Vieira stunner caps impressive win as Arteta’s Arsenal breeze back to top of the table

Mikel Arteta’s side strolled effortlessly back to the top of the embryonic Premier League table in the early Sunday game.

The Arsenal manager and his men were humbled when they lost here on the opening day of last season and Brentford striker Ivan Toney taunted them by describing the match as a ‘nice kick about with the boys.’

But Brentford were battered and bullied 13 months on as goals from William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus and Fabio Vieira were the very least Arsenal deserved for their domination of this noon kick-off.

Arteta was even able to hand a debut to Ethan Nwaneri to mark both Arsenal and the Premier League’s youngest ever player at 15 years and 181 days.

The latest Arsenal youth product is so young he had to change in his own dressing room under child protection rules.

There were only four survivors from Arteta’s Covid-hit starting line-up from the one defeated here on a sweltering Friday night here last season.

One of those changes, of course, was Saliba. The young France international is a good ball player but is a big unit too and had already showed he would not be bullied by Brentford’s busy forwards Ivan Toney and Bryan Mbeumo before he headed Arsenal in front from a 17th minute corner.

The tactical mastermind behind the move was former Brentford trainer Nico Jover, now Arsenal’s set piece coach. Tellingly, Arsenal have scored the most Premier League goals from corners since his arrival at the start of last season.

Arsenal maintained their control on the game before adding a deserved second, nine minutes later, after a spellbinding, long passing move. It culminated in man of the match Granit Xhaka curling a cross into the box and Jesus climbing highest to head in powerfully past David Raya.

Summer signing Jesus is already level with predecessor Alex Lacazette’s four league goals for last season. He has 31 matches to go at least one better than the Frenchman he has replaced at the club.

Arsenal were surprisingly dominant considering Brentford usually thrive in these fixtures. Their only defeat in the previous 17 home league London derbies was a 1-0 loss to Chelsea in October last year.

The pick of Arsenal’s play and goals was yet to come as Vieira marked his first Premier League start with a stunning 49th-minute strike.

The 22-year-old €35million recruit from Porto controlled a Bukayo pass 25 yards out and made the space and time to curl in a precise left foot shot clattering in off a post.

The Arsenal fans, who had hardly stopped signing since they arrived in west London, could not believe their luck as they burst into a relentless remix of the Vieira chant once reserved for former captain Patrick Vieira.

Brentford: Raya 6; Hickey 5, Jansson 5, Ajer 5, Mee 6, Henry 7; Dasilva 7 (Damsgaard 63), Janelt 6 (Onyeka 63), Jensen 6 (Baptiste 69); Mbeumo 5, Toney 6. Subs: Strakosha, Wissa, Canos, Ghoddos, Roerslev.

Arsenal: Ramsdale 6; White 6 (Tomiyasu 86), Saliba 8, Gabriel 7, Tierney 7; Partey 7 (Lokonga 78), Xhaka 9; Saka 6 (Marquinhos 90), Vieira 7 (Nwaneri 90), Martinelli 7 (Nketiah 78); Jesus 7. Subs: Turner, Holding, Sousa, Smith.

Ref: David Coote 7