Mikel Arteta lauds Arsenal 'maturity' and sends Viktor Gyokeres message after narrow victory at Fulham | OneFootball

Gunners had been knocked off their perch by Manchester City’s earlier win

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Mikel Arteta praised Arsenal’s maturity as they ground out a win at Fulham to move back to the top of the Premier League.

The Gunners were not at their fluid best for much of this win, but they found a way to get over the line.

Arteta said: “When the context is 0-0 and the game gets longer and longer it becomes more difficult, but we showed a lot of maturity.

“We kept knocking on the door in various ways and in the end we find a way with the set-piece to do it. We deserved it in the end.

“I don’t think we conceded a shot on target, which tells you again how well we were organised.

“We had a spell in the first 10 to 15 minutes where we had a few giveaways and transitions and momentum to them without them really doing much.

“We have to keep going now. We have another big one on Tuesday, they are coming thick and fast.”

Arsenal had a set-piece to thank for their goal, with Trossard bundling the ball home after Gabriel flicked on a Bukayo Saka corner.

It was the seventh time that the Gunners have scored from a corner this season in the Premier League, which is more than any other side.

“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.”

The only frustration for Arsenal was the Viktor Gyokeres once again failed to find the net.

The Swede has now gone nine games for club and country without a goal.

“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.”