Arsenal kept up the pressure on their Premier League title rivals with a hard fought 1-0 win at Fulham courtesy of Leandro Trossard's second-half goal. The Gunners never looked like dropping points and relied on their prowess from set-pieces to get the job done, with Bukayo Saka, who caused the hosts all sorts of problems during the 90 minutes, creating the winning goal with a delicious corner.
Mikel Arteta's side had picked up just one point from their last two visits to Craven Cottage and they struggled again in a scrappy first half, with Viktor Gyokeres' effort which was well saved by Bernd Leno the only shot on target either side could muster.
The visitors improved after the interval, however, and got the crucial breakthrough just before the hour mark – with a set-piece again making the distance. Saka's corner was flicked on by Gabriel, with Trossard turning the ball in from close range.
Saka thought he had a penalty soon after when he was tripped by Kevin, but after awarding the spot-kick referee Anthony Taylor overturned his decision after a VAR review deemed that the Fulham substitute had got the ball first. The Gunners would hold on for the win that now makes it five on the bounce in all competitions, with the three points ensuring they'd take back their lead at the top of the Premier League table.
GOAL rates Arsenal's players from Craven Cottage…
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David Raya (6/10):
Didn't have a save to make all evening. Looked after his box well when called upon.
Jurrien Timber (6/10):
Looked to get forward and support Saka when he could, but lacked that quality in the final third when he got into some good positions. Solid defensively as always.
William Saliba (7/10):
Solid enough and dealt quite well with Raul Jimenez whenever it was his turn to pick him up.
Gabriel Magalhaes (6/10):
Looked unusually nervy early on. Played a couple of loose balls out from the back and played Arsenal into trouble. Tough physical battle against Jimenez. Got the crucial flick-on for Trossard's goal.
Riccardo Calafiori (7/10):
Just a crazy player to watch. A left-back who looks more like a No.10. Would have scored one of the goals of the season had it not been for the offside flag.
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Martin Zubimendi (7/10):
Kept things ticking over nicely. Tidy in possession as always and protected the back four well.
Declan Rice (7/10):
Typical Rice performance. Never stopped working and looking to drive the team on. Whipped one shot just wide of the post late on in the first half.
Eberechi Eze (6/10):
Not at his best. A bit sloppy at times, although it was very hard for him to find any space in what was a very congested central area.
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Bukayo Saka (8/10):
Ryan Sessegnon played him quite well, but Saka still looked a threat. End product was just a bit off in the first half. Much better after the interval, caused Fulham so many problems when he got on the ball.
Viktor Gyokeres (6/10):
Had one shot saved by Leno in the first-half after a nice run into the box. Another hard-working display, with little to show for it. Blazed one good chance over in the second half after using his strength well to work a shooting position and had another effort saved late on.
Leandro Trossard (7/10):
Was the one player who found any space in the first half over on that left-hand side but was unable to make it count. Was in the right place at the right time to turn home Gabriel's flick-on and break the deadlock.
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Mikel Merino (6/10):
Helped Arsenal see the game out.
Gabriel Martinelli (6/10):
Saw a good a good chance saved by Leno late on.
Christian Norgaard (N/A):
Replaced Gyokeres in injury time.
Mikel Arteta (7/10):
Not his side's best performance by any means but it's three valuable points after the international break.