1. Saka is truly back: Bukayo is always effective but it is fair to say he has not been his usual self since returning from his long injury. Today he was in his element again, though, and that for the whole game. By far the best player.
2. Arsenal control games these and I never felt that Fulham would score unless somebody would do something magical. That Wilson fella tried – and I like him – but the boys at the back were not to be turned.
3. Away games after international breaks are notoriously hard; usually only one or two of the 10 PL games end in an away win. Fulham are a settled and well-coached team, and they made it very, very hard for us. Winning these sort of games is vital for winning a championship, and i loved the way the team achieved this today. To play with this level of focus so soon after the international break is quite something.
4. Legall correctly wrote in the last post that we are very reliant on Bukayo for making things happen. Against a low block team like Fulham we missed Martin Odegaard and Madueke quite a bit. I felt this was also a game for Ethan Nwaneri, but he wasn’t used… Has he lost Arteta’s confidence in him temporarily?
5. Eze and Gyokeres are still finding their way into the team, but for now their work rate and passion compensate for a lack of ‘final product’. I love these guys.
6. it’s really interesting how Trossard and Martinelli are not guaranteed a start in most games, but either of them continue to make the hard difference game after game whether they start or come on as a sub.
7. How close was Calafiori to a goal today? He has a good sense for where he can be at his most dangerous and was so unlucky for his superb goal to be ruled out for off site.
8. Final observation is for that triangle of calm force and grace that is Raya, Big Gab and Big Will. They never panicked and just formed the base for another clean sheet. We are so lucky to have all of them on brilliant long contracts.
By TotalArsenal