Fulham 0-1 Arsenal: Premier League – as it happened

8.18pm BST Jacob Steinberg was at Craven Cottage this evening. Here’s his report. Thanks for reading this MBM. Related: Leandro Trossard sinks Fulham to keep Arsenal riding high at top of table 8.18pm BST Marco Silva’s turn to talk to Sky. “We prepared very well … we wanted to block the power run from Gabriel … we controlled it most of the time … it is a frustration for us … we kept them away … very good chance for Tom Cairney and Harry Wilson … apart from shots from the edge of the box they did not create anything special … we tried until the end … unfortunately not enough in the final third.” 8.04pm BST Mikel Arteta speaks to Sky Sports. “Very good … really tough place to come … we did a lot to win the game … we had some difficulties … we overcome them … against a really good organised team … they resisted but we found a way to score a goal … we gave the ball away … we had to change the structure … it takes time … we created some big chances to score a few more goals … we are very happy … another clean sheet … really good to see … we want to be better as a team … is [the penalty] clear and obvious if it takes that long? … we need to continue, it is very early … three weeks ago, we went to Newcastle, if we lost the league was over [smiles wryly] … this is the narrative … that’s the demands … we try our best to win as many football matches as we can, there is no secret to it.” 7.54pm BST The player of the match Bukayo Saka talks to Sky. “Obviously there is a lot of expectation on us … we didn’t start as we wanted to … today we were able to turn it around … we are so happy about that … even if [this victory doesn’t look significant] to others, it does to us … Newcastle … West Ham … it’s points we’ve been picking up that we haven’t in previous seasons … I just want to get the ball and make things happen … I grew into the game … I took some rubbish corners … but I kept going … very happy with that … it’s something we work on a lot … it’s quite clear … we’re quite good at it … for me [Kevin’s challenge] is a penalty … I felt contact on my knee before he touched the ball … I don’t want to dwell on it … let’s just move forward … we believe … win in any context … that’s the mentality … we showed that today … that’s what we’re trying to do this season and it will help us get over the line … people can say what they want, we just want to win.” 7.49pm BST Here’s a fine stat from Sky Sports that goes a long way to explaining Arsenal’s title challenge at the moment. Fulham didn’t have a shot on target tonight; West Ham didn’t either just before the international break. So that’s the first time since 2003-04 that Arsenal have gone consecutive games without facing a single attempt at goal. That is of course the last season they won the title. An omen, perhaps? 7.38pm BST Nobody will be making big claims about that Arsenal performance. But when your defence is rock solid, one scrappy goal from a set piece is more than enough. Arsenal go back to the top, having been briefly deposed by Manchester City earlier in the day, their hard-earned reward for a gutsy victory. Their lead is now a healthy three points, though Liverpool can cut into that with a win over Manchester United at Anfield tomorrow. But the form guide suggests that’s anything but certain; no wonder Arsenal walk off looking very happy with their evening’s work. Meanwhile Fulham don’t appear devastated, even if Marco Silva is in the referee’s ear about some perceived slight or other; when it all comes down, they’ll be pleased with the way they forced Arsenal to dig deep for their win. That knowledge should serve them well as they fight to climb the table. Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Arsenal 8 12 19 2 Man City 8 11 16 3 Liverpool 7 4 15 4 AFC Bournemouth 8 3 15 5 Tottenham Hotspur 7 8 14 Updated at 7.43pm BST 7.31pm BST FULL TIME: Fulham 0-1 Arsenal One-nil to the Arsenal. Updated at 7.42pm BST 7.31pm BST 90 min +9: Saka keeps the ball in the corner. This is done. 7.31pm BST 90 min +8: Saka, just as he’s being named man of the match on Sky, clips a pass down the right for Zubimendi, who bursts into the box and earns a corner. Arsenal won’t rush to take it. 7.30pm BST 90 min +7: Jimenez drives down the right, reaches the byline, and swivels to cut back. But none of his team-mates have kept up with play. On the touchline, Marco Silva is beyond furious with his players. 7.28pm BST 90 min +6: Gyokeres makes way for Norgaard, who makes his Premier League debut for Arsenal. 7.27pm BST 90 min +4: Gyokeres spins into the box down the right, letting Saka’s pass roll around him. He smacks goalwards. Leno parries. Martinelli tries to poke the rebound home, but the keeper stands firm again. Fulham deal with the resulting corner. Updated at 7.37pm BST 7.24pm BST 90 min +2: Traore and Iwobi take turns to dribble down the right. Both make just enough space to shoot … but both decline the opportunity, and the latter eventually runs the ball out for a goal kick. 7.22pm BST 90 min: Fulham go up the other end through Traore, whose first run of the game leads to a corner. Merino batters it clear. There will be nine additional minutes. 7.21pm BST 89 min: The ball comes off Zubimendi for a goal kick … but Arsenal are awarded a corner. It’s probably best for all involved that nothing comes of the resulting set piece. Updated at 7.34pm BST 7.20pm BST 87 min: Sessegnon needlessly shoves Saka in the back to release the pressure on Arsenal. Saka takes his sweet time to get back up, working the clock like a pro. Meanwhile Arsenal fan Charles Antaki writes: “I’m ready to believe that Gyokeres has hundreds of goals in his locker, all ready to explode on the scene and drive Arsenal to triumph. Very ready. Ready as you like. But something keeps getting in the way.” 7.18pm BST 86 min: Smith-Rowe sends the lively Kevin into space down the left. Kevin wins a rare Fulham corner. He’ll take it himself … and it’s cleared by Calafiori. 7.17pm BST 85 min: Arsenal are in control of this. They haven’t conceded an attempt on target since going ahead. 7.16pm BST 84 min: Zubimendi sends a diagonal towards Timber on the right. Timber reaches the byline, pauses, and dinks a ball back into the mixer. Martinelli tries an overhead kick. He connects spectacularly, but Bassey blocks and clears. VAR checks there’s no handball … and also that Diop didn’t unfairly wrestle Gyokeres to the ground on the goalline. All good news for Fulham. Updated at 7.23pm BST 7.14pm BST 82 min: Fulham make a double change, replacing Cuenca and Wilson with Bassey and Traore. 7.13pm BST 81 min: Arsenal replace their goalscoring hero Trossard with Martinelli. 7.13pm BST 80 min: Jimenez drops deep, and quarterbacks a pass down the inside-left channel, hoping to release Wilson. But Gabriel is too wily and too strong. Wilson flaps around in annoyance. Arsenal counter, and Gyokeres bursts into the box from the left, only to wang a dismal effort over the bar. 7.11pm BST 78 min: Kevin’s sheer persistence is enough to get the better of both Timber and Merino down the left, and Zubimendi is forced to skittle him to the ground. The resulting free kick leads to some head tennis in the Arsenal box, and there’s only one team likely to win that particular game. The visitors clear. 7.09pm BST 77 min: Wilson has the opportunity to attack down the left, but there’s nobody in the middle to support and he’s forced to turn tail, eventually shipping possession with a poor backwards pass intended for Berge. Merino steps in to intercept. 7.08pm BST 75 min: … and when something does happen, Kevin crossing from the left, Gabriel tussles with Jimenez and clears with authority. Fulham want a penalty, but there’s no way they’re getting one. A hard but fair challenge, which VAR rubber-stamps. Updated at 7.20pm BST 7.06pm BST 74 min: That reprieve has given Fulham an energy boost. They’re first to most things now, although Arsenal don’t give anyone anything for free, and are holding their defensive shape. Not much going on in their final third. 7.04pm BST 72 min: Now Iwobi pops up on the right, but nobody in white attacks the decent low cross he sends in. 7.03pm BST 71 min: Iwobi slides a pass down the inside-left channel for Sessegnon, who can’t control. Had he done so, he was through on goal. Mind you, had he done so, the flag would have popped up for offside. Goal kick. 7.02pm BST 70 min: That’s got the crowd going again. The home faithful had been somewhat subdued since Arsenal took the lead. No longer. 7.01pm BST VAR: No penalty 69 min: The ref announces that Kevin played the ball. No pen. Saka with head in hands, but that is surely a wrong decision made right. Updated at 7.11pm BST 7.00pm BST 68 min: It takes a while to power up the monitor, but eventually a picture pops up. Anthony Taylor takes a long look. Players and staff surround the referee. This is taking an age. Updated at 7.17pm BST 6.59pm BST 67 min: Referee Anthony Taylor is sent over to the VAR monitor. This will surely be overturned. 6.58pm BST 66 min: VAR is having a good old look at this. Kevin certainly touched the ball while lunging in. Does he get enough of the ball? Has his knee also caught Saka? 6.58pm BST Penalty for Arsenal! 65 min: Saka jinks in from the right. He’s heading the wrong way, but enters the box. Kevin lunges. Saka goes over, and the ref points to the spot. That looks a bit harsh, because Kevin got a stud or two on the ball. Over to VAR. Updated at 7.10pm BST 6.56pm BST 64 min: Saka dribbles daintily down the inside-left channel, getting past Diop easily and making just enough space for a shot. Leno blocks. 6.56pm BST 63 min: Fulham make a double change, replacing Cairney – limping, so it’s presumably not the shoulder – and King with Smith-Rowe and Kevin. 6.54pm BST 62 min: Cairney goes down again, that shoulder still giving him gyp. Looks like he’ll be replaced by Arsenal old boy Smith-Rowe. Before that change can be made, Arsenal make a swap, replacing Eze – strangely underwhelming today – for Merino. 6.53pm BST 60 min: That’s Arsenal’s seventh goal from a corner so far this season. They’ve scored two penalties and one free kick, and five from open play. You can thank Sky Sports for the statistical breakdown. 6.51pm BST GOAL! Fulham 0-1 Arsenal (Trossard 58) Saka’s corner from the right fizzes through the six-yard box. Gabriel with the eyebrows at the near post. Nobody in white responds. Trossard, at the far stick, knees home. Simple as that! Arsenal’s set pieces working well now. Updated at 7.44pm BST 6.50pm BST 57 min: Saka and Eze combine cutely down the inside-right channel and nearly release Gyokeres. Cuenca extends a leg to divert out for a corner, just in time. And from that … 6.49pm BST 56 min: Gyokeres tries to spin around Cuenca and into the Fulham box. He goes over, claiming a penalty, but neither referee nor VAR shows any interest in awarding one. Correctly so. That was his first touch of the second half. 6.48pm BST 55 min: … but they bustle forward en masse here, Wilson and Jimenez causing all sorts of bother with some power running, and hard 50-50 challenging, down the middle. Eventually the ball’s sent wide left for Iwobi, who crosses for Wilson. A first-time volley sails over the bar. For a couple of seconds there, Arsenal were all over the shop. 6.46pm BST 53 min: Arsenal are well on top. Fulham, that counter-attack apart, are struggling to find a way out. 6.44pm BST 51 min: Saka curls a dismal corner towards the near post, and it’s a doddle for Castagne to clear under no pressure whatsoever. Fulham go up the other end, and Wilson lets fly from 25 yards. Over the bar it goes. Arsenal’s set pieces have been uncharacteristically poor so far this evening. 6.42pm BST 50 min: Saka dribbles hard down the right, skips past a couple of tackles, and prods the ball into a crowded six-yard box. Gyokeres again can’t get there, but the ball nearly ends up in the net anyway, Berge accidentally pinging it goalwards. He’s lucky that Castagne is on hand to whip clear. But it’s at the expense of a corner. Updated at 6.50pm BST 6.41pm BST 48 min: Eze drifts in from the right and loops a cross towards Gyokeres, who can’t connect. But the ball sails through to Trossard, who has time to take the ball down and … drag a weak shot wide of the left-hand post. That was a highly decent chance and a very poor effort. 6.39pm BST 47 min: Saka is clumsily brought down by Sessegnon while going nowhere down the right. A chance to sling a free kick into the box. Rice takes but it’s easily cleared by the home defence. 6.37pm BST Arsenal get the second half underway. No changes. “I spend more time than is strictly speaking healthy thinking about Calafiori’s role in the Arsenal team,” writes Kári Tulinius. “As far as I can tell, in attack he’s supposed to create overloads, but he doesn’t do it in any kind of predictable manner, showing up all over the place. This makes him hard to pick up for opponents, but his fellow Gunners also seem like they don’t expect him to go where he goes, which wastes the man advantage. He’s confounding.” 6.24pm BST Half-time entertainment. A big day in the north tomorrow. Related: Mohamed Salah in need of centre stage return for Anfield’s grand show | Andy Hunter Related: Benjamin Sesko is latest player damned by a pitiless conveyor belt of takes and memes | Jonathan Liew 6.22pm BST HALF TIME: Fulham 0-0 Arsenal There’s just enough time for Rice to wildly slash a long-range shot wide left, and then the hosts walk off much the happier. Though as things stand, Arsenal are still returning to the top at the end of the day. 6.20pm BST 45 min +4: … and that corner comes to nothing, Rice eventually floating a cross from the left deep into the Hammersmith End. 6.19pm BST 45 min +3: Fulham go long down the right and Wilson earns a throw off Gabriel. Sessegnon comes across to fling it long, but Calafiori clears. Arsenal counter at speed, but Timber faffs around on the right wing, allowing Jimenez to nick the ball off his toe. It’s a corner, though. 6.16pm BST 45 min +1: Wilson caught that ball flush on the lug, and he’s felt it. But he’ll be happy to continue. 6.16pm BST 45 min: There’s no malice involved, but Zubimendi batters the ball into Wilson’s face from close range. On comes the Fulham physio yet again. As a result of all these stoppages, there will be six additional first-half minutes. 6.14pm BST 44 min: Saka is causing all sorts of bother down the right. This time he sails past Iwobi and forces Cuenca to head his cross behind for another Arsenal corner. Saka whips it into the mixer, and Leno punches clear with confidence. Updated at 6.30pm BST 6.13pm BST 43 min: King is fine to continue, though, so at least that’s something. Play restarts. 6.13pm BST 42 min: In the meantime, Andersen goes down. He can’t continue, and limps off to be replaced by Diop. Fulham are in the wars right now. 6.12pm BST 41 min: Arsenal look to break upfield, only for the play to be stopped as King has taken a whack in the mush. That might have been friendly fire, as King, Jimenez and Rice all came together. Arsenal aren’t happy about it, but what could the referee do? 6.11pm BST 40 min: Saka delivers low to the near post. Gyokeres cushions it back to him. Saka crosses long. Trossard can’t connect with a header. Arsenal are on top now. 6.09pm BST 39 min: Saka dribbles hard down the right and nearly gets the better of Jimenez. He settles for a corner, which he’ll take himself. 6.09pm BST 38 min: Saka reaches the byline down the right and loops long for Calafiori, who certainly isn’t shy of shooting. His volley creams over the crossbar. Leno had it covered. 6.08pm BST 37 min: … and that prediction nearly comes to pass immediately. Saka slips a pass down the inside-right channel to release Gyokeres into the box. Gyokeres – taking just his third touch of the match – swivels and shoots low and hard. Leno parries. The looping ball doesn’t drop kindly for Trossard, and the keeper claims. 6.06pm BST 35 min: … so Calafiori gets fed up, strutting in from the left and looking for the top-right corner again. Andersen hangs out a leg and deflects wide left, and nothing comes of the corner. Meanwhile here’s more from Fulham fan and pre-match bag of pessimism Richard Hirst: “Six shots to one, four corners to one: we all know how this is going to end. Who’d be a football supporter?” 6.05pm BST 34 min: Arsenal pass and probe, probe and pass, but Fulham hold their shape. The hosts happy to sit back for now. 6.03pm BST 33 min: Cairney is back up, but doesn’t look wholly comfortable, still grasping his neck and shoulder. But he’ll continue. 6.02pm BST 31 min: Cairney is down feeling his right shoulder. On comes the physio. 6.01pm BST 30 min: Eze cheaply ships possession to King, who makes off down the right. King looks to be going nowhere, turning tail, but then Eze makes a half-hearted attempt to close him down, allowing King to spin back and mishit a cross that nearly sails over Raya’s head from a ludicrous angle. Raya, backtracking, is forced to slap over the bar. Nothing comes of the resulting corner. So close to an outrageous fluke. Updated at 6.12pm BST 5.58pm BST 28 min: King tries to release Wilson down the right, but Gabriel comes across, stepping in to take control and usher the ball back to Raya. A necessary defensive intervention. 5.57pm BST 26 min: Much better from Iwobi here, as he waltzes in from the left and rolls a cute diagonal pass towards Wilson, on the right-hand edge of the D. Wilson tries to catch out Raya with a forensic shot towards the bottom right, but it’s always heading wide. Might have been better to put his foot through that. It was a good chance, and a great pass from Iwobi. 5.55pm BST 24 min: Iwobi probes down the left but upon reaching the corner flag, sees his cross ping off the nearby Timber, back off his startled face and out. Goal kick. 5.53pm BST 22 min: Saka drives down the right and glides infield, at which point his shot is blocked the nanosecond the ball comes off his boot. Then a throw comes in from the left, but doesn’t quite fall to Trossard. This is end-to-end all right. 5.51pm BST 21 min: Arsenal calm things down with some of the old sterile domination. 5.49pm BST 19 min: One corner from the right leads to another … and then Jimenez is penalised for a not-particularly-high kick on Eze, who was ducking into a clearing header. 5.49pm BST 18 min: Sessegnon advances down the left and crosses towards Jimenez, who is penalised for an overly physical stretch for the ball. Then Fulham come again, King cutting in from the right and taking a shot from distance that’s deflected over the bar. This is a really open game. It’s great fun. 5.47pm BST Calafiori goal disallowed 16 min: Arsenal put the ball in the net, in spectacular fashion. Timber sends a long diagonal towards Trossard on the left-hand corner of the box. Trossard high-kicks infield, where Calafiori instantly lashes across Leno and into the top-right corner! What a pearler! Unfortunately, he was clearly offside upon receiving the ball. The goal’s immediately chalked off. Updated at 6.22pm BST 5.45pm BST 15 min: Fulham will be happy with this start, though. They’ve responded very well to Arsenal’s earlier attempts to impose themselves, and carved out a couple of decent half-chances. 5.44pm BST 13 min: Now Fulham latch onto a Gabriel mistake, Wilson advancing down the inside-right channel and into the box. He attempts to steer a shot into the bottom left, but in circumventing Raya, he also sends the ball wide of the post. 5.43pm BST 11 min: … but here come Fulham again, Wilson drifting down the right and rolling the ball infield for Jimenez, whose shot across Raya takes a deflection and rolls out for a corner. The set piece comes in from the left and is met first time by Cairney’s sidefoot. The ball may be heading into the bottom left, it may not, but we’ll never know for sure, because instead it slaps poor Zubimendi square in the fruit bowl. Arsenal clear as their brave midfielder catches in breath. 5.41pm BST 10 min: King snaffles the ball in the centre circle and finds Jimenez, who in turn looks for Wilson down the right. The pass is too strong and the move breaks down. A shame for Fulham, as a better weighted ball would have sent Wilson through on goal. 5.39pm BST 9 min: Rice slips a pass down the inside-left channel for Gyokeres, who reaches the byline and cuts back to … nobody in particular. Andersen blooters clear. 5.39pm BST 8 min: Sessegnon skittles Saka out on the right. The free kick’s worked to Calafiori on the other flank. Calafiori sends the ball back into the mixer, where Sessegnon makes up for his earlier intervention with a clearing header. 5.37pm BST 7 min: Arsenal are beginning to find their feet. Rice and Zubimendi seeing a fair bit of the ball in the middle. Updated at 5.55pm BST 5.37pm BST 6 min: A bit of space for Trossard down the left. He slices his cross into the stand behind the goal. Probably for the best, as King looked to have been illegally knocked over earlier in the move, but the referee waved play on, much to the home support’s ire. 5.35pm BST 4 min: Gyokeres nearly gets on the end of a simple long punt down the middle. The ball doesn’t quite fall for him, and Leno is able to come off his line to claim. But for a second, the striker’s eyes were lighting up. 5.33pm BST 3 min: All a bit scrappy so far. Updated at 5.51pm BST 5.32pm BST 2 min: Arsenal are kicking towards the Hammersmith End in this first half. Updated at 5.33pm BST 5.30pm BST The players take a knee – there’s No Room For Racism – and then Fulham get the ball rolling. Plenty of noise, joyous bedlam, London derby, all that. 5.27pm BST The teams emerge from the Cottage. Fulham in white, Arsenal in second-choice blue. A heady atmosphere down by the river. It won’t be too long now. Updated at 5.38pm BST 5.20pm BST Marco Silva talks to Sky. “[To have Raúl Jiménez back] is crucial … we have two strikers who have been scoring more than 20 goals a season together … we miss Rodrigo [Muniz] … it is crucial to have at least one of them.” 5.10pm BST Mikel Arteta, exuding determination, speaks to Sky Sports. “We have to learn from the [mistakes of the] very recent past … improve as a team … we have done it against Newcastle and West Ham … now after three years of not winning [at Craven Cottage] we must do it against Fulham … it is about momentum … flexibility … options … Fulham have a high level of organisation … patterns … a real threat … it is always a challenge to play here.” 5.05pm BST Pre-match postbag o’pessimism. “Marco Silva’s team selections are getting more and more weird, and we’re most definitely going to be in the relegation struggle,” sighs Richard Hirst. “Love what Tom Cairney has given Fulham but he is not the player to take on this Arsenal midfield; we could be swamped today. Let’s just hope No Kings only applies in the States and that Josh finally gets some luck to go with his skill.” 5.03pm BST Arsenal started the day atop the Premier League. Now, for a couple of hours at least, they’ve been knocked off their perch. Barry Glendenning has the details of Manchester City’s win over Everton in today’s Clockwatch. No change for Fulham, who remain in 14th place. A draw this evening will be enough for Arsenal to reclaim top spot, while Fulham can climb into the top half, though they’d need to win by three clear goals to leapfrog tenth-placed Everton. Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Man City 8 11 16 2 Arsenal 7 11 16 3 Liverpool 7 4 15 4 AFC Bournemouth 8 3 15 5 Tottenham Hotspur 7 8 14 4.45pm BST That victory over West Ham sent Arsenal top. Ed Aarons takes a gander at 20 years’ worth of data and explains why that ostensibly welcome state of affairs for the Gunners comes with absolutely no guarantees whatsoever. Related: Arsenal’s depth can write new story for nearly men after 773 nights on top 4.39pm BST It’s been a while … so here’s a reminder of what happened to both teams last time around. Related: Semenyo’s double downs Fulham and sends buoyant Bournemouth second Related: Saka sends Arsenal top with victory over West Ham in Arteta’s 300th game 4.24pm BST Fulham make three changes to their starting line-up following their 3-1 loss at Bournemouth. Raúl Jiménez, Jorge Cuenca and captain Tom Cairney return, at the expense of Issa Diop and Calvin Bassey, who are benched, and the injured Saša Lukić. Antonee Robinson and Rodrigo Muniz are also unavailable. Arsenal make just one change to their starting XI after their 2-0 home win over West Ham. Martin Ødegaard is injured, so in comes Martín Zubimendi. Updated at 5.05pm BST 4.17pm BST The teams Fulham: Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Cuenca, Sessegnon, Berge, Cairney, Wilson, King, Iwobi, Jimenez.Subs: Lecomte, Tete, Bassey, Reed, Traore, Kusi-Asare, Kevin, Diop, Smith Rowe. Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori, Eze, Zubimendi, Rice, Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard.Subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, White, Martinelli, Norgaard, Nwaneri, Merino, Lewis-Skelly, Dowman. Referee: Anthony Taylor.VAR: Stuart Attwell. Updated at 4.34pm BST 4.15pm BST Preamble Three weeks ago, the 2025-26 Premier League was Liverpool’s to lose. Now it’s safe in the hands of Arsenal. It’s all been a bit presumptuous seeing the season’s barely started, but that’s the modern discourse for you. Hey, we’re all at fault. So can Arsenal consolidate their lead at the top, against a side who have only defeated them once in the last 14 meetings? Or will they let things slip at a ground where they’ve failed to win in either of their last two visits? Fulham could do with a result themselves, having lost their previous two matches before the international break, so this London derby is set up deliciously. Kick-off is at 5.30pm. It’s on!