“It's a very, very special day” - 29-year-old thanks ‘amazing’ Arsenal fans as they chant his name in 3-0 Brentford win

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka sent a message to supporters expressing his gratitude after they chanted his name in his team's 3-0 win over Brentford earlier today (September 18).

The Gunners ran riot at the Brentford Community Stadium as they secured all three points in the fixture, regaining top spot from Manchester City. William Saliba continued his scintillating form this season with a strong header, putting Arsenal in front within 17 minutes.

Xhaka then whipped in a fine cross, capitalized on by Gabriel Jesus just 11 minutes later. The scoring ended with Fabio Vieira managing to find the back of the net from outside the box, recording his first goal for the Gunners.

Xhaka was delighted to hear chants of his name resonating throughout the Brentford Community Stadium. In a grateful message to Arsenal supporters, the Switzerland international said (via The Daily Express):

"Hey guys, Granit here. Great win, great result, thanks for your support. You've been amazing but as well for myself to hear what happened today, to say my name, to sing the song for me. It's a very, very special day and thank you again, see you soon. All the best guys."

The Swiss midfielder also spoke to Sky Sports about the Gunners' performance. He said:

"You see the different mentality we have this season. We had a great chance after one minute with [Gabriel] Martinelli, if we score then we start well. We kept going, working each other and we are training like we play and we have class as well with individual players that can make a difference. Today you saw that."

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta comments on Xhaka's impact on his team

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta lauded Granit Xhaka for his performance against the Bees and explained the 29-year-old's impact on his team. The Spanish boss attributes the midfielder's recent form to consistency and experience.

During the post-match press conference, Arteta said:

"His consistency. How he goes about every day, how he’s learned through different moments in his career whether they are here or with the national team and his willingness over time to stay humble, look forward, and try to get better and when you do that, normally good things happen."

When asked whether Xhaka performed like a leader during the Brentford clash, the Gunners boss replied:

"Absolutely and he was demanding it as well. I think he feels now that that love and respect goes both ways. I think you see our supporters the way they were singing to him as well. It makes him emotional, it makes him try to give even more and I’m really pleased for him because in my opinion he fully deserves it."