LONDON (Reuters) - What was once such a normal sight in so many towns and cities up and down the country seemed like a some sort of time warp on Friday as fans clad in their club colours gathered to watch Brentford kick off the Premier League season against Arsenal.
Given that it was the west London club's first appearance in the top flight since 1947, it was always going to be a special night but there was so much more to celebrate - not least what turned out to be a hugely impressive 2-0 victory for Brentford.
The ground, built on the site of a scruffy industrial estate most famous to locals as a cut-through to the M4, is shared with Premiership rugby club London Irish and it becomes the 60th stadium to host a Premier League game. Brentford are the 50th team to play in the Premier League since it was formed in 1992.
Their illustrious opponents are the team with the longest unbroken presence in the top flight - they've been there since 1919 - but while Brentford are unquestionably on the up, Arsenal are struggling. Manager Mikel Arteta was apoplectic for much of the match, his mood no doubt soured by the absence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette."They felt unwell, that's all I can say,” the Spaniard said."I think we top-performed but there must be a level above that," he said."That was more than a 10/10 performance in terms of atmosphere.
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