Brentford 2-0 Arsenal: 74 Years in the Making (2021)
Brentford 2-0 Arsenal was the result on 13 August 2021, in Brentford’s first top-flight match for 74 years, opening the Premier League season with a victory in front of a sold-out home crowd. Sergi Canós scored on 22 minutes and Christian Nørgaard headed a second on 73, and Brentford’s new stadium roared them to their first-ever Premier League win. It was the club’s first top-flight appearance since the 1946-47 season, according to the Premier League.
This was opening night of the 2021-22 season: a west London club, out of the top division since the post-war years, beating one of the English game’s traditional giants in front of its own supporters. It sits alongside Arsenal’s other chastening openers, from a seven-goal defeat to Liverpool in 2016 to the start of their Invincible year. Here is how Brentford’s long-awaited return unfolded.
Key Facts
- Played on Friday 13 August 2021 at the Brentford Community Stadium, the opening match of the 2021-22 Premier League season, in front of 16,479.
- It was Brentford’s first top-flight match since 1947, a gap of 74 years, and their first-ever match in the Premier League.
- Brentford won 2-0. Sergi Canós scored on 22 minutes and Christian Nørgaard headed the second on 73.
- Brentford, managed by Thomas Frank, had been promoted through the 2021 Championship play-offs. Arsenal were managed by Mikel Arteta.
- Arsenal were badly depleted, missing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette (COVID-19), along with Thomas Partey and Gabriel, and gave starts to young players including Folarin Balogun.
- The referee was Michael Oliver. Canós was the first Brentford player to score in the top flight since 1946-47, according to the club.
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The Night Brentford Came Back to the Top
Seventy-Four Years of Waiting
Brentford had last played top-flight football in the 1946-47 season, before the Premier League existed and before almost anyone in the stadium had been born. Their return, sealed through the 2021 Championship play-offs under Thomas Frank, gave the opening fixture of the new season an occasion all of its own: the first competitive top-flight match at their new riverside ground, in front of a full house. Arsenal, by contrast, arrived depleted and unsettled, having lost Aubameyang and Lacazette to COVID-19, with Gabriel and Partey also missing.
| Match | Brentford 2-0 Arsenal |
| Date | 13 August 2021 (Premier League, matchweek 1) |
| Venue | Brentford Community Stadium, London |
| Scorers | Sergi Canós 22′, Christian Nørgaard 73′ |
| Attendance | 16,479 |
| Referee | Michael Oliver |
| Significance | First top-flight football for Brentford since 1946-47; first-ever Premier League win |
Canós, Nørgaard and a Statement Win
Brentford took the game to Arsenal from the first whistle. On 22 minutes Sergi Canós cut inside from the left and drilled a low finish past Bernd Leno at his near post, and the stadium erupted. Arsenal, disjointed and short of ideas, never found a way to settle the game, and on 73 minutes a long throw into their box went uncleared and Christian Nørgaard rose to head Brentford’s second from close range. Brentford saw out the closing stages in front of a full house, and a 2-0 win over Arsenal on the opening night sent them into the Premier League with a statement.
How the night unfolded:
- 22′ Sergi Canós cuts in and finishes low past Leno, 1-0.
- HT Brentford lead the depleted visitors 1-0.
- 73′ Christian Nørgaard heads in from a long throw, 2-0.
- FT Brentford 2-0 Arsenal, a first Premier League win at the first attempt.
What the Result Signalled
For Brentford, the win was proof that their patient, well-run model could survive at the top level; they would comfortably avoid relegation and establish themselves as a Premier League side. For Arsenal, it was a low that helped force a reckoning: Arteta’s team lost their opening three games of 2021-22 without scoring, before recovering to a strong second half of the season. The opening night belonged entirely to the club that had waited longest for it.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Brentford 2-0 Arsenal (2021)
What was the score in Brentford v Arsenal in 2021?
Brentford beat Arsenal 2-0 on 13 August 2021, on the opening night of the Premier League season. Sergi Canós scored on 22 minutes and Christian Nørgaard on 73. It was Brentford’s first Premier League match and their first season in the top flight since 1946-47.
Why was Brentford v Arsenal such a historic match?
It was Brentford’s first top-flight match for 74 years, since the 1946-47 season, and their first-ever game in the Premier League. Winning it 2-0 against Arsenal, one of English football’s traditional big clubs, marked the return in emphatic fashion.
Who scored for Brentford against Arsenal?
Sergi Canós scored Brentford’s first goal on 22 minutes, cutting inside and finishing low past Bernd Leno. Christian Nørgaard headed the second on 73 minutes from a long throw into the box. Canós was the first Brentford player to score at the top level in 74 years.
When did Brentford last play in the top flight before 2021?
Brentford had not played top-flight football since the 1946-47 season, a wait that spanned three generations. They returned by winning promotion through the 2021 Championship play-offs under manager Thomas Frank, and marked it with a 2-0 win over Arsenal on the opening night of 2021-22.
Why was Arsenal missing players?
Arsenal were without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, both ruled out by COVID-19, as well as Thomas Partey and Gabriel through injury and fitness. Mikel Arteta started a young side, and Arsenal struggled badly, losing their opening three games of the season.
Where was the game played, and who refereed it?
The match was played at the Brentford Community Stadium in west London, the club’s new home, in front of 16,479. It was the first competitive top-flight match staged there. The referee was Michael Oliver.
Did Brentford stay in the Premier League?
Yes. Brentford comfortably avoided relegation in their first Premier League season and established themselves as a top-flight club, a vindication of the club’s data-led, sustainable model. The opening-night win over Arsenal was the perfect start to that story.
Why is Brentford 2-0 Arsenal still remembered?
It is remembered as the night a club returned to the top flight after 74 years and beat Arsenal to do it, on live television on the opening night of the season. The combination of the long wait, the new stadium and the emphatic result made it a fixture that still resonates.
Who managed Brentford and Arsenal?
Brentford were managed by Thomas Frank, who had led them to promotion through the 2021 Championship play-offs, and Arsenal by Mikel Arteta. Frank’s side, built on a data-led recruitment model, produced a controlled, disciplined performance on the night.
Was this the first match at Brentford’s new stadium?
It was the first competitive top-flight match staged at the Brentford Community Stadium, and the first there in front of a full house. The club had moved to the new riverside ground shortly before their promotion, making the occasion an even bigger milestone.
How did Arsenal’s season start after this defeat?
Arsenal lost their opening three games of the 2021-22 season without scoring a goal, a run that began with this defeat at Brentford and put Mikel Arteta under significant pressure. They recovered strongly in the second half of the season to finish fifth.
Brentford’s Long-Awaited Return
Answered in a single night with two goals and a full house, Brentford’s return to the top flight was one of the modern game’s great promotion stories. For more opening-day drama, from the start of Arsenal’s unbeaten season to the first goals in league history, keep exploring our On This Day series and the channel.
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