Fulham 0-1 Arsenal: Set-piece prowess fires Gunners back to summit
Arsenal regained their place at the top of the Premier League table with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Leandro Trossard’s second-half goal proved to be the winner as Mikel Arteta’s side once again used their set-piece genius to help secure three points.
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As it happened
Arsenal arrived at a ground that has given them problems in recent seasons, and it was Fulham who started the brighter of the two teams. The hosts took advantage of rare defensive confusion from the visitors, with Harry Wilson and Joshua King having early efforts on goal.
Riccardo Calafiori thought he had given Arsenal the lead with a magnificent strike from the edge of the box, but the goal was ruled out for offside.
Arsenal began to find their rhythm as the first half progressed, with Bukayo Saka providing Viktor Gyökeres with his best chance. The Swede got behind the Fulham defense before unleashing a powerful shot towards goal which was well saved by Bernd Leno. Despite mounting pressure from Arsenal, the teams found themselves at break level.
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The gunners The second half started with more intensity and their perseverance paid off just before the hour mark. From another dangerous Saka corner, a shot from Gabriel Magalhães found a wide open Leandro Trossard at the far post, who slotted the ball home via his knee.
Minutes later, Saka thought he had won a penalty after being tripped by Fulham substitute Kevin. However, after a lengthy VAR check, the penalty was overturned as the defender was judged to have made contact with the ball.
Gyökeres had a late chance to seal the match which he fired home from close range. It didn’t matter as Arsenal’s defense held on to record a sixth win and fifth Premier League clean sheet of the season already.
Arsenal were far from their best, but showed the defensive resilience and set-piece power that has been crucial to their strong start to the campaign. The win puts them three points clear of Manchester City at the top after nine games. They now turn their attention to Tuesday’s Champions League clash against Atlético Madrid before hosting Crystal Palace on Sunday.
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Fulham, meanwhile, will be left rueing missed chances early on as a spirited performance ended without reward. It now makes three defeats in a row for Marco Silva’s side, who face a tough trip to St James’ Park to meet Newcastle United next weekend.