Arsenal were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw by Fulham in a tense Premier League encounter at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon. Despite dominating possession and creating several opportunities, the Gunners were unable to secure the win that would have closed the gap to Premier League leaders Liverpool, who remain five points ahead.
The match started with a shock for the visitors as Fulham took the lead in the 11th minute. Raul Jimenez broke free from the defensive shackles of Jakub Kiwior and clinically slotted the ball past Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya, sending the home crowd into raptures.
Arsenal responded with a flurry of chances, dominating possession with nearly 75% of the ball and winning multiple corners. However, the visitors’ attempts at breaking Fulham’s resolute defense were unsuccessful in the first half. William Saliba had the best chance, but his header from an early corner went wide. Thomas Partey also squandered an opportunity, sending a shot wide after another Declan Rice delivery.
Just after the break, Arsenal found the equalizer from yet another set-piece. Rice’s corner was flicked on by Kai Havertz, and Saliba reacted quickly to deflect it into the net, marking Arsenal’s 23rd set-piece goal since the start of last season. The goal seemed to settle Arsenal into their rhythm, but despite creating several more chances, they could not find a winner.
The Gunners thought they had snatched all three points late in the game when Bukayo Saka headed home from a Gabriel Martinelli cross in the 88th minute. However, after a VAR check, the goal was ruled out for offside in the build-up, much to the frustration of the Arsenal players.
Captain Martin Odegaard expressed his frustration after the match, telling Sky Sports, “We dominated most of the game… It’s frustrating not to win.”
Despite their dominance, Arsenal couldn’t break down Fulham’s defense, who put in a gritty performance. Fulham were also denied a second goal late in the game, with Andreas Pereira’s curling free-kick narrowly missing the target.
The result leaves Arsenal in second place with 29 points, with Chelsea playing later in the day against Tottenham Hotspur. Fulham, meanwhile, continue to impress in their quest for a mid-table finish, sitting 10th with 23 points.
Fulham’s resilient performance against Arsenal marked an extension of their strong recent record in London derbies. The Cottagers have now gone nine league games unbeaten against London rivals, their best such run since the 2000-2001 season.
Arsenal will be disappointed by their failure to take all three points, but with another London derby against Chelsea on the horizon, they’ll need to quickly regroup. “They’re a good team and they know how to defend… but we didn’t do enough today. We have to learn from that and make sure we strike back in the next one,” Odegaard concluded.
