Mikel Arteta heaps praise on Arsenal after ‘mature’ win over Fulham | OneFootball

Arsenal Show Grit in Narrow Fulham Win

Arsenal left Craven Cottage with three valuable Premier League points after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Fulham. It was not a performance filled with flair or invention, yet it was one that highlighted resilience and structure. Leandro Trossard scored the decisive goal just before the hour, reacting quickest to a flick-on from Gabriel after a Bukayo Saka corner.

Mikel Arteta did not shy away from acknowledging the nature of the contest. “When the context is 0-0 and the game gets longer and longer it becomes more difficult, but we showed a lot of maturity,” he said. That word, maturity, has become a sign of progress at Arsenal under his stewardship. They no longer need to dominate every phase to get results, they can absorb pressure and still impose authority.

Set-Pieces Becoming Arsenal’s Secret Weapon

An eye-catching statistic emerged from the victory. It was the seventh time that Arsenal have scored from a corner in the Premier League this season, more than any other side. Arteta was quick to explain how much they value those moments.

“Obviously we generate so many set-pieces, so you have to start from there,” he said. “We generate so many, we have to understand them, and against these low blocks, when they don’t really want to drop and commit that many players there, we will have another opportunity to put the players that we want in the positions that we want, with the role that we want, and we need to exploit that.

“We could have exploited it today in different ways. At the end it was a set-piece, so more than welcome.”

Photo: IMAGO

In years gone by, Arsenal supporters groaned when corners were awarded. Now they lean forward. There is structure to every movement, timing to every run and character in every rebound. Fulham defended diligently for long spells, yet one small lapse at a dead ball was enough.

Viktor Gyokeres Still Searching for Spark

The only missing element was a goal for Viktor Gyokeres. Signed with high expectations, he is currently enduring a dry spell. “He was very close today again, two or three times,” said Arteta. “We were all begging for him to score. The work rate he puts in for the team is phenomenal, so we try to give him support and love and it will come.”

Nine games without a goal for club and country would worry most strikers, however his pressing and movement continue to justify selection. Fulham’s back line could never settle when he was chasing them down.

Momentum Building ahead of Fixture Run

Arteta concluded with a nod to squad mentality. “We have to keep going now. We have another big one on Tuesday, they are coming thick and fast.” Arsenal may not have hit peak fluency yet, but there is an assurance to their play that makes them difficult to derail.

If they continue to blend defensive organisation with set-piece threat, even Fulham will not be the last side to leave a match against them wondering how close they came without reward.