Although Brentford eventually came unstuck in their 1-0 defeat to Premier League leaders Arsenal at the weekend, Christian Nørgaard glued together what Thomas Frank afterwards described as "almost the perfect defensive performance".

In a game of few clear-cut chances, the Bees more than held their own for much of a cagey London derby that was eventually settled by Kai Havertz's 89th-minute winner for the Gunners.

Afterwards, Frank admitted that the result was "frustrating to take", but emphasised how important it was to "focus on the performances" - and the display of captain Nørgaard will have no doubt pleased his compatriot and head coach.

Nørgaard has established himself as one of the smartest and most tenacious defensive midfielders in the top flight since the Bees' promotion in 2020/21 and his considerable gifts were on show once again against Arsenal.

With five won over the 90 minutes, the former Fiorentina no.6 won three more tackles than any other player on the pitch on Saturday, and he delivered an accomplished all-round performance to match Declan Rice and Martin Ødegaard in midfield.

Of Brentford players to start and finish the game, Nørgaard also had the second-best pass accuracy (75 per cent) and ranked joint-fourth for clearances (3) and accurate passes (31).

In his debut season in the Premier League, Nørgaard topped the division for tackles won (109), while also ranking fifth in the top flight for interceptions made (64), and his statistics across the first 13 games of the 2023/24 campaign suggest he has not lost his touch.

In fact, the Dane ranks seventh for tackles and interceptions (51 combined) this season in the Premier League, Fulham's impressive midfield operator João Palhinha notably leading the way in this particular stat category.

In addition to his talents as a ball winner and distributor, perhaps the most impressive aspect to Nørgaard's game is the discipline he brings to a key area of the team.

Relatively speaking, Brentford collectively concede few fouls and although Nørgaard's trademark tenacity has seen him concede more free-kicks (18) than any other Bees player this season, his disciplinary record is exemplary.

Across 142 appearances for the club, Nørgaard has picked up only 30 bookings and he is yet to be sent off, which is quite some achievement given modern refereeing trends.

After the loss against Arsenal, Brentford boss Frank made the point that his side have delivered "12 good or very good performances" from 13 league games this season, and the Danish coach consistently delivers the message that consistency is key to Premier League success.

As he demonstrated against the Gunners on Saturday, Nørgaard is a manager’s dream in this regard and can be counted on to deliver week in, week out, against the best the top flight has to offer.