Premier League: Entertaining draw at Emirates Stadium
Arsenal 2 - 2 Fulham
Fulham earned a point at Arsenal thanks to Joao Palhinha. His first-time finish from a corner in the 87th minute earned the away side this draw.
The away side had Calvin Bassey sent off four minutes before that equaliser after he fouled Eddie Nketiah on the counter-attack.
Before 3pm, the Emirates stadium was loud and boisterous before the match kicked off. However, that noise became an almost baffled silence.
Andreas Pereira got Fulham off to a flying start, scoring after just 57 seconds. He latched onto a loose ball from Bukayo Saka and fired in a curling shot with the Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale out of position.
After Fabio Vieira was caught by Kenny Tete, Saka equalized from the penalty spot for the Gunners. Nketiah then scored Arsenal's second as they came from behind to take the lead, before Fulham had the final say.
As Fulham fans celebrated at the end of the match, Arsenal fans were perhaps slightly concerned that they are displaying the same mistakes as last season.
A potentially worrying sign for Arsenal
Arsenal conceded in the last 15 minutes of the second half against Nottingham Forest and Fulham, showing the defending that cost them last season's Premier League title.
They still look fantastic going forward at times, but this will be concerning Arteta even if his post match reaction on the BBC suggested otherwise.
FULL-TIME Arsenal 2-2 Fulham
— Premier League (@premierleague) August 26, 2023
What a match at Emirates Stadium! Arsenal came from behind to lead, but 10-man Fulham nick a late equaliser via Joao Palhinha
#ARSFUL pic.twitter.com/cLUOnhMlGZ
Some analysis from those who were in attendance
Paul is an Arsenal fan, he told us: "The first goal we gave away was incredible and displayed a series of mistakes. The players made things difficult for themselves at times. From an attacking perspective. we dominated a large part of the game and many of the fans around me at the Emirates were impressed. However, you have to see matches out once you're winning and have an extra player. It was a poor goal to concede in the final stages. Two points dropped. "
Peter, another Arsenal fan, was more critical of his side's performance. He said: "I still don't believe we are the team to challenge Manchester City. It just hasn't clicked into place in my opinion. There are several moments of brilliance, flashes here and there, dominating matches but struggling to put teams away, sloppy passes and finishes. It feels a lot like last season at times. We haven't improved."
Jamie was in the away end and was impressed by elements of his side's performance: "Unfortunately we didn't win, but I think most Fulham fans would say that this is a good result. It is often really difficult to play against Arsenal away from home. We displayed a lot of character after going 2-1 down."
Jennifer was also watching her side pick up a dramatic point at the Emirates. She said: "This is a fantastic point. We will have another impressive season and maybe even challenge for Europe."
