Arsenal beat Fulham to maintain top spot

Arsenal overcame a tough test at struggling Fulham to squeeze a 1-0 win that maintained their lead at the top of the Premier League, which had been threatened earlier in the day by Manchester City.

Leandro Trossard’s 58th-minute tap-in turned a game that had seen Fulham, now on a three-match losing streak, dominate the first half at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

Manchester City had climbed to the top of the table with a 2-0 win at home to Everton, prior to the Gunners’ late kickoff in the London derby in the west of the capital.

The result moves Arsenal three points clear at the top, although defending champions Liverpool can cut that to just a point if they beat Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.

Fulham, who had lost at Aston Villa and Bournemouth, prior to the international break, enjoyed the better of the early chances with Raul Jimenez and Harry Wilson both dragging efforts that should have heavily tested the keeper.

Arsenal, in contrast, enjoyed some nice spells in possession, but failed to test their former keeper Bernd Leno, in Fulham’s goal, in the opening 30 minutes.

Instead, it was the openings Fulham continued to find that nearly upset the odds when Tom Cairney found room from a corner and rifled a drive back across the face, but there were too many bodies in the way, allowing Arsenal to block the goal-bound effort.

The first moment of note came for record-signing Victor Gyokeres, who had endured a painfully slow start due to a lack of service. The Swedish striker found space in the box, but at a tight angle and his low drive was comfortably parried clear.

The best moment was the final kick off the half when Declan Rice struck a trademark drive from range, but the curl from his instep took the ball just wide of the post with Leno cemented to the spot.

Bukayo Saka nearly opened up Fulham immediately at the start of the second period as he shimmied in from the right and stabbed the ball towards goal. Sander Berge stuck out a leg at the ball and nearly deflected it into his own net, but for a Fulham bundle on the line swinging the danger away.

It wasn’t long until the breakthrough came, though, as Gabriel rose highest to flick Saka’s corner to the back post where Trossard turned in with his thigh.

Saka nearly doubled the lead moments later with a low drive, which Leno did well to turn wide, while the England man also had a penalty awarded and overturned after VAR asked Anthony Taylor to review his decision after substitute Kevin clearly played the ball first.

Despite the respite, Fulham were not able to muster the challenge in the second half that they had in the first period.