Match Review: Fulham 1 – 3 Arsenal

Arsenal fans demanded Arsene Wenger to get new players to the club before the Fulham match.

Quite a few horror stories start with ‘it was raining heavily’, and this one did too. The only difference was that this one was in the middle of the day and Fulham were subjected to most of the horror.

Arsenal took on Fulham at Craven Cottage, which is certainly not famous for its drainage facilities. Arsenal had just beaten Fenerbahce in midweek, almost confirming their ticket to their Champions League group stage, and Fulham were off to a running start to their Premiership campaign, beating Sunderland away last weekend with a lone goal.

Both teams needed to win this one, especially with the absurd jinxes that they were certainly informed about before kick-off. Fulham haven’t won their first two fixtures since 2000-2001, when they went on to win the ensuing nine as well.

Arsenal, on the other hand, haven’t lost both their opening fixtures since the inception of the Premier League, 21 years ago. Arsene Wenger was under tremendous pressure going in to the fixture, after fans had taken to incredulous chants of ‘Spend’.

Martin Jol has had his moments with Wenger, dating back to the time he was in charge of Tottenham Hotspur. He was still in two minds if Scott Parker and Darren Bent were up for challenge. Their win at Sunderland cannot be considered a benchmark, as the Black Cats were better in terms of possession and presence.

Jol was all praises before the fixture, stating that he didn’t see any problems for Arsenal at the moment, given their recent romp. This fixture was going to be litmus test for both parties.

Squads

Arsenal had only added to their woes last week after Alex Oxlade Chamberlain joined the long list of players out injured. Laurent Koscielny had suffered a deep gash on his forehead during the midweek fixture in Turkey but he was anyway out serving a suspension for his red card on opening day.

With first team regular Szczesny in goal, Wenger put out greenhorn Carl Jenkinson to replace Bacary Sagna at right back. Sagna dropped to the middle with Per Mertesacker, and Gibbs retained his spot at left back. A heavily reinforced midfield included Ramsey, Rosicky and Cazorla, while Walcott and Podolski were in charge of the attack with the usual lone striker in the form of Olivier Giroud.

Fulham had woes of their own with their newest addition, Maarten Stekelenburg, out with an injured shoulder. Jol put second choice David Stockdale between the sticks, with Riise, Hangeland, Hughes and Riether forming the back line. Kieran Richardson was still out after he picked up a hamstring injury the last time around. Sidwell, Duff, Taarabt and Kasami retained their places, with the introduction of he newbie Scott Parker in the middle. Dimitar Berbatov was the sole striker, with no sign of Ruiz or Bent.

Lukas Podolski of Arsenal (R) celebrates scoring his side’s third goal with team mate Olivier Giroud during the Barclays Premier League match between Fulham and Arsenal at Craven Cottage on August 24, 2013 in London, England.

Match Review

The first half started at a brisk pace, with both teams playing it a little safe in cognizance of the bounty from the heavens. Arsenal looked comfortable with the ball at their feet, and they were the first to make their peace with the conditions. Slick passing and finding space seemed effortless for the Arsenal midfield, with even Gibbs and Jenkinson making the occasional foray upwards.

John Arne Riise had two decent chances, both dead ball situations, but he couldn’t make the most of either. Berbatov was at loggerhead with Sagna, and was almost lucky not to be booked for a blatant push early on.

Under pressure, Arsenal crumbled on occasions, but Fulham lacked the firepower to ensure their opponents paid for their mistakes. Riise looked to threaten from the outfield, but it was Arsenal who were putting the pedal to the metal on the counter.

Giroud drew first blood after he latched on to a shot by Aaron Ramsey, albeit unintentionally. The ball dropped right in front of him and he smartly wrong-footed the keeper, digging the ball out with his left foot and placing it sweetly.

Arsenal were off to a good start and the nerves eased up a bit. Adel Taarabt seemed keen to announce his presence on the field, which he did with a selfish crack which kept on rising. Ramsey picked up a yellow, with a needless dig.

Another counter ensued and Gibbs found himself a second to whip a shot in but he could only drag it wide, and Giroud couldn’t help but express his disgust after the left back refused to pick him out. Closer to the halfway mark, Fulham were pushing carelessly and Arsenal leaped ahead.

The counter caught Fulham napping and Walcott pulled the trigger, leaving Stockdale to make the save, and the ball found the rampaging Podolski, who made no mistake from the edge of the box.

Arsenal were 2-0 up right before the half; a very convenient position to be in. Both Arsenal and Fulham looked tight at the back, but Arsenal left a lot of space unguarded, leaving them vulnerable.

The second half started with Fulham looking to make amends, but Taarabt looked quite unsettled, with the exception of a low shot which Szczesny parried easily. He never looked like a threat, even when his inward drifting looked risky. Ramsey and Rosicky were calling the shots, and Arsenal looked content with passing the ball around.

Right at the hour mark, Duff was taken off to introduce Darren Bent. Bent has a reputation of scoring on debut, with goals for Charlton and Sunderland on his first day at work. Fulham were rejuvenated with another change after Taarabt was replaced by Kacaniklic. They played the right flank a couple of times, only to be thwarted by a tight back line. Kasami had an inviting ball laid off to him but Berbatov’s eagerness caused him to drag it wide.

Giroud pulled off an unbelievable trap and fed Santi Cazorla, who was quick to jump forward with space in front of him, and after a couple of step overs, found Podolski just outside the box, who let rip his left foot. The low shot passed Stockdale before the keeper could actually make his mind up, and found the corner of the net. Arsenal were 3-0 up, and Fulham had absolutely no chance at making a comeback.

Jack Wilshere was brought in for Rosicky, making it his 100^th appearance for the Gunners. The talismanic midfielder recently stated that he would consider leaving the club if Wenger was forced out, which made for quite a sensational declaration. Wenger looked to be happy with the score line, and took Giroud off to bring in an additional defender with Monreal. Former Arsenal man Sidwell too made way for the Greek Karagounis.

At 79 minutes, Berbatov found himself with some space in the middle of the Arsenal box, and he got his shot away quickly with a smart turn. Szczesny parried the ball with a dive but could only find himself looking at Darren Bent scoring his first for Fulham with his left foot. Too little too late, and Fulham didn’t seem very likely to make up for lost chances. A flurry of bookings later, which included Wilshere who been on the pitch for only 10 minutes.

Fulham were more aggressive in their attack but their long balls left the fans wanting for more. A foray by Berbatov was stopped by Wilshere, who made a run right across the flank with Walcott, who couldn’t finish the one-two. Yaya Sanogo also entered the mix, replacing Podolski who had left his mark with a brace.

Arsenal kept the mercury up simply to thwart any bright ideas that the home side may have. Walcott’s work rate was very impressive, and he kept on charging at the Fulham back line, only to find Stockdale standing strong. The four minutes of stoppage time didn’t spring any surprises and Arsenal wrapped up a comfortable victory in the London derby.