FULHAM 1-1 ARSENAL: Mikel Arteta's side blew the chance to substantially close the gap on leaders Liverpool as they were forced to fight back from going a goal down to Marco Silva's men
Arsenal blew the chance to close the gap on leaders Liverpool after being held to a draw at Fulham on Sunday. The Gunners could have closed to within four points of the Reds with a win but left Craven Cottage six points adrift of Arne Slot's side.
They dominated for the vast majority of Sunday's match, holding Fulham to just two shots and 34 percent of the possession. But it was the hosts who opened the scoring 11 minutes in when Raul Jimenez latched onto Kenny Tete's ball forward and fired low across David Raya and into the bottom corner. Arsenal's attempts to equalise stalled in the first-half, but William Saliba finally got them back on level terms by tapping in after another set-piece eight minutes into the second period. The Gunners continued to dominate in the closing stages, and thought they had won it when Bukayo Saka headed in Gabriel Martinelli's cross, but the Brazilian was adjudged to be offside by VAR. Here, Mirror Football rounds up the biggest talking points from a costly draw for Arsenal. Title hopes dented Arsenal entered the game with the chance to close Liverpool's lead at the top of the Premier League down to four points. While the Reds have a game in hand over the Gunners, it would have been a major confidence boost. Instead, Arteta was left counting the cost of another draw, which is already Arsenal's fifth in the league this season, and his side are six points adrift of their title rivals. Rather than closing in on Liverpool, Arsenal feel as far away as ever. The leaders can even pull nine points clear if they beat Fulham at Anfield next week. Such a big lead would be another dent to the Gunners' hopes of winning their first title for more than 20 years.Troubling trend Raul Jimenez's early opener means that Arsenal have now conceded the first goal in five of their last 11 games. Before this run, it had taken the Gunners more than 30 matches to reach that figure. While boss Mikel Arteta has had to deal with injuries to his front-line defenders, the back four who lined up at Craven Cottage would have been expected to deal with Fulham's threat much better than they did. In truth all it took to open them up was one ball forward, which Jiminez latched onto before firing past David Raya. It left them with too much work to do and the trend of conceding first needs to be stamped out. Set-pieces come to Arsenal's rescue Much of the aftermath of the win over Manchester United has been around Arsenal's potent set-pieces. Sunday's game presented more of a challege to Gunners' set-piece coach Nicolas Jover with Fulham appearing to have found a solution. Arsenal were largely nullified at set-pieces for the opening 50 minutes, with the Cottagers deploying a strategy of blocking the runners in the box. But their resistance was smashed seven minutes into the second period. Kai Havertz was able to rise highest to head the ball back across goal and Antonee Robinson's failure to clear himself out of the six-yard box ensured Saliba was played onside and could tap his goal in. Lack of ambition costs Fulham Arsenal would have been fully deserving of a win having dominated Sunday's game. Jimenez's goal in the 11th minute came from Fulham's first attack, but it took them until the 72nd minute to have their next shot at Raya. The Cottagers paid the price for a complete lack of ambition against the Gunners. After scoring, Marco Silva's side were content to sit deep, barely troubling the Arsenal defence. They had just 34 percent of the possession, with Jimenez non-existent after his goal. That opener exposed Arsenal's vulnerability at the back, but the hosts perplexingly did not latch onto that. Arsenal's blunt attack For all of Arsenal's dominance, they were blunt in attack outside of their set-pieces. Bernd Leno was never really tested in open play, as Fulham held the Gunners at arm's length. Considering how much of the ball they had, Arteta will be frustrated to learn his side had just four shots on target. It is a label that Arsenal have struggled to shake off for several years. Their January priority may well have been made clear on Sunday, with a goalscoring striker sorely needed if they are to mount a title challenge. If teams sit in like Fulham did, it appears the Gunners do not have an answer. Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
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