Kai Havertz scores his most important Arsenal goal in tense victory over Brentford

When Kai Havertz scored his first goal for Arsenal, there was a concerted effort from the club’s players, staff and supporters to make sure it was a springboard for the rest of his season. Mikel Arteta even said the goal would “probably change everything” for the struggling German.

The problem with that strategy, if we are being blunt, is that the goal simply did not matter. Havertz’s first for the club was a penalty, offered up to him by his team-mates, in a 4-0 victory over Bournemouth on a sunny September afternoon. His critics used it as another reason to ridicule him, effectively saying he had won some sort of charity prize.

That might have been a little cruel but the point stood: Havertz still needed a big moment. A match-winning intervention. A lift-off. An action that could allow him to stand before the Arsenal supporters and truly announce his arrival as a key player for this club.

In the 89th minute of a teeth-grinding, attritional match against a stubborn Brentford, on a brutally cold night in west London, that moment presented itself at last. As Bukayo Saka’s cross swirled towards the back post, Havertz was there. A darting run, a downward header, a winning goal. One point became three for Arsenal, and Havertz had put them on top of the table.

A few minutes later, after the final whistle, Arteta grabbed Havertz around the neck. He then ran with him across half the length of the pitch, towards the Arsenal supporters. The message to those fans was clear: believe in Havertz, trust that he will eventually come good.

“If things came easy then he wouldn’t have got the reception he got today with everybody hugging him and telling him how much we love him,” said Arteta.

“It’s for a reason, it’s because of the way he behaves in difficult situations. He’s an example for all of us to do what you have to do when you have difficulties.

“It’s a great example for the team. We cannot be happier. Against these blocks, and against teams that defend the box like this, you need this kind of profile. He’s exceptional at that.”

It will take more than one winner to justify his £65 million transfer fee but this, at last, felt like a proper start for Havertz. Will it give him momentum? “I hope so,” he said. “We will see. Those late winners are nice and then to celebrate in front of the fans, it was a good feeling for sure.”

In the end, then, it was a night that belonged to the German. But for much of the evening, it seemed as though the major talking point would be the performance of Aaron Ramsdale. Making his first league appearance since September (David Raya was unable to play against his parent club), Ramsdale endured an occasion that was chilling in more ways than one.

The first half will surely rank among the more challenging of Ramsdale’s career. Under intense pressure – a pressure of Arteta’s making, it could be argued – he appeared deeply uncomfortable. He almost gave away a goal, after losing the ball in his own box, and was uncharacteristically wild in his distribution. One attempted throw somehow cannoned into the turf.

The Brentford fans hounded Ramsdale mercilessly but, as the game progressed, he gradually found his feet. The second half was a considerable improvement on the first and the England goalkeeper was surrounded by his team-mates at the final whistle. He left with a clean sheet, but perhaps without much hope of dislodging Raya in the coming games.

“He has big courage and big personality,” said Arteta of Ramsdale. “That is why we love him. It is a joy as a manager to watch this kind of reaction. The players looking after themselves and showing love to each other, it does not get any better than that.”

Few teams have joy when playing against Thomas Frank’s Brentford, who are among the most combative and organised opponents. To play here is to face a tactical and physical examination that must be deeply unpleasant to endure.

Frank’s belief is that his team deserved a draw. It was hard to argue with that assessment. Before Havertz struck at the death, it was Brentford who had created the best chances: first for Bryan Mbeumo, whose shot was blocked by the brilliant Declan Rice after Ramsdale had lost the ball, and then for Neal Maupay, whose header was cleared by Oleksandr Zinchenko. “We did so many things right,” said Frank.

Arsenal lacked creative spark for much of the match, even if Rice’s mastery of the midfield allowed them to control the game. They scored in the first half through Leandro Trossard, before being denied by a check for offside, but seemed certain to leave with just one point as stoppage time loomed.

And then, the finest moment yet of Havertz’s Arsenal career. It was the sort of goal he was signed to score. Arsenal can only hope that, this time, it is the start of something special.