Arsenal remain top of the Premier League after grinding out a 1-0 win at Fulham, with Leandro Trossard’s scrappy second-half finish from a corner proving decisive.
It wasn’t one for the purists, but after City’s win against Everton, it was vital to put points on the board. A three-point gap at the top puts the pressure on Liverpool to respond against Manchester United tomorrow. Game on.
Here’s what the managers, players, pundits and stattos had to say…
Arteta on the win…
It is a really tough place to come, a really organised team and a really good manager who knows how to set up. When the context is 0-0 and the game gets longer and longer it becomes more difficult, but we showed a lot of maturity. we kept knocking on the door in various ways and in the end we find a way with the set piece to do it but we deserved it in the end. I don’t think we conceded a shot on target, which tells you again how well we were organised. We had a spell in the first 10-15 minutes where we had a few giveaways and transitions and momentum to them without them really doing much. We have to keep going now. We have another big one on Tuesday, they are coming thick and fast.
Source: BBC Radio 5 Live
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Marco Silva on his side’s efforts…
The first 20 minutes were very good for us. The reality is that the first chances were from ourselves. Very good chance for Tom Cairney and also Harry Wilson. The second half was more controlled by them than the first half. We tried to react from the bench to give more power in our attacking line. We tried after the VAR penalty decision but we tried to the end. Not creating big chances but we tried.
Source: Sky Sports
Leandro Trossard on netting the winner from a set piece…
Very pleased with that. It was a tough game for us, especially first half the quality on our side wasn’t there. We picked it up in the second half. We created some more chances and we’re really happy with the win. It [the set piece routine] change every game. We know the opponent tries to adapt to us, so we have to adapt as well.
Source: BBC Match of the Day
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Fulham’s Sander Berge on Arsenal’s pressure eventually telling…
Tough to lose like that. I think we had momentum at times today – we were at it. Arsenal are a great team. They have shown that in the last couple of years and have probably got better. The pressure was too much and they got their goal. I think we didn’t have the edge there to create what was needed. We have to move on and keep working. They’re extremely good on their set-pieces we prepared well, but in the end we didn’t manage to keep the goal out.
Source: Sky Sports
Arteta on VAR overturning a second half penalty for his side…
Well, the only thing I was saying was is it obvious if it takes that long. That’s the only thing. I’ve just been told that it wasn’t a penalty. So, that’s it. They made the right call. It’s just I was a bit surprised with how long the process took.
Source: Sky Sports
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Arteta on whether it felt comfortable given Fulham didn’t have a shot on target…
No, not comfortable because it feels in this pitch like it’s smaller and they are straight away on you in the box! They didn’t generate any big chances, it was more the feeling sometimes, especially in the first half with the giveaways and because there are a lot of players with a lot of quality in the final third and Jimenez in the box who is a real threat and one [goal] that you know is not enough.
Source: Post-game press conference
Trossard on how the team feels this season…
I can only speak for myself and I’m feeling really good at the moment. It is a very important win for us again and another clean sheet. We just need to keep going. I think everyone is on their toes to help the team – even the players who come on do their job. I’m so happy for the team because we work very hard in training.
Source: BBC Match of the Day
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Arteta on matchwinner Trossard…
He has this quality to create these magic moments when the team needs it the most and that intuition and he’s in the right place in the right moment and that’s a huge quality for the team and a massive weapon for us. So, I’m really happy. I think he’s been very, very good in recent weeks and now we have a lot of players in a really high emotional state and performance level, which is really good to see.
Source: Post-game press conference
Ian Wright on Arsenal’s performance…
You want to get fluidity coming off the international break, you’ve got to win that game, that’s the main thing. It wasn’t great, wasn’t pretty. I didn’t feel Arsenal at any point looked like they were in danger. I’d have liked to have seen more going forward.
Source: premierleague.com
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Jamie Redknapp on Viktor Gyokeres…
Right now, he is just happy to hit the target. Last year, at Sporting, he’d find side nettings, it was so easy for him. Every single time he played, he felt he was going to score. At the moment, confidence is low. It’s the same in any line of work, people at home watching are probably thinking ‘when I feel good about something, I can make the right decision,’ If I second guess myself, which is what he’s doing, it’s not working his way. What I will say about today, there were times when he really led the line well. At Newcastle, he didn’t get his goal, he led the line well, is he ever going to be a pretty, great footballer to watch, like a Van Persie or Henry or Bergkamp, no. He’s a battering ram. He will open up spaces because he’ll occupy defenders.
Source: Sky Sports
Arteta on his side’s collective attitude to defending…
Absolutely. The way our front line chases the ball, puts people under pressure, creates chaos there, it’s phenomenal. The level of organisation I’m very pleased with, but it’s more about the mindset and the willingness to do it.
Source: Arsenal.com
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Chris Sutton on Arsenal’s title chances… (no, your eyes do not deceive you!)
Arsenal just don’t concede. Name another squad in the Premier League that has their strength in depth, and they’ve got Madueke to come back, they’ve got Havertz to come back. This is their year.
Source: BBC Sport