Arsenal tightened their grip at the top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win over Brentford, but the night brought worrying injury news for manager Mikel Arteta, who confirmed setbacks for Cristhian Mosquera and Declan Rice.

Mikel Merino opened the scoring in the first half before Bukayo Saka sealed the result after the break, handing the Gunners a valuable three points at the Emirates.

The victory restored Arsenal’s lead at the summit after another strong display in front of their home crowd.

The win came at a cost. Mosquera limped off before the interval and was replaced by Jurrien Timber, while Viktor Gyokeres took the place of Rice in the second half. Speaking after the match, Arteta admitted his squad has been stretched in recent weeks.

“We lost Saliba, we lost big Gabby, today we lost Mosquera,” Arteta said. “It’s been a challenge. Ben White was excellent today. Everyone who is given an opportunity is performing. We’ll know more tomorrow. They need to be tested. Declan had to come off… let’s see who is available.”

Arsenal’s run of form has sparked bold predictions from former Manchester United captain Roy Keane, who believes the title race is already decided. Appearing on The Overlap’s Stick to Football podcast, Keane said the Gunners now have a decisive advantage.

After the Brentford win, Arsenal moved six points clear at the top, with Chelsea falling further behind following a shock 3-1 loss to relegation-threatened Leeds United. The result leaves Chelsea nine points adrift of Arteta’s side.

Addressing Arsenal legend Ian Wright during the discussion, Gary Neville, Keane’s former United teammate, said: “You lot have got to win it. You’ve got to win the league this season.” Keane immediately added: “The league is over. It’s over. The league is over.”

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