Despite taking the lead at Gtech Community Stadium, Brentford were beaten 3-1 by Arsenal in the first Premier League game of 2025.

Bryan Mbeumo netted for the hosts inside the first 15 minutes, before Gabriel Jesus equalised on the half-hour mark. Two goals for Mikel Arteta's side in the opening stages of the second period - from Mikel Merino and Gabriel Martinelli, respectively - secured the victory for the Gunners.

Thomas Frank made two changes from the side that drew 0-0 with Brighton and Hove Albion last week, with Kevin Schade and Ben Mee replaced by Sepp van den Berg and Yehor Yarmoliuk.

Arsenal dominated the ball for the opening stages of the match, with a few half-chances failing to trouble Mark Flekken in the Brentford goal - but it was the Bees who took the lead on 13 minutes.

Mikkel Damsgaard picked the ball up in midfield, jinked past Martin Ødegaard, and sent Mbeumo down the right channel. The winger drove at Riccardo Calafiori and, just as he entered the penalty area, he cut onto his left foot and fired it low and hard past David Raya at his near post.

After the opener, the visitors, again, had some soft efforts at goal but nothing to really test the Bees defence.

And Keane Lewis-Potter was inches away from making it 2-0, when he picked up the ball wide in the final third and - similarly to Mbeumo for the first goal - dribbled, cut in and shot at Raya. The former Bees keeper tried to catch the initial effort but saw it squirm away from him and towards his own goal, before he chased back and clawed it off the goalline.

Arsenal equalised on 29 minutes through Jesus. Brentford failed to properly clear and, after Thomas Partey had his shot saved by Flekken, the Brazilian followed it up and stooped down to head the ball into the back of the Bees net.

The rest of the half saw both teams push to go ahead, but it remained 1-1 heading into the break.

Arsenal took the lead just after half-time. Their initial corner was cleared, but the second one came in and Flekken's punch fell to Jesus inside the penalty area. His volley towards goal was blocked on the line by Van den Berg before Mikel Merino finished from close range.

A few minutes later, it was 3-1 to the Gunners. A cross from Ethan Nwaneri was headed back to the edge of the area, but Martinelli picked it up and lashed it to the right of Flekken and into the back of the net.

Brentford almost had a chance to pull a goal back from a Mathias Jensen long throw-in, after the Dane came on as a second-half substitute. The ball was hurled towards the middle of the goal and, as it was missed by almost everyone inside the six-yard box, it looked like Mbeumo might be able to get a shot on goal at the back post. However, Raya did well to smother the ball before his former team-mate could get a shot away.

The Bees had another chance in added time, as Nathan Collins marauded forward from the back and, when Jensen clipped a ball over the top to the centre-back, he just missed a header as he came crashing in at the back post.

The visitors managed the game throughout much of the second half and, despite the Bees getting more of the ball, they struggled to penetrate a stern Arsenal defence.

Brentford: Flekken; Collins, Van den Berg (Ji-soo 75), Janelt; Roerslev, Damsgaard (Maghoma 75), Nørgaard (Jensen 75), Yarmoliuk, Lewis-Potter; Mbeumo, Wissa (Schade 75)

Subs not used: Valdimarsson, Meghoma, Konak, Yogane, Arthur

Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori (Lewis-Skelly 78); Partey, Ødegaard (Jorginho 88), Merino (Rice 78); Nwaneri (Trossard 78), Jesus (Zinchenko 90+1), Martinelli

Subs not used: Neto, Tierney, Kiwior, Kabia

Frank: Arsenal goals were avoidable

Brentford head coach Thomas Frank said that his side's defending in the key moments was the difference in their 3-1 loss against Arsenal.

"Overall, it was a good performance," said Frank. "We were brave and defended very well low, and we scored a brilliant goal to make it 1-0.

"The problem wasn't the overall game, it was the three big moments where we didn't defend well enough.

"The first one we definitely need to avoid, the second one is a set-piece - we have to take into consideration that they are the best in the world and to learn from that - but it also drops a little bit for them.

"The third one is also avoidable, so that's the thing we need to do better if we want to win a game like this."

Janelt: We lost crucial set-piece battle

Brentford midfielder Vitaly Janelt discussed how losing the set-piece battle was a disappointing element of the defeat to Arsenal.

"It was a difficult game. I thought we played a very good first half; in general, we kept them quiet on chances," he said.

"At half-time, we always speak about being on it for the first five or ten minutes of the second half, but we conceded a set-piece goal and then, five minutes later, we conceded again.

"Before the game, we spoke about winning the set-piece battle, which is something we didn't do.

"It's difficult to come back against this sort of team; we had a lot of possession after they scored twice but we didn't create much."