‘One-nil to the Arsenal’ was a jab at George Graham’s defensive-minded side with a knack for edging games that became an almost self-deprecating and defiant chant of triumph from the club’s fans: ‘We may not be exciting but we’re winning, so who cares’.
You wonder how far away we are from ‘set piece to the **Arsenal**‘ getting sung in similar fashion. It’s easy to be sniffy about the number of dead balls they have scored and earned points from this season, as if it ought to be a source of pride for over-achieving mid-table sides rather than something a top team ought to have as their primary weapon.
Plainly, that’s bollocks; a stick desperately grasped by rivals to try and beat a side that has worked hard to get as good at scoring from corners and free kicks as they possibly can be. That flogging will barely register on Arsenal, especially after spending the latter half of Arsenal’s spell facing the exact opposite accusation of only trying to score silky, perfect goals, to their own detriment.
It’s interesting that Mikel Arteta was part of that side, and part of the coaching staff for Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, yet is increasingly making his name as a pragmatic manager. There is a refreshing absence of delusion about the Arsenal boss. He focuses on what his side does well, knowing they lack individual superstar power on quite the level of Mo Salah or Erling Haaland. We say that with, genuinely, the very greatest of respect to Bukayo Saka, who at 23 is really not far off at all and well on his way there.
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But there are occasional days when that extra bit of oomph would come in very handy for Arsenal, and this was one of them. Arsenal pushed and probed and had Fulham on the ropes throughout the second half, but were not able to find a valid winner.
Contrast their difficulties here with the scares Liverpool had against Southampton and Newcastle recently, only to rescue four points across the two games thanks largely to Salah’s brilliance…that has made up a lot the difference between the two sides.
Saka has had some phenomenal games this season and over the past few games, but when he has been quiet – against Newcastle, against Chelsea, and now against Fulham – Arsenal have dropped points. That was the case season year, too: against Newcastle, against West Ham, twice against Aston Villa. To be clear, that is by no means a criticism of Saka, but merely to point out how dependent the Arsenal formula is on ‘set pieces plus something from Saka’. Closing that gap to the top requires them to have just a little bit more than that.
That Saka is Arsenal’s only real source for getting something out of nothing was hammered home by their late disallowed goal. The winger thought he had won the game late on with a well-taken header only for it be ruled out for an offside against Gabriel Martinelli in the build-up.
Despite rescuing a perfectly respectable point, it ended up as another frustrating afternoon for Arsenal. Raul Jimenez’s lovely finish off a ball up the right wing had given Fulham a shock early lead, and there was no shame in it for Arsenal that they found the hosts so difficult to break down in search of an equaliser.
Coming into this game, only Arsenal themselves had a lower expected goals against than Fulham this season. Only Liverpool and Manchester City had allowed the opposition significantly fewer shots, with Tottenham and Chelsea pipping the Cottagers by mere handfuls.
That has been built more on organisation than doggedness: Fulham are among the least frequent tacklers sides in the Premier League, but one of its leaders for interceptions. They were boringly competent through to the break, limiting Arsenal to half-chances and just a single shot on target while showing very little attacking endeavour of their own.
Yet that kind of inviting approach may explain why Fulham have paradoxically been one of the weaker sides in the division for protecting their leads, winning six, drawing two and losing three from 11 winning positions this season.
Going behind has meanwhile been somewhat unfamiliar territory for Arsenal: this was just the fifth time this season they have trailed, and they had clawed back a draw and a win out of the previous four. Even with Fulham handling them as well as they did, the next goal was only going to go one way.
Indeed it did, William Saliba converting an unmissable chance provided by Kai Havertz’s header across the box off for yet another Arsenal set piece goal – their eighth of the season already.
But then…a lot of huffing, a lot of puffing, but nothing that actually blew Fulham down. A point at Craven Cottage is decent this season, but Arsenal will be wondering whether they have just wasted their best chance to put pressure on rampant Liverpool that they are going to get this season.
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