Arsenal dropped points on the road away to Fulham with the Gunners drawing 1-1 with Marco Silva’s side.
It was Fulham who opened the scoring in the first half through striker Raul Jimenez, who raced behind the Arsenal backline onto a ball from Kenny Tete to fire home past David Raya. Trailing 1-0 at half-time, the Gunners got their equaliser after the break through William Saliba, who fired home a headed cross from Kai Havertz to level proceedings at Craven Cottage.
The Gunners thought they had scored their winner late on through Bukayo Saka, but VAR adjudged Gabriel Martinelli was offside in the build-up to the goal. It was a close call, but the Brazilian was offside despite it being marginal.
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And in the end, the contest finished 1-1. And here are five things manager Mikel Arteta will have learned from the frustrating draw at Craven Cottage…
Missed opportunity
(Image: PA)
Following Liverpool’s win over Manchester City last weekend, the Reds moved nine points clear of Arsenal and Chelsea before they dropped points in midweek in a 3-3 draw to Newcastle United. They were supposed to return to action this weekend against Everton, only for the game to be postponed due to Storm Darragh.
Due to the postponement, Arsenal had a chance to close the gap on their Premier League title rivals to four points. However, you sensed that when Fulham scored the opener through Raul Jimenez, it was going to be a tough afternoon for the Gunners.
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It goes without saying, closing the gap on Liverpool would have been a massive win for Arsenal, especially given how far ahead the former looked just last week.
It is not a given Liverpool will win at Goodison Park when they take on Everton in the re-arranged match. In fact, it will probably be even tougher, with it likely to be a standalone midweek game under the lights at Goodison in what will be the final Merseyside derby at the Toffees stadium before they move grounds.
Arsenal had an opportunity to close the gap – they just didn’t take it.
Opened the door
(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
And in drawing with Fulham, the Gunners also opened the door for Chelsea to overtake them when they take on Tottenham Hotspur, something which seemed inconceivable given the chaos around Stamford Bridge this past summer.
Arsenal now find themselves in a position where they cannot afford to drop points and hope others do the same. They are now in a position where they need to win all their games. It’s a harsh reality, but one Arsenal now live in.
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Arsenal’s set-piece dominance continues
(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal continue to be the Premier League’s set-piece kings. In midweek, they scored two goals from set-pieces against Manchester United in a 2-0 win at the Emirates.
Then against Fulham, they scored their equaliser from another set-piece, with Declan Rice’s corner headed across goal and into the path of William Saliba who fired home to level proceedings at Craven Cottage.
So while some people may roll their eyes at Arsenal‘s continued dominance from set-pieces and brand them boring, if it isn’t broke, why would Arteta go away from it? Arsenal are the most dangerous team in the Premier League from set-pieces and will continue to be unless teams can figure out how to defend against them.
But shockingly, Arsenal still need a striker
(Image: Getty)
If they can continue to score set-piece goals at the rate they are, then fair play to them. They won’t though, which leads us to write something we’ve written plenty of times this season – Arsenal still need a striker.
The Gunners still look to be lacking something upfront and remain far too inconsistent in the final third. Had they a top class finisher up front, they would likely have beaten Fulham. In January, they need to sign a striker or at least bring in another forward to bolster their attack.
They should have signed a striker in the summer, but opted not to. With the Gunners attack looking toothless at times, it could be a decision that could cost them dearly.
Jakub Kiwior is not Gabriel
(Image: Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Against Fulham, defender Jakub Kiwior started in place of Gabriel. It was a decision that did not go well for Arsenal.
While Gabriel is one of the best defender’s in the Premier League, the drop off from the Brazilian to Kiwior is massive, as evidenced by Fulham’s goal, when Jimenez raced in behind the Arsenal defence, beating Kiwior before unleashing a strike with beat David Raya to give Marco Silva’s side the lead.
And it was a sign the Gunners squad depth in some positions really is lacking.