Fabio Vieira marked his full Premier League debut with a stunning goal as Arsenal cruised past Brentford 3-0 in Sunday's London derby to return to the top of the table.
The 22-year-old came in for the injured Martin Odegaard at the Brentford Community Stadium, and his long-range effort early in the second half capped off an utterly dominant display from Mikel Arteta's side.
William Saliba and Gabriel Jesus had both headed home for Arsenal in the first half before Vieira's first goal for the club, as the North London giants quickly returned to the summit above Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
Despite the absences of Odegaard, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Emile Smith Rowe, Arsenal exploded out of the blocks on Sunday lunchtime after both sides impeccably observed a minute's silence to the late Queen Elizabeth II.
It took just 17 minutes for the Premier League leaders to make their dominance count, as Saliba drifted to the near post to meet Bukayo Saka's corner and headed home his second Arsenal goal.
Brentford goalkeeper David Raya tried to palm the ball to safety after it had struck the inside of the post, but referee David Coote took a quick glance at his watch and awarded the goal to the Gunners.
© Reuters
Brentford had briefly threatened in and around the penalty area before Saliba's header, but the Frenchman's opener sucked the life out of the Bees as Arsenal comfortably retained possession of the ball.
By the 28-minute mark, the Gunners had the ball in the back of the net again, as midfield enforcer Granit Xhaka picked out Jesus inside the box for the Brazil international to direct a header beyond Raya's reach into the top corner. In support of compatriot Vinicius Junior, Jesus broke out into dance after doubling Arsenal's lead.
The home faithful at the Brentford Community Stadium were silenced as Arsenal refused to allow their side a sniff at the end of the first half, with Thomas Frank's switch to a three-man backline not paying dividends.
Arsenal did not rest on their laurels at the start of the second period, and Vieira - who had been relatively quiet in the first 45 - picked up the ball a good 25 yards from goal with 49 minutes on the clock.
The ex-Porto starlet took one touch before unleashing a fierce left-footed strike towards Raya's goal, and the Spaniard was powerless to stop Vieira's effort from crashing into the back of the net off the post.
Arsenal's Ethan Nwaneri comes off the bench and becomes the youngest ever Premier League player! 👶 pic.twitter.com/URDRwtEjoZ
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) September 18, 2022
Any hopes of a Brentford comeback were seemingly dashed by Vieira's stunning strike, but newly-called up England striker Ivan Toney volleyed just over the Arsenal goal not long after following a neat free-kick routine.
However, Frank's men saw all their avenues to goal blocked by a steadfast Arsenal backline, and Raya was called into action once again to deny Saka from making it four in the 66th minute following a slick passing move.
While both sets of supporters were on their feet in applause for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in the 70th minute, Brentford did carve a way through the Arsenal backline, but Aaron Ramsdale was equal to substitute Mikkel Damsgaard's tame effort.
With 10 minutes left on the clock, Brentford thought they had been awarded a penalty after Albert Sambi Lokonga brought down Toney - Coote had briefly pointed to the spot before the linesman's flag went up for offside.
The result was beyond any doubt, but there was still time for Premier League history to be made, as Arsenal starlet Ethan Nwaneri became the youngest-ever player in the competition's history at 15 years and 181 days as he replaced Vieira in the dying embers.
Arsenal now prepare for the North London derby with Tottenham Hotspur on October 1 following the international break, while Brentford travel to Bournemouth in their first game back.
Ben Knapton
