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| HT:1–0 Report | |||||||
| Event | Premier League 2024-25 | ||||||
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| Date | Sunday 8 December 2024 | ||||||
| Venue | Craven Cottage, London | ||||||
| Player of the Match | Bukayo Saka | ||||||
| Referee | Chris Kavanagh | ||||||
| Attendance | 26,954 | ||||||
| Weather | 7 °C (45 °F) | ||||||
← Fulham - Brighton Arsenal - Man Utd Fulham - Liverpool Arsenal - Monaco → | |||||||
Fulham v Arsenal was a match which took place at Craven Cottage on Sunday 8 December 2024.
Team News
Fulham
Fulham will be without Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson, who is ineligible to face his parent club but also has a hamstring injury.
Tom Cairney is still suspended but Saša Lukić returns from a ban.
Arsenal
Arsenal will assess defenders Gabriel and Riccardo Calafiori, who both missed the 2-0 victory against Manchester United in midweek.
Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu are long-term absentees.
Match facts
Head-to-head
- Fulham beat Arsenal for the first time in 12 attempts in last season's corresponding fixture (D3, L8).
- The Cottagers could win consecutive league matches against the Gunners for the first time.
- Arsenal have scored in each of their past 18 Premier League encounters versus Fulham since a goalless draw in 2009.
Fulham
- Fulham have lost just one of their last six league games (W3, D2).
- The Cottagers have equalled their club record of scoring in 13 successive top-flight matches, set 65 years ago.
- They are unbeaten in their last eight league London derbies (W4, D4), their longest run since going nine without defeat from February 2000 to September 2001.
- Their six goals scored by substitutes this season is the most of any other team in the Premier League.
- Alex Iwobi has scored four goals in his last six Premier League appearances, one more than he had managed in his previous 27 games.
Arsenal
- Arsenal have won three successive league games for the first time this season.
- The Gunners are aiming to become the first top-flight side to score five or more goals in six away fixtures in a calendar year.
- They need just four more goals to equal the Premier League record of 86 scored in a calendar year.
- Mikel Arteta's side have scored 22 goals from corners in the Premier League since the start of last season, more than any other team.
- They have won seven of their past eight London derbies (D1) since losing to Fulham on New Year's Eve last year.
- Bukayo Saka has seven goals and seven assists across his last 14 London league derbies.
Match Report
Arsenal had a late goal disallowed as they missed the chance to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points with a draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Bukayo Saka thought he had given the Gunners all three points when he headed in Gabriel Martinelli's cross two minutes from time, but the goal was disallowed after the Brazilian was found to be offside during the build-up.
Raul Jimenez, with his sixth goal of the season, put Fulham in front against the run of play when he latched on to Kenny Tete's ball down the line to fire past David Raya from a tight angle.
Arsenal, looking to capitalise on the postponement of Liverpool's Merseyside derby against Everton on Saturday, struggled to carve out opportunities from open play in the first half and managed just one shot on target from Saka.
But Mikel Arteta's side were level within six minutes of the second half after a well-worked corner kick routine saw William Saliba convert Kai Havertz's knockdown.
It was one-way traffic after that as Arsenal pushed to find a winner but they struggled to break down a resolute Fulham side.
The draw means Arsenal are six points behind leaders Liverpool, having played a game more.
After the 4-1 defeat at home to Wolves a fortnight ago, Fulham fans could have been forgiven for dreading a games against Tottenham, Brighton and Arsenal within seven days.
In hindsight, they need not have worried.
A spirited draw against Spurs last weekend was bettered by a 3-1 win against Brighton in midweek.
The visit of Arsenal, though, was the toughest of the lot.
Silva made four changes to his starting line-up from the team that beat Brighton.
In came Tete, Sasa Lukic, Jimenez and Adama Traore with Timothy Castagne, Reiss Nelson, Rodrigo Muniz and Harry Wilson dropping out.
The Cottagers had to weather an early storm as Arsenal settled instantly into their rhythm.
But it was two of Silva's changes that combined to give Fulham the lead in the 11th minute.
Tete - remarkably, with his first touch of the game - threaded a lovely ball down the line between Jurrien Timber and Jakub Kiwior to find Jimenez.
The Mexican, quickly accompanied by Saliba, had plenty to do but he took Raya by surprise by taking his shot early and finding the bottom corner.
It was the home side's only shot on target in the first half but Fulham were good value for their lead as they limited Arsenal to just one shot on target of their own.
A less determined side would have caved after Saliba's equaliser, as Arsenal dominated the remainder of the match in search of a winner.
The Cottagers carried a counter-attacking threat of their own through substitutes Harry Wilson and Andreas Pereira, with the latter testing Raya at his near post late on.
It was the end of a testing week for Silva's side but it is one that they have passed with flying colours by taking five points from the nine available.
The Gunners were well below their best in the first half, lacking the sharpness that that they have shown in wins against West Ham, Manchester United and Sporting in recent weeks.
Saka had the Gunners' only shot on target in the opening 45 minutes as the Gunners struggled to create opportunities from open play.
Much was made of Arsenal's prowess from set pieces following the 2-0 win against Manchester United in midweek, with both goals coming from corner kick routines.
The Gunners had set piece coach Nicolas Jover to thank again as they equalised at Craven Cottage with a routine straight from the training ground.
Declan Rice whipped a brilliant in-swinging corner in from the left to the back post, where Havertz nodded down for Saliba to tap home.
The goal - which survived a video assistant referee (VAR) review - was Arsenal's 23rd scored from a corner since the start of the 2023-24 season, more than any club in Europe during that time.
Arteta's side managed just four shots on target during the game and their best opportunities once again came from dead ball situations.
After Liverpool's game against Everton was postponed, the Gunners had the chance to close the gap on the Reds to four points.
They will rue that they could not take full advantage of the opportunity.
Match
Details
| 8 December 2024 14:00 GMT |
Fulham 
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1–1 |  Arsenal
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Craven Cottage, London Attendance: 26,954 Referee: Chris Kavanagh |
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Jiménez  11'
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HT:1–0 Report |
Saliba 52'
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         Fulham
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     Arsenal
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:
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Match rules
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Match Stats
| Fulham | Arsenal |
|---|
| Possession ball | |
| 33% | 67% |
| Shots | |
| 2 | 12 |
| Shots on target | |
| 2 | 4 |
| Corners | |
| 0 | 6 |
| Fouls | |
| 10 | 9 |
See also
External links
 Premier League 2024–25
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v 
| Arsenal v Fulham
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| Premier League |
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| FA Cup |
| League Cup |