David Raya – 7
Commanded his box and swept up well but didn’t have a lot to do in terms of shot saving. Harry Wilson peppered his goal in the first half but he was never called into action, with Fulham failing to record a single short on target.
Best moment:
Came out and cleaned up well from a dangerous Fulham attack late on.
Jurrien Timber – 8
Another fantastic performance. He just gets better and better. Strong defensively and getting better and better going forward. Took up some lovely positions in the inside right channel that Fulham struggled to track all evening. Got in behind on occasion as well and nearly forced a second goal late on.
Best moment:
Didn’t count for anything but his brilliant diagonal pass to Trossard, in the build up to the disallowed goal, was a thing of beauty.
William Saliba – 7
Not exactly a stroll but he didn’t have to hit top gear either. Jimenez seemed to target Gabriel more than the Frenchman, so he was the spare man more often than not and used that to got affect, to sweep up any loose balls from the Gabriel/Jimenez duels.
Best moment:
Nothing of note but some strong defensive headers when Fulham threatened with long throws and corners.
Gabriel – 7
Had his hands full with Jimenez but came out on top more often than not. Was again a threat in the opposition box as well as he flicked on Bukayo Saka’s corner for Trossard to prod home. A few sloppy passes in the early stages that put us under pressure, but he settled after that and distributed the ball well thereafter.
Best moment:
Some great duels with Jimenez, but I’ll have to say the flick on for the winning goal. How does he manage to be first for the ball so often?!
Riccardo Calafiori – 8
Another brilliant performance, he just gets better and better. Not as threatening going forward as in recent games but did score a brilliant goal that was disallowed for offside. I did worry about him late on when they brought on the pacy, powerful Adama Traore for the final 10 minutes or so but his defensive side has improved so much since last season. He was relatively comfortable, even at that late stage.
Best moment:
I know it technically wasn’t part of the game as such, but that finish from Trossard’s pass was something else. He is a defender isn’t he?!
Martin Zubimendi – 8
Just oozes class. Every touch is measured. Every pass has a purpose. Probed away well and kept Arsenal ticking and moving forward all game.
Best moment:
So many lovely passes, it’s hard to pick just one. Likewise with his interceptions and he did another one of those now famous leaps to win the ball against an opposing player who is a foot taller than him. I also loved his poker face when denying he got the last touch on a corner decision late on, that went in Arsenal’s favour.
Declan Rice – 7
Covered every blade as normal and got through a real shift next to Martin Zubimendi. Closed down Fulham whenever they thought they had a sniff of an overload or a chance at goal, but not as effective going forward as he was in recent games. That was more due to the nature of the game than anything Rice had done wrong.
Best moment:
With almost the last kick of the first half he had one of his trademark whipped shots that was aiming for the far left corner that sailed just wide.
Eberechi Eze – 6
Some nice moments, but in truth he didn’t really affect the game as he has done in previous outings and the drop off from Martin Odegaard was clearly visible. He worked hard, but no one presses quite like Odegaard so those boots were always going to be too big to fill from a pressing point of view. His passing was good and he had a couple of incisive passes cut off but it really wasn’t his day and he was withdrawn just after we opened the scoring.
Best moment:
A nice run and pass to try and play in Gyokeres was well cut out by Fulham, as Eze threatened to open them up.
Leandro Trossard – 8
I was one of many Arsenal fans who was looking to move the Belgian on during the summer, so I’m really glad that Mikel and his team have a lot more sense than me! Missed a few good chances to open the scoring, in similar to fashion to his performances against Olympiacos and West Ham, but thankfully we were again not punished, largely due to an intervention from ‘Trossard again’ as he poked home the winner from close range. Kept the ball well and played some nice touches to Rice and Calafiori as they tried to open up Fulham down the left.
Best moment:
Has to be the goal. Just a push home with his knee, almost on the goal line, but the movement was good and the importance of that goal cannot be understated.
Viktor Gyokeres – 7
I’m not marking him any lower than a 7, despite missing several presentable opportunities as his work rate and running was phenomenal. A pretty anonymous first half in which he barely touched the ball was nearly completely forgotten as his second half performance was so much better. Some dangerous runs in behind and his shooting was decent, working Leno on nearly every occasion. Shanked the best chance horribly high and wide as he again snatched at it. Should have left Craven Cottage with at least one, probably two goals.
Best moment:
His hold up play and shot that led to Leno parrying out to Martinelli late on was that of a real number 9, as his touch, strength and movement were all perfect. Just missing that finish, but we all knew that!
Bukayo Saka – 8 PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Brilliant performance. Is there anyone in world football who keeps hold of the ball under pressure in those wide areas than Saka? If there is, I haven’t seen him. Had some really dangerous runs to the byline that were just missing the final touch. Tormenting Sessegnon all game, won what look to be a penalty, until our good friend VAR turned up and spoiled everything, but kept going and help lead his team across the line. A Captain’s performance.
Best moment:
I can’t remember who played the ball, but one of his first touches from a left wing switch was so good it seemed to shock even Saka, as he killed the ball instantly with two defenders in close proximity.
Subs:
Mikel Merino – 6 – A surprise early substitute appearance. He had some nice touches, battled well, but was a little slow to release the ball at times. Was clearly told to slow things down, but it was so frustrating as the game was there to be killed off and our inability to do that led to a really nervy ending.
Gabriel Martinelli – 6 – Was a brilliant substitution, as his legs on the break helped pin Fulham back. Looked like he was going to get in on more than one occasion, but was denied by brilliant last ditch defending.
Christian Norgaard – 5 – Brought on in stoppage time to shore things up and did just that.