Fulham 0-1 Arsenal: Set-piece prowess fires Gunners back to summit | OneFootball

Arsenal reclaimed their place at the top of the Premier League table with a hard-fought 1-0 win 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 brilliance to help secure three points.

As it happened

Arsenal arrived at a ground that has caused them problems in recent seasons, and it was Fulham who started the brighter of the two sides. The hosts took advantage of some rare defensive mix-ups from the visitors, with Harry Wilson and Joshua King having early efforts on goal.

Riccardo Calafiori thought he had given Arsenal the lead through a wonderful 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 wore on, with Bukayo Saka setting up Viktor Gyökeres for their best chance. The Swede broke in behind the Fulham defence before firing a powerful strike towards goal which was well saved by Bernd Leno. Despite Arsenal’s growing pressure, the sides went into the break level.

The Gunners started the second half with the more intensity, and their persistence paid off just before the hour mark. From another dangerous Saka corner, a Gabriel Magalhães flick on found a wide-open Leandro Trossard at the back post, who bundled the ball home via his knee.

Minutes later, Saka thought he had won a penalty after he was tripped by Fulham substitute Kevin. However, after a lengthy VAR check, the spot-kick was overturned as the defender was judged to have made contact with the ball.

Gyökeres had a late chance to seal the game which he fired over from close range. It didn’t matter though as Arsenal’s defence held firm to record a sixth win and a 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 have been crucial to their strong start to the campaign. The win sends them three points clear of Manchester City at the summit after nine games. They now turn their attention to Tuesday’s Champions League clash with Atlético Madrid before hosting Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Fulham, meanwhile, will be left to rue missed chances early in the game as a spirited performance ended without a reward. It’s now three defeats on the bounce for Marco Silva’s side, who face a tough trip to St James’ Park to meet Newcastle United next weekend.

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