Arsenal squandered the chance to maneuver 4 factors behind Liverpool on the Premier League summit as they have been held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners fell behind early on at Craven Cottage however dominated the rest of proceedings, hauling themselves stage by way of William Saliba’s 52nd-minute equaliser. Bukayo Saka’s late header was dominated out by VAR for offside, forcing Arsenal to share the spoils on the banks of the Thames.
Mikel Arteta’s aspect moved into second place forward of Chelsea’s journey to Tottenham Hotspur, but are six factors adrift of league-leading Liverpool, who’ve performed one sport fewer.
How the sport unfolded
Each Fulham participant touched the ball within the buildup to Raul Jimenez’s opener because the Cottagers strung 23 passes collectively. Nonetheless, all of them have been contained in the hosts’ personal half earlier than Kenny Tete slid the primary decisive ball alongside the surface of Arsenal’s shuffled backline.
When Jimenez gathered possession and steadied himself earlier than selecting out the underside nook, it was Fulham’s second contact in Arsenal‘s half through the opening 11 minutes.
The Gunners have been solely briefly knocked out of their stride, denying Fulham one other shot all through the rest of the primary half. Nonetheless, the guests provided little risk of their very own in open play. As has so typically been the case this time period, Arsenal needed to depend upon a set-piece objective to get a foothold within the sport.
Kai Havertz span in direction of the again submit, firing a header again throughout the six-yard field for Saliba to stab in his second objective of the week. In contrast to his unintentional effort towards Manchester United, the Frenchman knew extra about this end.
Thomas Partey had an excellent alternative to nod the guests in entrance from one other lifeless ball within the seventieth minute. Adama Traore, who had been deployed as a human defend by the hosts at defensive set items, watched on from the substitutes’ bench whereas Partey had a free run on to an inviting supply solely to thump his effort extensive.
Bukayo Saka made no mistake with a stooped header within the 88th minute, wriggling behind Antonee Robinson to nod in what he thought was the successful objective. Arsenal’s gamers and training employees had already untangled themselves from their mass embrace by the point VAR noticed that Gabriel Martinelli had needlessly strayed offside earlier than swinging within the cross for Saka.
Try the participant scores from Fulham vs Arsenal right here.
Arsenal’s set-piece supremacy has reached rarified heights. Halfway by way of the second half, shortly after Saliba fired within the membership’s eighth dead-ball objective of the league marketing campaign, the travelling away crowd chanted: “Set piece once more, ole, ole, ole”.
Whereas many bitter and overwhelmed opponents query the legality of Arsenal’s bodily strategy from these fastidiously choreographed eventualities, the Gunners deserve reward for maximising the superb margins. Nonetheless, the significance of set items has swollen out of proportion as Arsenal more and more wrestle to create from open play.
Confronted with Fulham’s compact block which morphed right into a 5-4-1 off the ball, the north London outfit scuttled timidly across the outdoors of the white shirts, repeatedly failing to pierce the center of these massed ranks. Even Saka’s disallowed header emanated from a hopeful ball swung into the field.
William Saliba was the one starter at Craven Cottage who would additionally line up in Arteta’s first-choice again 4. Jurrien Timber was shoehorned into the left-back berth whereas Jakub Kiwior crammed in for the injured Gabriel. Ben White’s knee surgical procedure pressured defensive midfielder Thomas Partey onto the precise aspect of a defence, leaving Arteta with a hodgepodge rearguard of disparate components.
Nonetheless, Arsenal have been mightily spectacular on the again. Fulham might have scored with their first shot – which was a nicely taken end from an unfavourable angle – however they solely had yet another effort of any sort all through the remaining 80 minutes. It is the primary time since Might that Fulham have been restricted to only two photographs in a top-flight contest.
The collective work off the ball from the common starters in entrance of that unfamiliar backline was essential to this parsimonious show. Fulham’s inventive lynchpin Emile Smith Rowe was nearly totally snuffed out on his reunion with the Gunners.
Sunday’s contest proved how trendy Premier League soccer is more and more a sport of superb margins. Fulham left-back and captain Antonee Robinson had that time drilled dwelling.
The tireless defender’s trailing left foot narrowly performed Saliba onside for Arsenal’s equaliser. Had it not been for a number of centimetres on the alternative flank, Robinson’s lax patrolling of the again submit would have value Fulham any factors as Saka snuck in to fulfill Martinelli’s disallowed cross.
Saka’s unlawful effort was the one shot he had after the thirty seventh minute. After attracting curiosity from Liverpool final time period following a string of convincing performances up towards Mohamed Salah, Robinson did his greatest to nullify arguably the second-best proper winger on this planet. The one probabilities of notice which Saka created have been from nook kicks.
If the ever-improving 27-year-old continues his upward trajectory, Robinson might have a lot extra suitors subsequent yr.
On his a centesimal look as Arsenal captain, Martin Odegaard ended up handing the armband to Saka with greater than ten minutes remaining whereas his aspect have been nonetheless chasing the sport.
Odegaard’s seamless reintroduction into the beginning XI after two months sidelined by a sprained ankle has been extraordinary. Proper from his first sport again, when he created Gabriel Martinelli’s opener in a 1-1 draw with Chelsea, the Norwegian schemer has scarcely skipped a beat.
But, on his fifth begin in 15 days, Odegaard lastly appeared to slide off the tempo. Flitting in and primarily out of the competition, the dainty dinks and fancy flicks that so typically tease aside the opposition’s rearguard did not come off.
