Arsenal 2-1 Fulham: Some good, some bad

Match report – Player ratings – Arteta reaction – Video

Arsenal returned to action last night with a 2-1 win over Fulham at the Emirates. There was obviously some enjoyable stuff, winning was important – especially as Nottingham Forest continued their good form – and Bukayo Saka marked his return from injury with a goal that ultimately proved vital.

On other hand, with the games against Real Madrid drawing closer, the last thing we needed were more injuries, and unfortunately they appear to be mounting up again at the worst possible time. So, let’s split this blog up, into the good and the not so good, and let’s start on a positive note.

The good

The first half was stodgy, very post-Interlull fare. Fulham came and stuck 11 men behind the ball, knowing the low block remains a problem for us. I guess you can understand it, but I don’t think it’s really who they are. We had some moments, Ethan Nwaneri’s volley from a Gabriel Martinelli cross was the best chance we managed in the opening period, but the lack of space and how compact Fulham made the game was a problem.

Nwaneri’s movement was key to the opening goal, Jurrien Timber’s pass saw him get behind Antonee Robinson, and his pass found Mikel Merino. Look, the shot wasn’t exactly a rocket, he swung his wrong foot at the ball in a crowded penalty box, and the reward was a deflection which saw the ball go beyond Bernd Leno and into the back of the net. We don’t need to over-analyse this one, but in the cold light of day I’m inclined to give credit to the Spaniard for being in the right place and having a go, while Fulham’s insistence on playing so deep was a factor in the deflection (in that it served them right). It’s 5 goals in his last 8 games for Merino now.

I thought we were a lot better in the second half. Martin Odegaard should have scored but skied a shot after Martinelli did well again. There were a flurry of corners which put them under pressure, and then the introduction of Saka for Nwaneri on 66 minutes is the big one. The reception was exactly what you thought it would be, and how fitting was it that he showed how much we’ve missed him with a goal?

Again, a lot of credit goes to Martinelli for his drive forward after Declan Rice intercepted in midfield, and if the Brazilian’s flick from Merino’s cross is a deliberate attempt to get the ball to Saka, it’s a piece of genius. I suspect he might have been going for the far corner himself. Either way though, the returning hero was there at the back post to head home and make it 2-0. Mikel Arteta said:

I think it’s a beautiful moment to see how much our people love, respect and admire Bukayo. He’s not a surprise to any of us and I think the best example is his reaction. Immediately after scoring a goal, what does he do? He goes and says thank you for all the hard work that all the sports science guys, physios and everybody involved in the recovery have done for him to be in the condition that he is. I think he lifted the stadium, the energy and it’s great to have him back.

Clearly that’s the stand-out moment of the game, and you’d have to have a heart of stone not to love it for all the obvious reasons. But the stand-out player for us was Martinelli. His relentlessness caused Timothy Castagne all kinds of problems, there was that lovely nutmeg too, and from start to finish he looked our most effective and dangerous attacking player. He deserves his flowers this morning, and it’s just a shame that late strike was offside. He deserved a goal too.

The bad

With Ben White not in the squad due to a knee problem he felt in training, and Riccardo Calafiori sidelined for a while because of the issue he picked up with Italy, the last thing we needed was another defensive injury. So, as is just typical of this season, that’s exactly what we got. Gabriel pulled up in the 14th minute as he chased back, clearly a classic hamstring strain, and he had to be replaced by Jakub Kiwior. I mean, I don’t even need to tell you how big a blow that is at any time, but with Real Madrid coming up it’s a disaster. I don’t think there’s any hyperbole in calling it what it is.

That appears to have been compounded by an issue for Timber. He went down in the first half, but carried on, and to be fair he looked good. There was that moment he combined well with Odegaard to have a crack at goal, but he came off with about 20 minutes to go, with the manager saying of him and Gabriel:

Gabi felt something in his hamstring, we don’t know how big that is and with Jurrien as well, he was already struggling very early in the game. He managed to continue and at some point he couldn’t, so, that’s the downside to it. Jurrien was the knee.

I have sympathy over the Gabriel situation, hamstrings can go – and we talked before this game about how fortunate we were he only played once for Brazil and had a nice rest … for all the good that appears to have done him. If, however, Timber’s first half injury was exacerbated by keeping him on and he’s now going to be out for a while, I find it too hard to be sympathetic in that case. Perhaps it’s the other knee, perhaps it’s not serious, but we’ve been there before with him and other players, and it feels like a bit like a lesson we haven’t learned sufficiently well.

Time will tell, but we could be going into a Champions League quarter-final without both our right backs (Timber and White), and our first and second picks at left centre-half (Gabriel and Calafiori). And let’s not forget we’re also without Takehiro Tomiyasu. What have we done to deserve this level of ill-fortune when it comes to injuries? On the night when Saka came back to restore some joy, it feels very much like the football gods giveth, and the football gods taketh away.

The last 15 minutes of the game were wobbly. Fulham pushed to get something out of the game, and missed a great chance when Muniz headed wide at the back post. They got one back very late, I don’t think the defending was great to allow the run down the line, but I also think Kiwior should have done more. If you’re being kind, you’d classify the Polish international as rusty, having not played a lot, but I don’t think lack of playing time really explains the lack of defensive instincts he displays in odd moments in nearly every game he features.

So, we can enjoy the three points, we can enjoy Saka’s great moment and Martinelli’s positive contribution, but for me this morning the overriding emotion is one of worry as we prepare for Real Madrid. The Premier League still matters, because every game matters really, but we all know where the slim possibility of success lies, and that’s in Europe.

It always felt to me like our best chance of going through would be predicated on our solidity at the back and the fine defensive platform we’ve had at our disposal, even when so much attacking talent has been absent. Now though, we might be shorn of that, so we’ll have to wait and see to what extent that is the case. Arsenal and a makeshift back four against Real Madrid in the Champions League is somewhere we’ve been before, but I think this time it would be more than a step too far, so keep everything crossed for some good news in the next few days.

Right, I’ll leave it there for morning. We’ll got into this in greater detail in an Arsecast a bit later on, so stand by for that. For now, have a good one.

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