Fulham hold Arsenal and dent their title hopes
Fulham 1 - 1 Arsenal
Arsenal were denied a late winner as they missed the chance to cut the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points, settling for a draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Bukayo Saka looked to have secured all three points for the Gunners when he nodded in Gabriel Martinelli's cross with just two minutes remaining. However, the goal was ruled out after Martinelli was deemed offside in the build-up.
Fulham had taken the lead against the run of play through Raul Jimenez, who scored his sixth goal of the season. The Mexican striker latched onto Kenny Tete's pass down the line and fired past David Raya from a tight angle.
Arsenal, hoping to take advantage of Liverpool's postponed Merseyside derby against Everton, struggled to create clear chances in the first half. Their only shot on target came from Saka, as they laboured to break down Fulham's defence.
Mikel Arteta's side found an equaliser six minutes into the second half thanks to a well-executed corner routine, with William Saliba turning in Kai Havertz's knockdown.
The Gunners dominated the remainder of the match but were unable to break through Fulham's stubborn backline.
Premier League: 2024/2025 season
Fulham deserved their point
Following their 4-1 thrashing at home to Wolves two weeks ago, Fulham fans might have been bracing themselves for the worst with tough games against Tottenham, Brighton, and Arsenal crammed into just seven days. In hindsight, there was no need for concern.
A battling draw against Spurs last weekend was followed by an impressive 3-1 victory over Brighton in midweek, lifting spirits at Craven Cottage.
Marcus, a Fulham fan, told us: "The first thing I have to do is praise the players for their commitment. They were really strong. It had been less than 72 hours since the last game. I felt that in the second half, the energy wasn’t quite there because when you spend so much time without the ball, you need fresh legs. Overall, the commitment and fighting spirit were really strong."
