When Kai Havertz scored his first goal for Arsenal, the club’s players, staff and fans made a concerted effort to ensure it was a springboard for the rest of the season. Mikel Arteta said the goal “probably would have changed everything” for the struggling German.
Frankly, the problem with this strategy was that the goal didn’t matter at all. Havertz’s first penalty for the club was the one offered to him by his teammates in the 4-0 win against Bournemouth on a sunny September afternoon. His critics used this as another reason to mock him, effectively saying he had won some sort of charity award.
That might have been a little harsh, but the point was: Havertz still needed a big moment. A match-winning tackle. A take off. This is a move that will allow him to stand in front of Arsenal fans and truly announce that he has arrived at this club as an important player.
In the 89th minute of a teeth-gnashing, back-breaking game against a stubborn Brentford on a brutally cold night in west London, the moment finally presented itself. Havertz was there as Bukayo Saka’s cross deflected towards the back post. A dart run, a downward header, the winning goal. Arsenal’s one point became three and Havertz took them top.
Moments later, after the final whistle, Arteta grabbed Havertz by the neck. He then ran half the length of the pitch towards the Arsenal fans with him. The message to these fans was clear: believe in Havertz, trust that he will eventually be okay.
“If everything had been easy, he wouldn’t have been received the way he was today, with everyone hugging him and telling him how much we love him,” Arteta said.
“There’s a reason for this; because of the way he behaves in difficult situations. He is an example to all of us to do what you need to do when faced with difficulties.
“He’s a great example for the team. We couldn’t be happier. You need this kind of profile against these blocks, against teams defending the penalty area like this. He is outstanding in this regard.”
It will take more than one winner to justify the £65 million transfer fee, but this ultimately felt like a fitting start for Havertz. Will this give him momentum? “I hope so,” he said. “We’ll see. Late winners are great and it was definitely a nice feeling to celebrate in front of the fans.”
After all, it was a night for the Germans. But for most of the night, it looked like Aaron Ramsdale’s performance would be the biggest issue. Playing in the league for the first time since September (David Raya was unable to play against his parent club), Ramsdale endured a chilling affair in more ways than one.
The first half will surely be among the toughest of Ramsdale’s career. Under intense pressure – arguably pressure from Arteta – he looked extremely uncomfortable. He almost scored after losing the ball in his own half and showed an uncharacteristically wild distribution. Someone somehow tried to throw a ball onto the grass.
Brentford fans hounded Ramsdale relentlessly but as the game progressed Ramsdale gradually regained his feet. The second half showed a significant improvement over the first half and the England goalkeeper was surrounded by his team-mates at the final whistle. He left with a clean sheet but perhaps had little hope of dislodging Raya in the coming matches.
“He has great courage and great personality,” Arteta said of Ramsdale. “That’s why we love him. It’s gratifying as a manager to watch those kinds of reactions. It doesn’t get better than that when players take care of themselves and show love for each other.”
Few teams enjoy playing against Thomas Frank’s Brentford, who are among the most competitive and organized opponents. Playing here means facing a tactical and physical test that is extremely unpleasant to endure.
Frank believes his team deserved a draw. It was difficult to disagree with this assessment. Before Havertz struck the killer strike, it was Brentford who created the best chances: first for Bryan Mbeumo, whose shot was blocked by the superb Declan Rice after Ramsdale had lost the ball, and then for Neal Maupay, whose header was headed in by Oleksandr. Zinchenko. “We did a lot of things right,” Frank said.
Although Rice’s mastery in midfield allowed them to control the game, Arsenal lacked the creative spark for much of the match. They scored through Leandro Trossard in the first half, then were ruled out by an offside check, but it looked certain they would come away with just a point as extra time approached.
And then the best moment of Havertz’s Arsenal career so far. It was the kind of goal he signed up to score. Arsenal’s only hope this time is that this is the start of something special.