Following the international break, only one thing was on Arsenal fan's minds. "Would Bukayo Saka be fit to play against Real Madrid?" Last night, we got the answer and in emphatic fashion as well.
Fans were made to wait for Saka's return however, as Ethan Nwaneri earned himself a start after an impressive showing for England U-21's.
The opening period encapsulated Arsenal's season so far. Great in build-up and control but lacking that incisive pass and finish when in the final third. Mikel Merino's deflected strike opened the scoring on the 37th minute after a flurry of chances for the home side - seeing them go into half-time somehow only one goal to the good.
More of the same followed in the second half as Arsenal controlled in spells, whilst Fulham looked to pick their moments on the break. Saka bagged himself a goal only 7 minutes into his return as he headed home from a beautiful Gabriel Martinelli flick in what looked to have sealed the three points for Mikel Arteta's side. However, a Rodrigo Muniz goal in added time would make the fixture seem closer than it truly was.
Here are your Arsenal post-match player ratings.
Arsenal player ratings (4-3-3)
David Raya - 6
Was not really troubled throughout the game and showed real maturity in his pass selection and execution. Will be disappointed to lose his clean sheet right at the death.
Jurrien Timber - 7
Another great defensive showing from Timber, but what caught the eye was his adventurous nature going forward as he nearly got himself on the scoresheet after combining with Ødegaard for a blistering shot which stung Bernd Leno.
The Dutchman did go down twice during the game and was eventually substituted for Leandro Trossard in the 77th minute.
William Saliba - 6
Kept Raul Jiminez relatively quiet throughout and looked much more of a leader in Gabriel's absence. Saliba was rather unfortunate for Fulham's goal as his attempted block turned deflection puzzled David Raya.
Gabriel Magalhães - N/A
A real concern for Mikel Arteta will be the injury to arguably his player of the season. The defender pulled up on the 18th minute in what looked to be a hamstring issue.
Myles Lewis-Skelly - 7
Tenacious as ever and heavily involved. The 18-year-old has truly stamped his name on that left-back spot for Arsenal.
Thomas Partey - 7
Partey has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence after questions were asked of his future at the club. His performance against Fulham gave us flashes of what we saw in the 2022/23 campaign. Body feints, sharp turns, and interceptions. Arsenal's best midfielder on the night.
Declan Rice - 6
An industrious performance from the £100m man as he continues to learn the number 8 position. Picked up a needless booking as he brought down former teammate Issa Diop after getting the ball pinched off of him.
Martin Ødegaard - 5
The Arsenal captain continued his poor run of form against Fulham as he was unable to pick out those precision passes in behind that made him so revered around the Emirates. He played a perfectly weighted through ball to Gabriel Martinelli, but the Brazilian had strayed offside and the goal didn't stand.
Hopefully the return of Bukayo Saka reignites the Norwegian's form going into the back-end of the campaign.
Gabriel Martinelli - 8
An excellent showing from Martinelli as he regularly took on Timothy Castagne with ease. The winger created most of Arsenal's chances often gaining a yard on his fullback before delivering a cross or a cut-back.
His carry and audacious flick led to Saka's goal and deservedly picked up the player of the match award.
Mikel Merino - 7
The Spaniard scored his 6th goal of the league season and his 5th in 7 matches since being deployed as a makeshift centre forward. You can tell that Merino is not a natural striker but his height and technical assurance gives players around him someone to bounce off of. A real team player.
Ethan Nwaneri - 7
The youngster continues to impress everywhere he goes. His volley in the first-half may have been a goal of the season contender if it had flown into the top corner. Nwaneri provided the assist for Merino's opener and was later subbed for Saka in the second period as the game began to bypass him.
Subtitutes:
Jakub Kiwior - 5
Came on for Gabriel early on and found it hard to replicate the solidity of the Brazillian. Kiwior was often found isolated and struggled defending those wide areas. Left Muniz free at the back post for a header in which could have turned the game around.
Bukayo Saka - 8
Gave the crowd a much-needed boost and got on the scoresheet so soon into his return. Whipped in one of his signature crosses which was begging to be headed home showing signs of picking up where he left off earlier in the campaign.
Embed from Getty Images
Leandro Trossard - 5
Did not have too much time to make any real impact on the match.
Arsenal next face Everton at Goodison Park in the Premier League on Saturday 5 April at 12:30 BST.