Fulham vs Arsenal [2-1] | All Goals & Extended Highlights | Premier League 2023/24

Fulham come from behind to beat Arsenal 2-1; Gunners suffer second straight defeat to cap a miserable end to 2023; Mikel Arteta’s side miss out on chance to go top of Premier League again; they now have just one win in their last five league matches.

Arsenal’s difficult end to 2023 continued as Fulham came from behind to beat the Gunners 2-1 to inflict a second straight defeat on Mikel Arteta’s side and deny them top spot in the Premier League.

The visitors made the perfect start in response to their midweek defeat to West Ham as Bernd Leno could only parry Gabriel Martinelli’s shot into the path of Bukayo Saka, who tapped home from close range to give the Gunners the lead in the fifth minute.

However, Fulham took the game to Arsenal and responded, ending a run of three Premier League games without a goal as Raul Jimenez converted Tom Cairney’s cross to bring the hosts level.

It was another extremely difficult afternoon for Arsenal, who failed to muster a shot on target in the second half, and they could not halt Fulham’s momentum as Bobby De Cordova-Reid fired home the winner in the 59th minute to make it a happy end of year for Marco Silva’s side.

The win sees Fulham, who end a run of three straight defeats without scoring a goal, move up to 13th in the table.

Meanwhile, Arteta’s men, who were top of the table on Christmas Day, have just one win in their last five games in the league. The defeat caps a miserable few days as they finish the year fourth and miss out on a second chance to go top of the Premier League, leaving Liverpool with an opportunity to go three points clear when they face Newcastle on New Year’s Day.

Arsenal made the perfect response to the midweek humbling at the hands of West Ham as Saka stayed onside before poking home the rebound after Leno had parried Martinelli’s shot in the fifth minute.

Craven Cottage was quiet but it soon came alive again after a swift Fulham move saw Antonee Robinson pick out Jimenez, but the striker’s side-footed shot from inside the penalty area was too close to David Raya.

The momentum was with the hosts now as Willian’s whipped shot flashed wide of the far post before appeals were waved away for a penalty after a coming together between De Cordova-Reid and William Saliba inside the penalty area.

Fulham’s dominance eventually told, however, as the home side capitalised on an excellent tackle from Calvin Bassey to dispossess Saka and launch a devastating break. Willian fed Tom Cairney, whose cross into the area was an inviting one, and Jiminez made no mistake on this occasion to bring the home side level with his fifth goal in seven Premier League appearances.

Arsenal looked shocked and void of any ideas in attack as Fulham looked comfortable. That was until just before the break when Declan Rice fired the ball into Martin Odegaard inside the Fulham box. The Arsenal skipper laid it off to Martinelli, who could only steer the ball wide of the upright.

There was almost a fortunate moment for Arsenal and an unfortunate incident for referee Josh Smith, who accidentally blocked off Alex Iwobi. It meant Declan Rice could pick out Martinelli with ease but the Brazilian failed to make the advantage count as his shot flew wide of the far post.

Fulham’s turnaround was complete just before the hour mark. Arsenal failed to clear their lines from a corner after Joao Palhinha made first contact ahead of Rice. A scramble in the area ensued and De Cordova-Reid latched onto the loose ball, rifling it into the net from close range to leave Raya with no chance.

Just like against West Ham, an Arsenal response never came as their frustrations in front of goal continued. Saka skied a decent chance at the back post following a mix up between Bassey and Robinson, but after that the Gunners rarely threatened.

Palhinha was forced into a last-ditch block to deny Saka but it was Fulham looked more likely to add a third as Andreas Perreira’s free-kick crashed against the crossbar, but In the end, they didn’t need it as Silva’s side got over the line to seal a stunning win to finish 2023 on a high note.

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