Arsenal faced off against Fulham at Craven Cottage earlier today hoping to continue their eight-match winning run across all competitions. The Gunners established their dominance early in the contest and scored the opening goal of the game through Alexandre Lacazette’s smart finish in the 29th minute. However, the Cottagers were not willing to give up without a fight in front of their home supporters and managed to get themselves back into the match courtesy of Andre Schurrle’s close-range finish just before half-time.
Unai Emery’s men started the second half quite brightly and took the lead once again in the 49th minute through Lacazette’s powerful strike from a distance. The North London giants piled on the pressure and registered three more goals courtesy of Aaron Ramsey’s smart finish and a brace of goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The match ended with Arsenal running out 5-1 winners on the day following a fantastic second half display at Craven Cottage.
Let’s take a look at how each Arsenal player fared during the match against the Cottagers.
GK: Bernd Leno – 6.5/10
He pulled off a marvellous save in the first half and did the little things right during the contest to keep things stable at the back for the Gunners.
RB: Hector Bellerin – 6/10
He struggled to cope with the threat of the Fulham attackers. The Spaniard was unlucky not to score with his goal-bound attempt early in the second half but still managed to earn an assist after setting up Aubameyang’s first goal.
CB: Shkodran Mustafi – 7.5/10
The German defensive ace managed to keep Aleksander Mitrovic quiet which is no easy feat. He looked assured in defence and put on a commanding performance at the centre of the Gunners backline.
CB: Rob Holding – 7/10
The youngster kept things tight at the back and defended resolutely to keep the Fulham attackers at bay.
LB: Nacho Monreal – 6/10
The Spanish full-back played his part in the lead up to Lacazette’s opening goal of the contest. However, Monreal was also at fault for Fulham’s equaliser after his poor clearance let Fulham in just before half-time.
CM: Lucas Torreira – 8/10
The Uruguayan midfielder looks a class act at the middle of the pitch. He was outstanding during the game and broke down many Fulham attacks to see out another victory for the Gunners.
CM: Granit Xhaka – 6/10
He helped the away team retain possession in midfield and was also quite slick with his ball distribution.
RM: Henrikh Mkhitaryan – 5.5/10
The Armenian got an excellent chance to score in the first half but other than that, he failed to make an impact going forward.
CAM: Danny Welbeck – 7.5/10
The English forward put on a tireless shift and got an assist to show for his efforts.
LM: Alex Iwobi – 8/10
He made a lot of darting runs down the left flank and was a menace for the Fulham defenders. His pace caused a lot of problems for the Cottagers’ backline which once again proves how valuable he has been for Arsenal in recent weeks.
ST: Alexandre Lacazette – 8.5/10
The Frenchman gave the Gunners an early lead and scored a fantastic goal in the second half which was an ideal platform for his teammates to go on and put five past a poor Fulham defence.
Substitutes:
CAM: Aaron Ramsey – 7.5/10
He came off the bench to score with a delicate finish which made the points secure for Emery’s team.
ST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – 8/10
The Arsenal forward came on to set-up Ramsey’s goal and found the back of the net twice which gave his team an emphatic win on the day.
CM: Matteo Guendouzi – 6/10
He provided some fresh legs in midfield.
