It was a moment which perfectly encapsulated the way Arsenal surrendered their early dominance in the face of Brentford pressure.
For the opening minutes, the Gunners looked every bit the Premier League regular against a side that were competing in the top-flight for the first time since 1947.
Mikel Arteta’s side looked well drilled and confident in possession, helping to quieten what was a raucous atmosphere at the Community Stadium.
But possession didn’t lead to chances and the hosts grew in confidence throughout the first-half, with the high press they have become famous for evident.
Thomas Frank had warned Arsenal that his side intended to put the Gunners under intense pressure.
“It’s no secret we try to press high, we also try to press the goal kicks to see if we can put the pressure on Arsenal,” the Brentford boss explained pre-match.
And that plan came into fruition when Bernd Leno played a short pass out to central defender Pablo Mari, who was instantly closed down by a red and white striped shirt.
After dithering on the ball, the Spaniard proceeded to lump the ball forward in a state of panic.
He then turned around to Leno, arms open wide and according to Football.London, shouted "Bernd, f****** hell".
Arsenal’s troubles from playing out from the back have been well documented, it got them into trouble on a number of occasions last season, with signs the issues haven’t been fixed in pre-season.
Unfortunately, their difficulties on the ball weren’t the back-four’s only issue, as Brentford physically dominated their more illustrious counterparts.
Christian Norgaard climbed highest to double the Bees lead and following the defeat Gary Neville labelled the Arsenal defenders as “soft”.
“They got messed around. A game of football is really difficult when you are getting messed around by the opposition’s centre-forwards,” Neville told Sky Sports. “And that has happened from minute one tonight.
"It is the little knock-ons, it’s getting nudged, it is the long throws, the free-kicks, all of which mean you’re not in control of the game.
"You hear Thomas Frank after the match saying how they could do Arsenal on set-pieces, there’s nothing worse than thinking your team is a little bit soft.
“Arsenal fans will go away tonight thinking, ‘we have been bullied’.
Defeat to Brentford means Arsenal go into clashes against Chelsea and Manchester City staring at the prospect of no points from their opening trio of games.
There are issues to be ironed out and they need to be sorted sooner rather than later.
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