This was a mechanical performance from Arsenal, but it was enough. Enough to beat Fulham, enough to avoid an unnecessary slip and enough for Mikel Arteta’s side to increase the pressure on Liverpool before the champions look to move past their slump when they host Manchester United on Sunday afternoon.
It never came close to being beautiful. A goal from a corner was required to settle the contest, Leandro Trossard scoring in opportunistic fashion, and there was never any sense of Arsenal running away with it. They created little in open play and will perhaps be troubled by another uneven performance from Viktor Gyökeres, who returned from a troubled international break with Sweden and saw his goalless run for club and country run into a ninth game.
When it was over, though, all that mattered to Arsenal was that they were back on top of the league, three points clear of Manchester City and four in front of Liverpool. They are tough, resilient and efficient. They have the ability to grind out ugly wins in challenging away games, which is a must for any side with aspirations of winning the league. The defence is strong. This was Arsenal’s fifth clean sheet in eight games.
There were initial complications for Arsenal to deal with as they looked to respond to City’s win over Everton earlier in the day. Fulham were combative, even with a host of key players out injured, and they created the better chances during the opening exchanges. Raúl Jiménez had a shot deflected narrowly wide and Harry Wilson almost opened the scoring in the 12th minute, only for the winger’s bending effort from the right to drop just beyond David Raya’s far post.
