BREAKING NEWS: I have officially returned the Man of the match award for His standout performance last night, everybody were praising me but He was the one behind on Victory last night”, Gabriel Martinelli confirmed He has returned Man of the match award to ONE Arsenal player for His brilliant performance last night – Not Merino and Not Partey
BREAKING NEWS: I have officially returned the Man of the match award for His standout performance last night, everybody were praising me but He was the one behind on Victory last night”, Gabriel Martinelli confirmed He has returned Man of the match award to ONE Arsenal player for His brilliant performance last night – Not Merino and Not Partey
Arsenal marked their return to Premier League action after a lengthy wait, with a 2-1 win over Fulham at the Emirates Stadium.
Goals from Mikel Merino and the returning Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal a cushion before a stoppage-time effort from Fulham substitute Rodrigo Muniz made for an unnecessarily nervy finish.
The result was overshadowed somewhat by the Gunners losing inspirational central defender Gabriel Magalhaes to a suspected hamstring injury, a potentially significant blow with a two-legged quarter-final against UEFA Champions League royalty Real Madrid looming on the horizon.
In the short-term, Mikel Arteta will be pleased to have seen Gabriel Martinelli playing like something close to his best form, while Arsenal also got another star turn from Ethan Nwaneri. The 18-year-old was the hosts’ chief attacking threat during a disjointed and mostly turgid first half, providing something extra against notoriously tricky opposition.
While he went close himself a few times, it was Nwaneri’s creative touch that proved decisive when he pulled the back to allow Merino to open the scoring, albeit courtesy of a generous deflection off Jorge Cuenca.
Nwaneri is a star in the making, but Saka is still the main man in this squad, so it’s fitting the biggest positive on the night was reserved for him. The winger exceeded expectations by taking less than seven minutes to find the net after replacing Nwaneri after 67 minutes.
Player ratings from Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Fulham
Goalkeepers & Defenders
David Raya (GK) – 8/10 – Solid stuff from the Arsenal No. 1, who, not for the first nor last time this season, stood up big when needed. David Raya’s best contribution came on the stroke of half-time when the Spaniard just about clawed a lobbed effort away from goal. He also got a strong hand to a shot from Raul Jimenez that might have tipped the balance early in the second half.
It really must provide Arteta a warm and fuzzy feeling to know he can trust Raya in key moments.
Jurrien Timber (RB) – 6/10 – For a scary moment in the first half it looked as if Jurrien Timber would join Gabriel as another member of the Arsenal back four’s walking wounded. Thankfully, the right-back was able to soldier on after a prolonged snooze on the Emirates pitch around the half-hour mark. Timber persisted, but his usual muscle and forward-thinking enterprise were just a mite below standard.
William Saliba (CB) – 7/10 – Once Gabriel limped out of the fray, the onus was on Saliba to lead the line. The talented, but occasionally slap-dash Frenchman answered the call against a useful Fulham forward line led by clever striker Jimenez. Few defenders can mix composure with sudden calamity quite like Saliba, and it was his heels that inadvertently turned in a tame shot from Muniz during injury time.
Saliba’s reliability will be under a more unforgiving spotlight beyond this game.
Gabriel Magalhaes (CB) – 4/10 – A low mark only counts against Gabriel because his hamstring failed him after a mere 16 minutes. He’ll be missed because the Brazilian is the vocal, fire and brimstone leader at the back. He’s also quicker and stronger than next man up Jakub Kiwior.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (LB) – 7/10 – I’d still like to see Myles Lewis-Skelly given a run in central midfield. Especially since his continued inclusion as a left-back says nothing good about Arteta’s recent heavy spending policy at the position. Nonetheless, Nwaneri’s fellow Hale End classmate rarely looked out of place, despite accelerated bulldozer Adama Traore usually being in close proximity and causing one or two problems.
