Arsenal 2-1 Brentford: Kai Havertz's winner takes the Gunners to the top of the Premier League after Aaron Ramsdale's mistake

Kai Havertz kept Aaron Ramsdale red-faced as Arsenal secured victory over Brentford to move top of the Premier League ahead of title rivals Liverpool and Manchester City's clash on Sunday.

The home side continued to dominate possession and Havertz missed his best chance to go further.

However, a solid first-half performance was undone by a Ramsdale error out of nowhere.

The England keeper, David Raya, who was playing as he was ineligible for the match against his parent club, slipped through a clearance and allowed the sliding Yoan Ouissa to score.

Arsenal looked to grab the winner in the second half, but had no luck until Havertz ran into space and headed in Ben White's cross.

Havertz has scored in four consecutive Premier League games to put Arsenal one point behind Liverpool and two ahead of Manchester City.

This led to jubilant celebrations at the Emirates Stadium, but the Gunners know their title rivals have a chance to outdo them at Anfield on Sunday.

Arsenal's performance is different, but the result is the same

What has been so impressive about Arsenal's glorious run to the top is the way they tore apart opponents.

Their 31 goals in seven league wins at the beginning of 2024 showed their high offensive power, but the fact that they showed no mercy once they took command showed their ruthless mindset.

But winning eight straight games required a different type of mentality.

Ahead of the visit to struggling Brentford, Gunners manager Mikel Arteta spoke of his team playing with the same energy, determination and character that saw them beat the likes of West Ham, Burnley, Newcastle and Sheffield United.

Arteta stressed how they needed to earn the right to win games, and in the end they did.

It was a completely different performance to the type Arsenal have produced in recent weeks. I had to be persistent, patient and take advantage of the big opportunities that came my way.

The wisdom of signing Chelsea's deep-rooted forward Havertz rather than a better-known striker has been regularly questioned, but the German has once again proven his worth.

Havertz, who scored the winning goal late on in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Brentford, continued to defy persistent critics with a follow-up goal that could be crucial when the champions are decided in May. .

The tense atmosphere inside the Emirates quickly gave way to a celebratory mood, and the home fans finally felt confident enough to sing “We are top of the league” eight minutes into second-half stoppage time.

More to come.