Topics: Granit Xhaka, Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah, Arsenal, Brentford, English Premier League
Confusion over the captaincy took place after Lacazette was subbed off, with the Swiss midfielder appearing to reject the armband.

Arsenal took on Brentford on Saturday in the Premier League in a must-win game for the Gunners' top-four hopes, and while the north London giants ended up securing the three points, a situation involving Granit Xhaka looks to mar that victory.

The Emirates Stadium was the venue for this clash as Mikel Arteta's men welcomed the Bees with the sole aim of getting revenge for their opening day defeat against Thomas Frank's side. While the first half saw no goals, Arsenal exhibited utter dominance and came close to breaking the deadlock a few times, while two penalty claims were waved away by both the referee and VAR.

The second half was all about turning their dominance into a lead and that's what they did shortly after the break, with Emile Smith Rowe caressing the ball into the corner of net after some lovely footwork. From then on, it became about killing off the game, which the hosts eventually did as well, but they were made to wait an additional 30 minutes for the second goal.

A precise counter-attack move ended in a Bukayo Saka goal, with Arsenal's other talented young Englishman's shot hitting the post before finding its way into the back of the net. Brentford managed to get a consolation goal courtesy of a clumsy attempt to clear a set-piece, but that amounted to little, as Arteta's side came away with the three points.

But what was the situation involving Xhaka that we mentioned early? As has become the custom, Alexandre Lacazette was unable to complete the 90 minutes and was subbed off for Eddie Nketiah. As a result, the young striker was given the captain's armband by the Frenchman in order to pass it on to the man next in line.

That player was the Swiss midfielder, and despite having worn the armband a few times since his infamous fallout with the Emirates Stadium fans a few years ago, the former Borussia M'gladbach ace appeared to refuse the captaincy. Instead, Nketiah was forced to don the role temporarily as play quickly resumed before eventually finding Kieran Tierney and passing the honor on to the Scottish left-back. Watch the incident in the clip below (video might be geo-restricted).

Of course, this incident sparked a conversation. Was it ultimately meaningless as the north London giants went on to win the game, with Xhaka performing well in the middle of the park? For some, this was the case. However, other fans did not take this likely given his previous sins and thus went to social media to criticize the 29-year-old.