broken on 66 minutes.

Saka was the provider, getting in behind the Bees backline and squaring for an unmarked Trossard to tap home at the far post.

The Belgian substitute could have doubled Arsenal’s advantage, shooting over as space opened up on the right side of the box, but Brentford were quickly back level.

A deep free-kick resulted in a spell of pinball inside the Arsenal box which eventually ended with Norgaard calmly lifting the ball over Ramsdale and straight onto the forehead of Toney to nod home his 15th goal of the campaign in all competitions.

The Bees striker ran straight to the dugout, surrounded by his team-mates, to lift up a shirt in support of Sergi Canos, whose mother died earlier this week.

Having seen the lead they worked so hard to establish disappear, Arsenal threw everything at Brentford’s blue wall in the closing stages. However, the wall withstood everything thrown at them.

Zinchenko had a trio of efforts from the left-edge of the box, one saved comfortably by Raya, one which flew narrowly wide, and one blocked by Josh Dasilva – Saka wildly slicing the rebound wide from the final of those attempts – before a superb last-ditch Pinnock challenge ensured Brentford’s point.

Nketiah picked up Saka’s pass just outside the six-yard box and shaped to shoot but Pinnock stretched out a long leg and deflected the ball away as he prepared to pull the trigger.

An initial five minutes of stoppage-time became nine due to injuries - and a coming together following Norgaard’s foul on Zinchenko - but neither side could take advantage of the additional time as Brentford took a deserved point back across the capital.

Frank: We deserved to win

Thomas Frank was proud of Brentford's performance against league leaders Arsenal, but thought his side deserved to win.

Norgaard: We're on a really good run

Christian Norgaard was delighted to keep the Bees' good form going with a positive result in north London.