Arsenal vs Fulham Review
Arsenal narrowed the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool with a 2-1 victory over Fulham at the Emirates Stadium, extending their unbeaten home league streak against the Cottagers to 32 matches (25 wins, 7 draws). The Gunners demonstrated their determination from the start. After some initial exchanges, the home team began to apply pressure, with Gabriel Martinelli sprinting down the left flank, although Thomas Partey sent his cutback high and wide. Mikel Arteta’s squad faced a setback in the 15th minute when Gabriel Magalhães had to leave the field due to a suspected hamstring injury.
The disappointment of Gabriel’s injury quickly faded when Bukayo Saka came off the bench to warm up, marking his return to the matchday squad for the first time since his injury in December. The game seemed to be losing intensity with little quality displayed, but the home team managed to score just before halftime thanks to their makeshift striker, Mikel Merino. Ethan Nwaneri made a run down the right and found Merino, who took a touch before sending a deflected shot into the far corner, catching Bernd Leno off guard.
Arsenal started the second half similarly to the first with Martinelli setting up Martin Ødegaard, who unfortunately shot high and wide. Jurriën Timber then came close after a clever one-two with Ødegaard, but his shot was also saved at the near post by Leno. The home crowd erupted with excitement about an hour into the match when Saka made his first appearance of the year. He quickly made an impact by scoring and doubling Arsenal’s lead. Merino sent a cross into the box that Martinelli flicked to the far post, where Saka was unmarked and headed it in.
Silva made substitutions in hopes of creating a response, and Rodrigo Muniz nearly made a significant impact as well, but he somehow missed the target with a header from just six yards out. Fulham managed to score a goal in stoppage time through Muniz, but it was too late to change the outcome, and Arsenal secured their first victory in their last four encounters. After their FA Cup elimination over the weekend, Fulham’s main focus now is to secure a spot in Europe, as they are currently two points behind sixth-placed Newcastle.
