That'll do from here
We’ve seen Arsenal deal Fulham an absolute hiding in a game that contained some sublime goals – Ramsey’s in particular. More of this and Emeryball might really become a “thing” in north London. More of this and Fulham might have something of a problem. Thanks for your company and cheerio from me, I’ll leave you with Dominic Fifield’s match report from Craven Cottage:
Next up in the Premier League is Southampton v Chelsea – John Brewin is on the case with that one:
Aubameyang speaks: “I think we played very well. We knew Fulham play good football and that they play a lot with the counter. But I think the team played well. I came in and knew I had to make the difference and I did it. I think we have to keep the mentality, we have a great team spirit and we’re playing well in this moment.”
By the by, some assistance from Kari Tulinius for my earlier left-sided conundrum. In descending usefulness, he says:
- The dutchie side
- The Communist route
- The back hand
- Sunset country
- Zephyr’s domain
All added to the MBM style guide, which you’ll imagine as a serious and weighty tome.
Fulham are still very much 17th then, two points clear of Huddersfield and – significantly – three ahead of bottom-placed Cardiff. They visit Neil Warnock’s side next, on 20 October, and that’s a really big game now. Fulham have the better players but do they have the smarts ... and are they able to tighten up while still offering the threat they do undoubtedly pose?
@NickAmes82 after the first few games I must confess I was beginning to doubt Unai Emery's approach, but I see an Arsenal squad today that are not only enjoying their football but seem to be developing a predatory instinct as well. Still trying to score at 92+ while 5-1 up.
— John Nekrasov (@john_nekrasov) October 7, 2018
They were having a lot of fun out there by the end.
Full-time: Fulham 1-5 Arsenal
And there it is. Are Arsenal, indeed, back?
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90+3 min: What a drubbing this has turned into. It’s the best I’ve seen Arsenal play, going forward, in a long time. You’d have to temper that by saying Fulham’s defence – and indeed their entire approach – is the perfect laboratory for cutting loose and wreaking havoc. But, however you slice it, it’s very encouraging for Emery and company.
Goal! Fulham 1-5 Arsenal (Aubameyang 90+1 min)
Seconds into added time, Ramsey this time plays it perfectly for Aubameyang and the finish, biding his time before rifling into the corner from 18 yards, is lethal. It was another nice back-to-front move from Arsenal, that, although Fulham offered virtually no pressure on the ball.
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89 min: Arsenal are about to go third, until Chelsea have played anyway. And they’ll be above Tottenham on goal difference ...
86 min: Bettinelli punches away a Bellerin cross at full stretch with Aubameyang sniffing around again. What a substitute to have at your disposal! He’s been ill this week but looks in pretty good nick.
85 min: Fulham, the stats show, have made about 60 more passes than Arsenal. But they have scored three fewer goals.
83 min: If Ramsey doesn’t overcook a pass there to an all-alone Aubameyang, it’s five. Arsenal look great but, to add a little balance, Fulham have gone. Johansen replaces Vietto for them.
81 min: Guendouzi comes on for Lacazette as Arsenal prepare to wind down.
Goal! Fulham 1-4 Arsenal (Aubameyang 79)
Another super goal to crown a super Arsenal performance. It’s just like Lacazette’s first although – gasp – it comes from the right. Mkhitaryan sprays it out to Bellerin, who has plenty of time to mull over a delivery for Aubameyang. He sticks out a telescopic leg, brings the ball under his spell, turns and shoots across a despairing Bettinelli. Yes, a near-identical goal and that says a lot about both teams today – positive and negative in turn.
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@NickAmes82 If Arsenal win this, are they officially in the title race?
— Tim Woods (@tim_berlin77) October 7, 2018
Well they’re heading for the top four. And at least one rival drops points later ...
76 min: Christie completely miskicks as he gets caught between dribbling and delivering. We’ve seen a lot of what makes Fulham a bit problematic today – they are cut open far too easily.
74 min: Can’t get over how good that goal was. Make sure you see it later if it hasn’t been turned into a million side-splitting memes already. “We’ve got our Arsenal back,” comes the chant from the away end, and if they keep doing that you’d definitely agree. Every part of the counter was inch-perfect, full of inventive running and quick thinking, and the finish absolutely stunning. Mitrovic, meanwhile, heads at Leno when he might have done a little better.
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71 min: Seri aims an awful corner to the first man. Fulham are surely done now.
I’ll tell you all about it! Ramsey, with his first touch, dinks the ball gently up the line. Bellerin keeps the move going with a wonderful, acrobatic backheel. Ramsey takes possession again and works the ball over with a well-improvised header to Mkhitaryan, who spirits the ball further left to Aubameyang with an inch-perfect pass towards the byline. Now Ramsey is well inside the box and as the ball is played in he flicks a *sublime* backheel of his own inside a motionless Bettinelli’s back post. It snuggles into the net just 38 seconds after his introduction. And it’s one of the best team goals of the season!
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Goal! Fulham 1-3 Arsenal (Ramsey 67)
This is a delightful goal from Arsenal! Wow!
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67 min: Stop me if you’ve heard this one before but Xhaka is being booked, deservedly, for catching Seri late. Iwobi makes way, meanwhile, for Ramsey – who is due to become the father of twins at any moment, apparently.
65 min: Kamara goes on a wriggly right-sided run but just runs out of space. Fulham are coming back into it.
62 min: Chance for Kamara – Fulham switch it superbly to Christie, who finds the sub with a teasing cross ... but he connects with his shoulder and it glances well away from goal! Mitrovic would have scored that, I’ll tell you. On comes McDonald now, for Anguissa, while Aubameyang replaces Welbeck.
60 min: Mustafi limps off and then limps back on again. He will be OK for now. I think we’re about to see a sub apiece the next time we get a significant break in play. Aubameyang is limbering up, McDonald too.
58 min: Mustafi is down and looks pretty hurt. It was an awkward landing on his right ankle, nobody particularly near him, and I do wonder if he can continue.
55 min: Yes, it’s a back four now, and not before time. Schurrle wins a corner straightaway, but it comes to zilch.
54 min: I’m going to have to start thinking of new, inventive synonyms for “left flank”, “left side”, “left wing” and such. “Sinistral sphere”? Fulham make their first change, Ream coming off for Kamara. I suspect that means a switch to a back four.
52 min: It has to be said, though, that all this has really come about from Arsenal totally rinsing Fulham down that left side again, picking up as they left off.
Goal! Fulham 1-2 Arsenal (Lacazette 49)
... should he do better with that? Arsenal win the ball from a Fulham throw-in and it’s flicked on towards Lacazette, a good 25 yards out. He spins and, like the goalscorer he is, shoots on sight in one movement. Bettinelli is caught out, no doubt about it, he wasn’t ready for that – he’s left sprawling as the ball zips inside his near post! A fine finish, an instinctive one, too, but the keeper arguably undid his earlier good work there and didn’t look happy with himself.
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48 min: More fun for Iwobi down that flank and what a save from Bettinelli! Sessegnon can’t clear Iwobi’s cross properly and Bellerin seizes onto it. His searing drive is set for the top corner ... but Bettinelli stops it superbly with a flying intervention! However ...
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47 min: They don’t particularly, as Iwobi streaks clear down the left *again* but Le Marchand *again* defends excellently to deny Mkhitaryan a clear sight of goal.
46 min: No obvious change in system from Fulham just yet, but they’ll need to tighten up somehow.
Peeeeep! Arsenal commence the second half
Off we go ...
Read this from Jamie Jackson, reflecting – with Romelu Lukaku – on Manchester United’s amazing comeback last night. Can they always play like that?
It also showed that Arsenal still aren’t *quite* at ease with all this playing-out-from-the-back stuff, which I think can be done a bit too slavishly across the board at times in any case. Holding made a mistake and was let off; Monreal made one straight afterwards and was punished severely.
It is anyone’s game now, to be fair. That Fulham goal did show that Arsenal can be exposed with a bit of quality. This one’s very difficult to call.
“I agree that Fulham’s new formation have blunted them going forward, so if that’s what you mean by ‘not working’ then I’m completely in agreement” writes Adam Kline-Schoder. “However, I would like to gently point out that they’ve been playing this formation for an almighty 40 [now 45] minutes. They look nowhere near as settled as Arsenal in theirs for sure, and after Arsenal scored Fulham definitely looked ragged. But Arsenal (a team whose name have not exactly been synonymous with the phrase “positionally disciplined” in recent years) have been working on their shape for months. I just think that it should be acknowledged that Jokanovic has identified an issue and has tried to fix it, which, even if it doesn’t work today or he reverts back in the next half, I think is a positive for Fulham moving forward.”
Half-time: Fulham 1-1 Arsenal
Well, that was a turnaround. Arsenal really seized control of that half around the midway stage, absolutely destroying Fulham down the left side time and again, scoring a nice goal via Lacazette. It could have been more but Schurrle, right on half-time, has gone and made things very interesting with a delightful chipped finish. Stay close!
Goal! Fulham 1-1 Arsenal (Schurrle 44)
He makes no mistake this time! And this is a lovely goal from Fulham. It comes from a sloppy pass from Monreal, which is seized upon by – I think – Anguissa and quickly played to Vietto. Schurrle makes a run between the defenders and Vietto nudges the ball through to him superbly; the finish is subtle, dinked over Leno and in. Fulham are, a touch surprisingly, level!
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43 min: So, naturally, as soon as I press “go” on that last update Holding plays a near-disastrous ball straight to Schurrle, who surges into the box but blasts off target from a decent angle.
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42 min: Rob Holding has had a good first half. I thought he did very well against Watford last week too. He’s only just turned 23: could he be about to really blossom?
40 min: Christie tries to construct something in attack but Fulham don’t put a cross in, even with Mitrovic in the box, and it all comes adrift. They look ponderous.
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38 min: Fulham defend an Arsenal free-kick well enough. They need to get in at half-time and then regroup. They have the tools to trouble Arsenal but their defence is a huge millstone.
36 min: Fulham enjoy their first spell of real pressure for a while, which ends with a poor cross from Sessegnon. Lacazette took a blow from Ream amid all that, to the annoyance of the home fans, but he is once again OK.
33 min: Now Mkhitaryan fires over from 20 yards and Fulham really do look ragged.
32 min: It’s almost two and it’s *again* Welbeck getting behind the right wing-back Christie, given all the room he could ever need to slide the ball along the edge of the six-yard box. A combination of Mkhitaryan and Le Marchand pokes it towards goal but Bettinelli is back just in time to gather by the line.
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31 min: Now Bettinelli clutches a deflected Iwobi cross-shot from the left. That flank has caused Fulham a world of bother since the word go, and it is the reason for their deficit. Arsenal deserve the lead though and Torreira is having a superb game; he’s so positionally astute and that lets those ahead of him do their thing.
Goal! Fulham 0-1 Arsenal (Lacazette 29)
It had kind-of been coming, and most definitely via this route. Iwobi has space to drive forwards on the left after Lacazette’s lay-off. He waits for Monreal to overlap and the Spaniard obliges, centring low to the near post. Lacazette controls, spins on a sixpence and finishes crisply. No chance for Bettinelli; the Gunners are ahead!
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27 min: Schurrle does like an early shot and he cuts in from the left before letting fly with one, but Leno gathers comfortably.
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25 min: Now Odoi does well, again, to deny Iwobi. Arsenal are getting on top at the moment and I’m not sure if this Fulham formation is particularly working. Seri does get a chance to shoot though, after Sessegnon gets forward for perhaps the first time, but blasts against his own player before Vietto shoots high.
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23 min: We haven’t quite hit the heights of those speedy early minutes but both sides have reason to think there’s something in this for them at the moment. Le Marchand does spectacularly well to deny Lacazette a tap-in as Welbeck slides across from that troublesome left byline as I type that.
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20 min: A sweet Arsenal move, their best yet, earns a right-sided corner. There’s jostling and niggling and a bit of whistling. But then it’s sent in by Xhaka, only to be bulleted away by Sessegnon.
18 min: Now Monreal comes off the worse against Mitrovic, though it was nobody’s fault and in fact Fulham have a centrally-placed free-kick about 30 yards out. A chance for Seri? No, he dinks it to the back post and Mustafi gets his head on it, Mitrovic then slapping an ambitious volley over into the Thames.
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16 min: Arsenal look a touch snappier in midfield at the moment, with Seri getting little time on the ball and Torreira nipping away. They’ve settled down well enough.
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14 min: This time Odoi defends well against Iwobi down that same side. No clear chances for the visitors yet; just that one excellent save from Leno at the other end.
12 min: Monreal should get in towards the left byline after mugging a dithering Anguissa, but runs the ball out. That flank looks particularly promising for Arsenal early on. Fulham’s new defensive setup looks a touch green.
10 min: A spell of Fulham possession ends with an unspecified injury to Lacazette, who may have buckled under a challenge from Mitrovic. He seems alright, fortunately.
7 min: Xhaka sends Iwobi into all kinds of space on the left, but Mkhitaryan is just squeezed out from getting a shot away when he cuts back. Straight down the other end and Mustafi defends superbly to prevent Mitrovic from getting on the end of a right-sided cross, Schurrle seeing a volley blocked from the resulting flag kick. It’s all-action stuff so far.
6 min: “The Arsenal lineup feels mildly significant,” writes Ewen Cook. “Ozil, Auba and Ramsey all come with baggage – namely the nagging suggestion of a lack of discipline or the ability to impose themselves on a regular basis. Emery seems to prefer consistency, hence it’s a big day for Welbeck and Mkhi – continue the solid form they’ve shown when given chances, and they might well become more fundamental. Unai (whisper it) knows.”
5 min: The early indications are of a bright, open game, which I think is what we’d have expected anyway.
3 min: Fine early save from Leno! A sloppy Bellerin pass sends Vietto scampering down the middle. His shot deflects sharply off a defender and the goalkeeper, making his first Premier League start, adjusts to paw it round the post superbly. The corner comes to nought.
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2 min: Welbeck makes an early foray down the left and a pass to Mkhitaryan, who shoots on sight but swings it well wide.
Peeeep! Off we go
Fulham, going left to right, kick us off. It appears to be a back three for them today, with Sessegnon and Christie at wing-back.
Out trot the players. What a lovely autumnal morning this is, and Craven Cottage the perfect place for it. We’re nearly ready to go ...
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I love Unai. 120 words thrown together in any order and saying precious little. He is awesome. 😊
— Goonerholic (@TheGoonerholic) October 7, 2018
Yes, it is pretty much impossible to transcribe anything Emery says! But I’ll not mock – he’s taking everything head-on here and determined to improve his English by doing. Fair play.
@NickAmes82 Interesting question about the set-up, Nick. For me you have to play @Aubameyang7 and @LacazetteAlex together up front - a beautiful partnership. But how do you then get @MesutOzil1088 + in behind? Torreira might be the key. Rumours Emery still in hunt for DMF in Jan.
— William Hargreaves (@billhargreaves) October 7, 2018
Yes, I think there needs to be some way to get those two playing together. Arsenal have the full-backs, certainly in Bellerin’s case, to offer good long-term width. Ozil should play at No 10 or nowhere, I think; they were much better against Watford after he moved there. I think Ramsey is done at Arsenal now.
And Fulham followers, are you at peace with how things are going or a touch concerned? They seem good enough not to be concerned with relegation in the final analysis, but that defence is possibly an issue and Jokanovic is maybe a *touch* quixotic in his approach. Will he need to compromise a little to make things safe? Or will all those new signings just get better and better as things settle down?
Arsenal fans, do you think this setup has a bit more balance? You’d want Ozil in there, preferably at No 10, but Aubameyang isn’t always at his best out wide and Welbeck did well in Thursday’s convincing win over Qarabag.
While we get ready for this one, have yourself a look at Daniel Taylor’s column – this week a fascinating read about Kevin Keegan and Newcastle:
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Interesting stuff there! No Mesut Ozil for Arsenal, he’s got a back injury apparently, while Aaron Ramsey – whose new contract seems dead in the water of course – is on the bench. So too is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan – who isn’t banned from visiting Craven Cottage – comes in along with Danny Welbeck. Will these combinations give the Gunners a bit more fizz?
For Fulham, Maxime Le Marchand and Cyrus Christie replace Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Joe Bryan, otherwise it’s the same side that took a hiding at Everton. But hang on, who’s that “S Sessegnon” on the bench? It’s Steven, twin brother of Ryan, who has played in the League Cup this season. What a mightily talented family!
Team news
Fulham: Bettinelli; Christie, Odoi, Ream, Le Marchand; Seri, Anguissa; Vietto, Schurrle, R Sessegnon; Mitrovic. Subs: Rico, Mawson, S Sessegnon, McDonald, Johansen, Kamara, Ayite.
Arsenal: Leno; Bellerin, Mustafi, Holding, Monreal; Torreira, Xhaka; Iwobi, Mkhitaryan, Welbeck; Lacazette. Subs: Martinez, Sokratis, Lichtsteiner, Kolasinac, Guendouzi, Ramsey, Aubameyang.
Good day
Arsenal are on fire! They’re not, not quite, but they are the Premier League’s form horses. They’ve won eight in a row, five of them in the top flight, and although they’ve had to ride their luck along the way you can’t really argue with that. It’s a delicate balancing act for Unai Emery, instilling a fairly profound cultural change behind the scenes and trying to get results while doing so – at the moment the victories are coming so, even if you’d quibble with some of the style, Gooners probably can’t argue too much.
Fulham aren’t on fire. I thought they might be, especially after watching them score four, going on 10, against Burnley in a fantastic performance a few weeks back. But that was their only victory so far and, even though they’re playing some nice stuff and Aleksandr Mitrovic remains firmly among the goals, they need to start picking up a few more points. Slavisa Jokanovic’s side create chances but they always give you a chance, too; they’ll fancy their chances of prising open an Arsenal back line that has looked wobbly but it’s hard to see them keeping it especially tight.
So we could be in for a cracker. And something a bit more relaxed than yesterday’s Mourinho-fest, I would expect. I, for one, don’t blame either of today’s two managers for Brexit! So strap in and, while you’re at it, send in your emails and tweets. It’s not a bad way to kick off a long afternoon of Sunday football, this!
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