The positive news for Arsenal is that they performed better this season compared to last. The negative news is that their streak of four consecutive victories came to an end, and they missed a chance to put pressure on leaders Liverpool. Adding to their woes, a tight but accurate VAR offside call denied them an 89th-minute winner. Liverpool, with six injured players and Everton's impressive 4-0 win over Wolves, might view the postponement of the Merseyside derby as a blessing before the demanding festive schedule. This break also allowed Arsenal to reduce the gap to four points, even though they had played one more game, which seemed less daunting than the previous seven-point gap. Currently, the gap stands at six points, with Liverpool holding a game in hand. Everything currently favors Arne Slot.
Last season, this fixture dealt a decisive blow to Arsenal's title aspirations. With a narrow margin of just two points to the champions at the end of the season, every slip-up is crucial. This game on New Year’s Eve was particularly significant, especially after an unexpected 2-0 home defeat to West Ham. The events at Craven Cottage were even more disheartening, as Arsenal took the lead after five minutes but then conceded through Raúl Jiménez's equalizer and suffered a subsequent collapse. This season, the impact may be less severe, especially given Fulham's current form, but the sense of momentum stalling was unavoidable.
Arsenal has shown significant improvement since Martin Ødegaard's return four games ago, but there was a risk of faltering again when Jiménez put Fulham ahead after 11 minutes. The damage was partly self-inflicted, with Jakub Kiwior inexplicably drifting towards the ball, allowing Kenny Tete to pass to Jiménez for a crisp finish. The first half largely unfolded as Marco Silva might have planned: Arsenal dominated possession but created little. Sasa Lukic, operating alongside Sander Berge, was pivotal in this, often happier without the ball and relishing tackles to regain possession. Antonee Robinson, Fulham's impressive right-back, also had a strong game, engaging Bukayo Saka aggressively and coming out on top in their duel.
Fulham's success in the first half also stemmed from negating Arsenal's dead-ball threat, largely due to Adama Traoré's effective marking at the back post. While his holding tactics might not be strictly legal, many corner situations nowadays blur the lines. Four inswingers before halftime, three from Saka and one from Declan Rice, posed no significant threat to Fulham's goal, with Bernd Leno only needing to awkwardly punch away a direct swing.
However, Arsenal's set-piece coach, Nicolas Jover, deserves credit. The first corner of the second half was aimed deeper, to Kai Havertz, who headed down for Saliba to score, Arsenal's 23rd goal from a corner since the start of last season. Despite this, Fulham remained resolute, with Thomas Partey's header just wide from another corner. Arsenal's threat remained largely confined to set-pieces, which isn't necessarily a criticism; they now have a way to win even when the rhythm isn't there or against well-defending sides like Fulham.
Arsenal thought they had won it when Gabriel Martinelli's cross was headed in by Saka, but VAR intervened, ruling the Brazilian just offside. Liverpool's lead remains significant.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
