Fulham 2-1 Arsenal: 5 hits and flops as Gunners lose ground in title race | Premier League 2023-24

Fulham completed a comeback win over Arsenal, beating them 2-1 in the Premier League on Sunday, December 31.

Marco Silva's side came into the game on the back of three consecutive defeats. He made three changes to the side that lost 3-0 to Bournemouth last time. Raul Jimenez, Willian and Timothy Castagne replaced Rodrigo Muniz, Andreas Pereira and Kenny Tete.

Arsenal, meanwhile, were coming off a difficult 2-0 loss to West Ham United but still had the opportunity to go top of the table with a win. Arteta also made three changes, with Eddie Nketiah, Kai Havertz and Jakub Kiwior coming in for Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

The Gunners began brightly, taking the lead through Bukayo Saka in the fifth minute. Gabriel Martinelli's initial effort was parried by Bernd Leno but the Englishman was there to tap home the rebound to make it 1-0.

Fulham managed to make it level in the 29th minute, with Raul Jimenez slotting home a low cross from Tom Cairney.

An even first half was followed by disaster for Arsenal as Fulham took the lead in the 59th minute through Bobby De Cordova-Reid. The ball bounced around in the box before the midfielder nudged it home to make it 2-1.

Mikel Arteta's side pushed on for an equalizer but it was the hosts that continued to create better chances, hitting the woodwork once and forcing David Raya to make a great stop.

The Cottagers broke a bad streak of results, while Arsenal remained in fourth in the Premier League following the game.

On that note, let's take a look at five hits and flops from the game:

#5 Hit - Bukayo Saka

Saka had gone on a run of five straight Premier League games without a goal coming into the clash against Fulham. However, the winger found the back of the net very early on, being in the right place to turn home a saved effort. He finished the game with three shots, one chance created and eight touches in the opposition box.

#4 Flop - Jakub Kiwior

The seldom-used Polish defender had an opportunity to prove himself to Mikel Arteta after reports of him being sold in the January window. However, he had a difficult time on the left flank, getting pulled after the first half. He was nervy in defense and did not offer much going forward either.

#3 Hit - David Raya

It was one of Raya's most composed performances in an Arsenal shirt despite losing and conceding twice. The Spaniard was not really at fault for either goal and pulled off a great stop to deny Cairney in the second half, keeping the score at 2-1.

#2 Flop - Eddie Nketiah

Nketiah had a night to forget, coming into the lineup in place of Gabriel Jesus. He was barely involved in the game, struggling to find any rhythm, managing just 24 touches. Such performances could convince Arsenal to pursue a center forward in the winter transfer window, with Brentford's Ivan Toney mentioned as a possible target.

#1 Hit - Raul Jimenez

The Mexican striker proved his worth to Fulham after returning to the lineup following his suspension. He has been in great form recently, scoring four goals in his last four Premier League games. Fulham look a much more threatening side with him in the lineup and they will be keen to string positive results together after their big win against Arsenal.