11 February 2023 , 20:07
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Brentford striker Ivan Toney put on a masterful striker's display against Arsenal on Saturday afternoon and gave Gunners centre-back William Saliba a torrid time in the process.
The Bees talisman placed a significant dent into the title hopes of Mikel Arteta's men, who will certainly view the 1-1 draw as two points dropped despite the fact their visitors had more than enough chances to win the game. That is in stark contrast to Arsenal, who dominated possession and had plenty of shots on goal but failed to really trouble the bees other than their goal.
January signing Leandro Trossard netted what the Emirates faithful would have hoped what was a vital winner, but instead Toney's 74th minute equaliser ensured the honours ended even.
Two statistics from the game have since emerged that will undoubtedly be a cause for concern from Arteta's perspective, both of which are a testament to Toney's display.
Brentford's main man won 12 aeriel duels over the course of the game, the most any player has won in a single game in the Premier League this season. On the other end of the spectrum, Saliba lost all 10 of the aerial duels he contested.
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In what was a miserable 90 minutes for the France international, Saliba's 10 duel losses is the most any player in the league has contested while failing to win a single one of them.
Brentford's Ivan Toney dominated Arsenal's William Saliba in the airHAVE YOUR SAY! Have Arsenal lost momentum in the title race? Comment below
Considering Erling Haaland is the next test that awaits Saliba in what many are billing as a title-decider against Manchester City on Wednesday night, he may need to drastically improve the aerial side of his game quickly.
Pep Guardiola's men will have been overjoyed by Toney's late goal, as a draw for Arsenal means City can close the gap at the top to just three points with a win at home to Aston Villa on Sunday.
Should they topple Arsenal on Wednesday, they will leapfrog the Gunners into top spot on goal difference.
After the game, Arteta was pressed for comment on whether that meeting City has now increased in importance after the draw against Brentford.
The Spaniard explained: "Every match is [important]. That’s been the case for the last two months, and today it was a massive game for us. It was a big game, and we are disappointed because we wanted all three points.
"We’ll train tomorrow, recover, and review the match to see what we can do better and continue to do. Obviously, we’ll review Manchester City and then on Monday we’ll start to look ahead to the game."