Leandro Trossard Sinks Fulham To Keep Arsenal Riding High At Top Of Table

This was a mechanical capacity from Arsenal, but it was enough. Enough to hit Fulham, capable to debar an unnecessary gaffe and capable for Mikel Arteta’s broadside to summation nan unit connected Liverpool earlier nan champions look to move past their slump erstwhile they big Manchester United connected Sunday afternoon.

It ne'er came adjacent to being beautiful. A extremity from a area was required to settee nan contest, Leandro Trossard scoring successful opportunistic fashion, and location was ne'er immoderate consciousness of Arsenal moving distant pinch it. They created small successful unfastened play and will possibly beryllium troubled by different uneven capacity from Viktor Gyökeres, who returned from a troubled world break pinch Sweden and saw his goalless tally for nine and state tally into a ninth game.

When it was over, though, each that mattered to Arsenal was that they were backmost connected apical of nan league, 3 points clear of Manchester City and 4 successful beforehand of Liverpool. They are tough, resilient and efficient. They person nan expertise to grind retired disfigured wins successful challenging distant games, which is simply a must for immoderate broadside pinch aspirations of winning nan league. The defence is strong. This was Arsenal’s 5th cleanable expanse successful 8 games.

There were first complications for Arsenal to woody pinch arsenic they looked to respond to City’s triumph complete Everton earlier successful nan day. Fulham were combative, moreover pinch a big of cardinal players retired injured, and they created nan amended chances during nan opening exchanges. Raúl Jiménez had a changeable deflected narrowly wide and Harry Wilson almost opened nan scoring successful nan 12th minute, only for nan winger’s bending effort from nan correct to driblet conscionable beyond David Raya’s acold post.

Arsenal responded done Riccardo Calafiori, a shadiness offside erstwhile he took Leandro Trossard’s layoff and battered a changeable into nan apical corner, but nan early travel was lacking. A batch of nan play was successful beforehand of Fulham and nan execution was mediocre erstwhile Declan Rice released Gyökeres. The striker had options but seemed excessively unsure of himself and was incapable to find a teammate pinch a rushed cutback.

Would Arsenal request nan aged reliable – nan set-piece – to unlock a tight, beingness game? Much has been made of their heavy squad, of really Arteta has sought to guarantee injuries request not termination his team’s title challenge, but what if nan incorrect subordinate drops out? The absence of Martin Ødegaard, retired for six weeks pinch a knee injury, is simply a blow. The captain’s expertise to return nan shot and support uncovering angles is simply a piercing limb against heavy defences. Eberechi Eze, connected nan different hand, is simply a different benignant of No 10. He is much instinctive but pinch Sander Berge sitting successful beforehand of Fulham’s backmost 4 it was not easy for Eze to find space.

Leandro Trossard applies nan finishing touch aft Gabriel’s near-post flick. Photograph: Andrew Boyers/Action Images/Reuters

Arsenal’s patience was tested. Martín Zubimendi, Ødegaard’s replacement, slapped his thighs successful annoyance aft fluffing a elemental shot successful nan 33rd minute. Bukayo Saka kept wriggling successful from nan correct but was tracked cautiously by Ryan Sessegnon and Alex Iwobi. Wilson slithered different changeable wide.

Realising that they needed to show much strength successful possession, Arsenal upped nan gait of their passing, pressing and movement. Saka yet escaped Sessegnon and freed Gyökeres, whose changeable was pushed distant by Bernd Leno. Calafiori fired complete a infinitesimal later.

Fulham were seeing little of nan shot and their task became harder erstwhile they were forced into a protect change, Joachim Andersen making measurement for Issa Diop. However, they continued to conflict and location was appreciative applause from nan location fans erstwhile Iwobi raced backmost to halt a counterattack from Jurriën Timber conscionable earlier half-time.

Arsenal were yet to click but location were amended signs astatine nan commencement of nan 2nd half. Eze’s transverse reached Trossard, who screwed a changeable wide. Berge almost scored an ain extremity aft a brilliant, forceful tally from Saka.

The unit from Arsenal was much persistent than imaginative. They worked nan aforesaid patterns complete and complete again, many times directing attacks down Saka’s flank, and backed themselves to deterioration Fulham down. Gyökeres, without ever looking refined, was a handful. He appealed successful vain for a punishment aft turning and tussling pinch Jorge Cuenca, past won a area aft spinning connected to a walk from Eze.

Saka delivered. Gabriel Magalhães darted to nan adjacent station and flicked connected for Trossard to volley successful from adjacent range. One-nil to Arsenal; it was each very minimalistic.

Now they had a level to unfastened up and definitive themselves. Saka darted to nan near and stung Leno’s palms. He moved backmost to nan right, trim wrong and drew a clumsy lunge from Kevin, who had conscionable replaced Josh King. It looked for illustration an evident punishment successful existent time; Anthony Taylor, though, was persuaded to overturn his determination erstwhile he viewed nan pitchside show and concluded that Kevin had brushed nan shot astatine nan aforesaid clip arsenic bumping knees pinch Saka.

The crippled remained successful nan balance. Gyökeres spurned a chance to termination Fulham off, firing complete aft bulldozing past Cuenca. It did not matter. Arsenal’s defence was excessively coagulated for an equaliser ever to beryllium a realistic prospect.