Arsenal return to top spot as Fábio Vieira strike seals win at Brentford

What a departure this was from the night, 13 months ago, when Arsenal buckled under a battering at this stadium. This time they subdued it to near silence, taking an early lead through William Saliba and never looking remotely likely to let it slip. Ghosts are rarely slain this cleanly: Mikel Arteta’s team were vastly superior in every department and, given it is safe to assume not all of their rivals will have it quite as easy here, can feel they have provided a compelling advertisement for their ability to compete at the business end.

Further goals from Gabriel Jesus and Fábio Vieira, the latter with a sublime strike from range, guaranteed their return to the top and meant they could contest most of the second half with the match won before creating a moment of history at the end. When Ethan Nwaneri emerged from the bench early in stoppage time, he became the Premier League’s youngest-ever player at 15 years and 181 days old.

Arteta raised his arms aloft when, after a moment’s pause, David Coote signalled that Saliba’s header had crossed the line. In fact there had been little doubt and there was no mistaking the goal’s importance: the opening exchanges had been scrappy and there were obvious benefits for Arsenal in picking the lock so early.

The disappointment for Brentford was that, after looking comfortable in the air for the first quarter of an hour, they conceded from a straightforward set piece. Bukayo Saka’s inswinging corner, dipped left-footed towards the near post, was expertly delivered but there was no escaping the fact Ivan Toney switched off. He allowed Saliba to get in front of him and glance across David Raya, the ball clearly going in via the far upright. Toney’s England call-up on Thursday was well