More points dropped
With Liverpool’s game against Everton being suspended on Saturday, this felt like a real chance for Arsenal to pile the pressure on Arne Slot's side. Instead, they succeeded only in lumping more on themselves.
We already knew there wasn't much margin for error left. No side has ever come back to win the league from a nine-point deficit in November. But Arsenal had been doing a good job of making the best of what they had.
With three wins in a row in the league, they had looked like they were ready to embark on another run similar to their post-Dubai heroics last season. Despite not being at their best against Manchester United, they had been relatively comfortable in victory.
From the off, though, it looked like things were not going to be so simple at Fulham. The Cottagers are something of a bogey team for Arteta. Arsenal dropped five points against them last season that would have definitely swung the title race. This season, the hope was that it would be different.
Instead Arsenal fell behind early. Other than for set pieces, they rarely looked like they were going to score after that. They were able to get level from a corner, but one point really isn't good enough.
What makes the disappointment worse is that Arsenal could hypothetically have been within four points of Liverpool by the next time they play in the league. The Reds have barely faltered at all this season; they've scarcely been able to hear the pants of a chasing team breathing down their neck. And the Gunners squandered their chance.
"We really wanted it," Arteta said of the chance to put even more pressure on Liverpool. "We have good momentum and it was a really crucial moment for us to go for it. We certainly did. We certainly tried and we were so close to doing it. Unfortunately we didn't manage to achieve it."
Arsenal were hoping for huge favours in this title race as things stood. They may have just used up their ninth life and we're not even into the New Year.
Arsenal not getting the breaks
Having said all of that, it's hard not to feel that Arsenal have been unlucky. To win a title you need nearly everything to go your way.
Across the course of the season there have been red cards and injuries that have proved that point, but if there was a game that proved this point in microcosm it was here at Craven Cottage.
Before a ball had even been kicked, bad fortune had struck the Gunners. They were without Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori for a second consecutive game, while Oleksandr Zinchenko had also gone down injured in the build up.
As such, they were forced to field their ninth-different back line of the Premier League season. We are only 15 games in. Such disruption is bound to cause any team grief.
Still, though, they started well. Fulham are a good side in good form, but Arsenal barely allowed them out their half. The one time they did get out, Raul Jimenez punished a momentary lapse in concentration from Jakub Kiwior and Jurrien Timber with sniper-like efficiency. The hosts would only have one more shot throughout the entire game.
From there, it was a battle, but Arsenal kept fighting. They were level through Saliba after Havertz's header on at a corner, and when VAR proved the decision to be just onside, you wondered if their luck might be turning.
That was to be short-lived though. They thought they had snatched a winner when Bukayo Saka headed in Gabriel Martinelli's cross. VAR quickly turned from friend to foe as Martinelli was found to be poorly offside in the build up, despite looking across the line.
When things like that keep happening, it's hard to escape the feeling that it's not your year. Mikel Arteta isn't getting too pessimistic just yet, though…
"We cannot feel sorry for ourselves," he said. "We have to stand up for ourselves. We had a really good performance against a really good side. Normally you don't see these kind of games here. Now we have to continue to improve and look at what we can do better so that the opposition have zero chances to win the game. That's the objective."
Defensive injuries take their toll
In the summer it felt like Arsenal had too many defenders, if anything. On football.london we looked at their squad depth, and counted seven different players who could be fielded in the left-back position. Kieran Tierney is the only one yet to feature in the role this season.
Arsenal's luck with availability has been bad enough this season. Of the squad, only Jakub Kiwior hasn't missed a game due to injury, suspension or ineligibility this campaign. Still, though, for the vast majority of their long-term injuries to come in one place has been remarkable.
Normally a side with four players out will spread that across the side. Not Arsenal, though. The Gunners are missing four from the back line and are having to come up with more and more creative ways of patching together a back four. Even Arteta admits this is having an impact.
"We know that when we have consistency there, how much it's giving us," he conceded. The Gunners have coped quite well, though - against Fulham they conceded just two shots in the entire match.
It's hard not to feel that the disruption at the back is taking its toll, though. Arsenal have been inconsistent for large parts of the season.
Arteta feels the antidote to this is availability. He's barely had it all year. It doesn't look likely to be changing anytime soon.
"I hope [Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori will be back against Monaco]," Arteta said. "But it's more a question for the doctors and physios to understand where we are. We are missing a lot of players in the backline."
You feel once they get a stroke of luck in the backline then Arsenal will be able to find the run of form they need. The question will be if that's too late in this year's title race.