Here’s David Hytner’s report from Craven Cottage.
The Arsenal captain, Martin Odegaard, spoke to Sky Sports about Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus.
We did really well from the start. We controlled the game and scored some good goals in the first half. The second half was a bit different but very good.
[Leandro Trossard] has brought some amazing things to the team. I love playing with him. He’s good to find the right pass. We’re really happy to have him on the team. It was a good ball from Leo over the head of a defender. I kept my composure and put my shot in the corner.”
It’s a massive boost. [Jesus]’s been out for a while now. We know what he’ll give to the team. We’re excited to have him back.
Seen snappier.
Winning on the road - together 👊 pic.twitter.com/J2PxPrEcHa
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 12, 2023
Pithy.
Full-time.#FULARS pic.twitter.com/dHd3QUYpaY
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) March 12, 2023
There’s the Premier League table. Arsenal can go eight clear if they beat Crystal Palace next week. Fulham’s charge to the top four perhaps reached its end today. Manchester United’s 0-0 draw with battling Southampton, who have taken four points from their last two further heats up the relegation battle, too. As did West Ham drawing 1-1 with Aston Villa.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 27 | 37 | 66 |
| 2 | Man City | 27 | 42 | 61 |
| 3 | Man Utd | 26 | 6 | 50 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 27 | 12 | 48 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 26 | 18 | 42 |
| 6 | Newcastle | 24 | 18 | 41 |
| 7 | Brighton | 24 | 14 | 39 |
| 8 | Fulham | 27 | 1 | 39 |
| 9 | Brentford | 25 | 7 | 38 |
| 10 | Chelsea | 26 | 1 | 37 |
| 11 | Aston Villa | 26 | -7 | 35 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 26 | -12 | 27 |
| 13 | Wolverhampton | 26 | -16 | 27 |
| 14 | Nottm Forest | 26 | -26 | 26 |
| 15 | Everton | 27 | -18 | 25 |
| 16 | Leicester | 26 | -9 | 24 |
| 17 | West Ham | 26 | -10 | 24 |
| 18 | AFC Bournemouth | 26 | -26 | 24 |
| 19 | Leeds | 26 | -11 | 23 |
| 20 | Southampton | 26 | -21 | 22 |
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Full-time: Fulham 0-3 Arsenal
The performance of potential champions? Perhaps, but it was reminder that Arsenal on song have the quickest, speediest attack in the Premier League and if an opponent is as lax as Fulham then they will be taken apart. And Leandro Trossard, setting up all three goals, showed off the value of good January recruitment. Five wins in a row to follow that defeat by Manchester City, a run to silence the doubters. And Gabriel Jesus back in the ranks. That’s a good day for Arsenal.
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90+3 min: Jesus is back and chasing back in the dying seconds. That’s the spirit he brought to the team, and has lasted without him. What a player to welcome back.
90 min: Three minutes added on….
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88 min: Nelson gets to the byline and from his pass inside, Odegaard wallops the ball behind and over. Arsenal have been able to create at will; they’ve had it far easier than City did at Palace last night.
87 min: Wilson flashes a shot wide. Fulham’s zest to follow Marco Silva throwing teacups at half-time has slowed. Arsenal have been able to see this one out easily.
85 min: Emptying stands at the Cottage. That lovely walk across Bishops Park ahead. Or up to Hammersmith...meanwhile, Vieira and Jesus link up, and the great man has a chance to shoot but fails to beat Leno from close in.
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83 min: Mikel Arteta continues to pace the sideline, urging and organising. That’s just his way. He’s no Carlo Ancelotti, implacable to the last. But it’s working for him, isn’t it?
81 min: More Kári Tulinius: “I think people underestimate how the signing of Gabriel Jesus ushered in an era of good feelings among Arsenal fans. It’s great to see him rejoin the team like he left them, at the top of the table.
80 min: Ben White off, on Tomiyasu on is the latest, rather less exciting Arsenal change.
78 min: A couple of early touches from Jesus receive huge cheers, too. The Jagger family have enjoyed this one, though the Arsenal fans are currently singing Do Wah Diddy Diddy, best known by Manfred Mann, not the Stones.
Gabriel Jesus comes on for Arsenal
For the first time since the World Cup, on comes Jesus, for the excellent Trossard, Martinelli also coming off for Fabio Vieira. This is the day they had all been waiting for and Jesus coming on receives as loud a cheer as the goals.
75 min: Two Fulham changes. Off goes Manor Solomon, and this is the first time he has been mentioned. On goes Dan James and fellow Welshman Harry Wilson on for Pereira.
74 min: Nelson is into action quickly enough, but loses it in the corner, allowing Fulham to break, and then across comes Odegaard to commit one of those tactical fouls that will always get you a booking.
71 min: Two Arsenal changes, but not the one we’ve all been waiting for. Reiss Nelson is on, as is Kieran Tierney. Off go Saka and Zinchenko.
70 min: Arsenal attempt to cool things down with some slow passing, the “olé” chant following each interchange, and then boos when Arsenal lose the ball.
69 min: Fulham getting closer? A smart save from Ramsdale from Decordova-Reid, results in a corner from which Tosin’s header crashes against the bar.
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67 min: Admir’s back: “Re: 58th minute, Joe Pearson’s comment. As an Arsenal fan, I have to admit I’d like Trossard to be more of a Jose Antonio Reyes-signing. Late Reyes was a fresh addition in January 2004 that reinvigorated an already superb team, a player who scored vital goals that helped Arsenal 2003-04 to sign themselves into history books. Without Reyes, there would have been no Invincibles.”
And, as ever, Kári Tulinius: “After the last however many years of looking like a performance art piece called ‘The Anxiety of Nervousness’, it’s odd to see Arsenal racking up routine wins this season.”
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65 min: Chris Lambert: “Could the contrast between Trossard and Pépé as Arsenal wing signings be any greater? Incredible the same organisation signed those two players to solve the same issue. Our transfer policy has come on miles.”
Pépé is on loan at Nice, as owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos. Could he show up at Manchester United one day?
64 min: Fulham have played far better this half. Which isn’t saying much, but there’s an obvious improvement on show. Arsenal have also lowered their risk-taking values.
62 min: Odegaard, in that graceful, casual fashion, slips in Saka in an inside-right position – the half-spaces as Jurgen Klopp and the stattos call them – but this time, Ream comes across and Saka can only slump to the floor as the ball is cleared.
59 min: Trossard hailed with a “Leo, Leo” chant for fighting back to retain possession. He’s been brilliant and after his Brighton performances who would have doubted he could augment Arsenal.
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58 min: Joe Pearson is on the premises: “Remember last year when Kulusevski joined Spurs during the winter window and he had an immediate impact? I think Trossard might be Kulusevski 2.0.”
Arsenal may hope for a more than half-season wonder. Jesus is warming up, meanwhile and with a smile on his face.
56 min: Martinelli almost sends Trossard away with a clipped, reverse pass. It’s intercepted this time but those two clearly have struck up an understanding. For a couple of months there’s been the idea floated that Martinelli has missed Jesus, but now he has a new partner in crime, just as the old one comes back.
54 min: A tussle between Saliba and Mitrovic and the Arsenal player prevails.
53 min: Odegaard sends away Saka, who was actually quiet in the first half, leaving Trossard and Martinelli to do the damage. This time he runs into traffic though might say his presence has pulled players away to leave his colleagues such gaps.
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51 min: Trossard, who needs a goal to add to his assists tally, slaps a shot straight at Leno after he buzzes across the front line, more interchanging to the fore.
49 min: Fulham’s zest calmed by that break in play? Actually, there’s another one coming as Ramsdale smashes off Mitrovic and down to the floor. He’s soon enough back up.
47 min: From the corner, Lukic and Saliba clatter into each other, and audibly, though perhaps the noise is Ramsdale’s glove. It sounded nasty. Lukic went down with nobody near him and it looks like Ramsdale felled Saliba. Anyway, he gets back up. Concussion protocols, anyone?
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46 min: Back away we go at the Cottage….and Fulham almost score. Reed gets to the line, and then Pereira swings at the ball. Fulham want a handball, but it won’t be given. Tim Ream is told to calm down the protestations.
As January signings go, Trossard is beginning to look a real success.
3 - Leandro Trossard is the first player in Premier League history to make a hat-trick of assists in the first half of an away game. Trio. pic.twitter.com/kQKI0zRtA3
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 12, 2023
Admir gets in touch: “Fulham have massively improved and it’s mainly down to great work by Marco Silva, as Aleksandar Mitrović has pointed out in his interview earlier this season.
“They could have been in even better position if they hadn’t dropped so many points against Top 4 contenders in the last five minutes of the game. In the reverse fixture, they were 1-0 up and lost 2-1 thanks to 87th minute winner by Gabriel (who has now scored three goals in four games against Fulham). They lost 2-1 at Etihad to Haaland’s injury-time penalty. They had a penalty at St James Park at 0-0 only to lose 1-0 to Isak’s 89th minute winner. Man United won at Craven Cottage thanks to Garnacho’s injury-time goal.
“Then again, they could have seen all that coming in their season opening against Liverpool as Salah saved the visitors from a defeat with an 80th minute equalizer. That’s roughly eight points dropped in the last ten minutes and injury-time which would have propelled them into a top-four battle.”
All good points, though they haven’t looked a top-four team at all today.
Half-time: Fulham 0-3 Arsenal
Arsenal have created enough chances to be many more goals ahead, as Fulham came apart at the seams as the league leaders’ interchanging attack came at them. Martinelli, Trossard and Odegaard, later in the half, have been brilliant, ably supported by Partey ruling the roost in midfield.
Goal! Fulham 0-3 Arsenal (Odegaard, 45+1)
Odegaard comes to the party, after Trossard chips in from the left. Odegaard has time and space to bury the ball. That’s surely it.
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45 min: Two minutes added on...
44 min: End to end stuff as Martinelli goes close at the back post, only for Leno to save well. And Fulham saunter down the other end, only for Decordova-Reid to want too much time.
43 min: Martinelli fouled, and Arsenal can launch in another set piece, with Fulham struggling with those. Odegaard chips up, Leno all at sea but Tosin clears. It’s quiet at the Cottage, the Arsenal Quo crowd presumably the bar.
40 min: Fulham may be glad to get into the break at just two down. It’s been poor from them…their best hope is Arsenal going to sleep. Zinchenko gets in a muddle, and then Pereira has space to shoot, with Ramsdale out of his goal but he can’t keep his shot down.
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38 min: Another chance gone. Odegaard slips the ball in, and Trossard scoops wide. It could have been four or five, and it’s fair to say Palhinha has been missed.
36 min: Arsenal stage a glorious attacking move – think Jack Wilshere v Norwich – only for Granit Xhaka to stumble at the last, just as it was him and Bernd Leno, one on one.
33 min: A bit of slackness from Ben White but Arsenal recover themselves. Fulham pushing to get back into the game.
30 min: Partey strolls forward as the Saliba/tequila chants begin. Whose tequila song is better? The Champs or Terrorvision?
Mick Jagger’s in the crowd with a couple of younger people; sons or grandsons? Looks like he managed to get some satisfaction in the ticket ballot. As a keen Stones fan, I will take a guess and say one of them is son Deveraux Octavian Basil Jagger – he’s seven – and next-youngest son Lucas Jagger, 22. Time is on their side, yes it is.
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28 min: Brilliant from Arsenal, poor from Fulham, and Manchester City will have to come from five points behind, perhaps eight since Arsenal play Palace next week while City play in the FA Cup. Then comes an international break…sigh…and then the race to the finish begins in earnest.
Goal! Fulham 0-2 Arsenal (Martinelli, 27)
Trossard and Martinelli switch positions and so effectively, Trossard going to the byline and chipping the ball up for Martinelli, in the centre to nod home, with Robinson a bystander, if a guilty-looking one.
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25 min: Another corner, and from the second ball, possibly the third ball, up steps Saliba, and thwacks from long range in finest Tony Adams/Vin Kompany style. But wide. Real dominance from Arsenal now.
23 min: Arsenal were patient, and then they moved into a different gear. That’s the mark of a good team, a confident team.
Goal! Fulham 0-1 Arsenal (Gabriel, 21)
Trossard’s corner, Gabriel climbs highest in the crowd scene and the ball drops in. Nice goal, and good timing. The commentators return as the celebrations begin.
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20 min: Trossard scampers on, Arsenal seeming to have woken up, and scoops a shot Leno has more difficulty with than he might. Meanwhile, Sky’s commentators, perhaps in solidarity with Gary Lineker, or having enjoyed last night’s MOTD, have been switched off. Football without commentary is nothing.
Goal ruled out...still 0-0
The wait is considerable, we are in Ultra-HD mode in Stockley Park…..and Martinelli was offside. A let-off for Robinson. One second he was unfortunate, the next he was a lucky man. Boos from the travelling Gunners.
Goal! Fulham 0-1 Arsenal (Robinson, own-goal, 16)
Martinelli escape down the left. Is he offside? The ball spinnakers off Robinson and in….but here comes VAR…..
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14 min: Fulham have a free-kick, the ball cleared by Zinchenko. It’s bitty, and low-key, the type of game that can get away from a title chaser. Mind, City played like this yesterday at Palace and escaped. Patience, then.
12 min: Better, a quick interchange of passes, but Martinelli can’t keep the ball in at the touchline. The best bit of zippy football from Arsenal, of which there has been little.
11 min: Yes, that was an uneventful first 10 minutes. Arsenal may need to step it up.
8 min: First foul on Saka, the type that enrages Arsenal fans, from Antonee Robinson. He was late, very late. The resultant free-kick looks like a training-ground routine coming apart in its execution.
6 min: First bit of Arsenal attacking sees Trossard, centrally, make territory, only for Lukic to clear up. The ball eventually ends up with Leno. This game has been a little, well, church-like so far. Not much bite.
4 min: Mitrovic’s first involvement, winning a foul from Saliba. Fulham do not choose to get it launched to the big man. Instead, they pass the ball around wastefully. The camera angle at Fulham this season reminds most of Turf Moor.
2 min: Arsenal fans belt out their version of “Allez Allez Allez". The main stand at Fulham, that by the Thames, is still replete with empty seats. Project not yet complete. Next season, hopefully, and Fulham will be a Premier League club for that.
1 min: And away we go at the Cottage, Faithless’ Insomnia leading us in. And it’s a slowish start from Arsenal. Let us recall they conceded the second-fastest ever goal in PL history last week.
That rather strange music they play at Craven Cottage can be heard, the tune that gets faster and faster, with an orchestra over a rock drummer speeding up the tempo. It really booms out there. That means the teams are near, and soon after they make their way from the corner, the actual Cottage himself.
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Richard Hirst is a Fulham man. He gets in touch: “Regrettably, and regretfully, a prior appointment with the grandchildren means I won’t be following the MBM this afternoon, so I need to get in quick. I agree we’ll miss Palhinha, and will probably lose, but the very fact that you mention parity with Liverpool is an indicator of how far we’ve come (especially when compared to our two previous Premier League seasons). So first cheer for Gary Lineker, but second for Marco Silva for what he has achieved. COYW”
Brian Cox, the actor, is on the field doing that Sky chummy thing, promoting Succession, as a former Fulham resident. He’s reminiscing about watching Bobby Moore, George Best and Rodney Marsh together and saying Logan Roy is like “Bill Shankly with steel”. The first Hannibal Lecter also invokes Dave Mackay, of whom there none more harder.
And Marco Silva also spoke to Sky Sports in that on-pitch chummy thing they often do, with Jamie Redknapp among the quizmasters.
We don’t change many things for Arsenal. We know they will do lots of things we don’t like in the way they can attack but we are ready to be strong and want to express ourselves when we get the ball.
We played well against them in the first half of the season, our organisation was really good. We were very muich in our own half and we expect strong pressure on the ball today. They like to press high and we need to be ready for that. We want to play in behind but we can’t always do that and we need to mix it up.
The players know how we work, we train it all week. Our quality on the ball is important. The player who replaces Palhinha is a different profile. Our style won’t change. The reaction of Joao in those moments is a big thing, he wins the ball quicker than other players but we hope that Lukic can play well.
We are going to try and beat Arsenal. We have shown the fans that we are ready to face any team at the Cottage and we need their support today.
The Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, spoke to Sky Sports, starting with that defeat of Bournemouth last week.
I love winning in any form or shape. It’s not a good thing [winning in the last minute] for my health but the energy that generated in the stadium is great. It gives you belief. Every game is different, the margins are so small and we need to win by bigger margins so we need to improve on that.
I trust my players. We made six changes on Thursday and we make changes again today.
Really happy with Trossard. We have been looking at him for a while. He gives us adaptability and creativity in the final third. He’s a really important player for us.
Every manager wants to end before the international break in good form and it’s no different for us. They are a well organised team. They are good on set-plays and direct play. They can play off Mitrovic and don’t lose many games. Today will be tough.
What do these teams mean? Well, Fulham are without Willian, the Arsenal bust turned rather useful Cottager. He’s not even on the bench as Bobby Decordova-Reid and Tosin Adarabioyo come in for the Brazilian as well as Issa Diop. Joao Palhinha is still missing through suspension.
For Arsenal, beyond Jesus’ place on the bench, Leandro Trossard is back after his injury last week. Ben White is back at full-back, and so is Granit Xhaka in midfield. Strong Arsenal team with Thomas Partey starting. Add Jesus to that and you pretty much have their first choice.
The teams - Gabriel Jesus on the bench for Arsenal
Fulham: Leno, Tete, Tosin, Ream, Robinson, Reed, Lukic, Pereira, Decordova-Reid, Solomon, Mitrovic. Subs: Rodak, Wickens, Wilson, James, Diop, Vinicius, Francois, Harris, C Robinson.
Arsenal team: Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko, Partey, Xhaka, Odegaard, Saka, Martinelli, Trossard. Subs: Turner, Tierney, Jesus, Smith Rowe, Holding, Tomiyasu, Jorginho, Vieira, Nelson.
Church on a Sunday, Jesus returns?….Nah, best left.
Are you one of those who thinks Arsenal are overdoing the celebs? Well, Mikel Arteta has a thought for you.
Well, [if] you want passion and emotion there is nothing better than scoring goals and winning football matches. So if not, you go to church. For sure, I won’t be telling the players not to celebrate on Sunday.
There’s more than a few London churches that will be full of passion and emotion today but Arteta’s point is that the flush of emotion that many dismiss has also been a key facet of an unlikely title charge.
That’s the story at the top. Should Fulham win, they can actually draw level on points with Liverpool though they have an inferior goal difference. What a season they’ve had. Remember when it was suggested they would be a “yo-yo” team, a label Marco Silva thought was a fitting label.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 26 | 34 | 63 |
| 2 | Man City | 27 | 42 | 61 |
| 3 | Man Utd | 25 | 6 | 49 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 27 | 12 | 48 |
| 5 | Liverpool | 26 | 18 | 42 |
Preamble
That late Erling Haaland penalty at Selhurst Park was a blow to Arsenal, just when it looked as if they might steal a further march on Manchester City. No matter, on with the business of winning matches and staying five points clear, which can be a fraught business, judging by last week’s 3-2 win against Bournemouth, a victory secured in the dying seconds from Reiss Nelson, who with three goals and two assists in his short cameo is one of the most potent players around.
Perhaps though, we might get a glimpse of Gabriel Jesus today, at least on the bench for what looks a tough trip to Fulham, who began their season with a 2-2 draw against Liverpool that signposted a fine campaign ahead. They will, though, miss Joao Palhinha, one of the signings of the season, in midfield. Marco Silva’s team work hard, and press hard, with what promises to be a chilly March afternoon by the Thames. The stakes are getting higher with each turn in the title race, and there’s all to play for.
Kickoff is at 12pm UK time. Join me.
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