Arsenal six points behind Liverpool after draw at Fulham
Arsenal had a late goal disallowed in Sunday's 1-1 draw at Fulham as they missed an opportunity to close the gap on leaders Liverpool to four points.
Fulham went ahead after 11 minutes as Raul Jimenez marked his return to the starting XI with a smart drilled finish to round off a swift counter-attack.
William Saliba turned in from Kai Havertz’s header to equalise for Arsenal after 52 minutes.
Bukayo Saka seemed to have nodded home a winner in the 88th minute of Sunday’s contest at Craven Cottage, but the goal was overturned following a VAR review, with Gabriel Martinelli having strayed offside before he delivered the cross.
After Chelsea won 4-3 at Tottenham Hotspur later on Sunday, Arsenal sit in third place on 29 points - six behind Liverpool, who have played one match fewer, and two adrift of second-placed Chelsea, having played the same number of matches.
How the match unfoldedAfter withstanding a series of Arsenal set-pieces, Fulham snatched the lead when Kenny Tete's well-timed through-ball released Jimenez, who arrowed a low shot beyond David Raya and into the left-hand corner.
The Gunners got back on the front foot but could not find a breakthrough before the interval. Saka called Bernd Leno into action from a tight angle, while Declan Rice was inches away from connecting with an inviting cross soon after.
However, Arsenal were level seven minutes after the restart. Havertz headed Rice’s deep corner into the six-yard box for Saliba, who was just onside, to tuck away.
Arsenal continued to carry the greater threat of the two sides. Havertz scuffed a shot wide, while Thomas Partey headed wide from Rice’s inviting corner.
Saka thought he had broken Fulham’s resolve when he dived in to turn home Martinelli’s cross, but Arsenal’s celebrations were cut short.
Fulham were looking to beat Arsenal in successive league matches for the first time in their history.
Although they were on the back foot for most of the first half, the hosts were clinical with the one shot on target they did generate.
It came following a patient, brave build-up play, too, with Adama Traore the only Fulham player not to touch the ball before Jimenez drilled in his fifth league goal of the season.
Marco Silva’s side generally maintained their discipline as Arsenal sought a response, though their defence was unlocked by the league’s set-piece specialists early in the second half.
Even so, apart from the momentary lapse for Saka’s late header, Fulham remained stubborn to ensure they took a well-earned point from this London derby.
Silva will now want to see the same resolve from his players when they visit Liverpool next Saturday as Fulham look to stay firmly in the race for a top-six spot.
Missed chance for ArsenalAfter Liverpool’s match with Everton was postponed due to adverse weather conditions, Arsenal had the opportunity to cut their deficit on the Premier League leaders to just four points.
The Gunners quickly got on top and asked questions of the Fulham defence from set-pieces, an area Mikel Arteta has said he wants them to be “masters” in.
However, a brief lapse in concentration proved costly for Arsenal and was ruthlessly pounced upon by Fulham, who took the lead after a swift counter.
Arsenal showed their resolve and were not affected, continuing to dominate large periods of the contest, and their persistence was eventually rewarded in the 52nd minute. Saliba, also on target in the 2-0 win over Manchester United in midweek, was in the right place at the right time again to score for the second match running.
Arsenal’s clinical edge from set-pieces was evident once more, as they scored from a corner for the 23rd time in the Premier League since the start of last season.
The Gunners were thwarted late on, as a three-match winning streak in the league came to an end. Arteta’s former club Everton visit Emirates Stadium next week, and Arsenal will see that as a great opportunity to get back to winning ways.
Club reportsFulham report | Arsenal report
What the managers saidMarco Silva: "The first thing is to praise the players for their commitment. On the ball it wasn't the game we like to play normally. The weather conditions weren't the best. They are really strong in the pressure.
"In some moments we should have kept the ball. Not many chances [for Arsenal] I think were good chances. We knew they'd start the second half strongly. I'd like to see us making better decisions because we had some good moments to punish them more but they equalised."
Mikel Arteta: "We are very disappointed not to win the game, overall we absolutely dominated the game from start to end, we did all the things that we wanted to do during the game and unfortunately we concede one goal in one shot. The way the team played, the way the team wanted to win, it was unbelievable."
Next Premier League fixturesKey factsFulham are unbeaten in their last nine London derbies in league competition (W4 D5), their longest run since September 2001, also nine.
Since the start of the 2022/23 season, the only defender to have scored more Premier League goals from set-pieces than Saliba's total of six is Arsenal team-mate Gabriel Magalhaes (10).
All five of Jimenez’s goals in the Premier League this season have been the first goal of the match, with only two Fulham players netting more openers in a single campaign in the competition - Dimitar Berbatov in 2012/13 (nine) and Clint Dempsey in 2011/12 (seven).
Arsenal haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last six Premier League away matches; their joint-longest run without one during Arteta’s time in charge (third run of six - also in March 2021 and May 2022).
