The hosts’ opener arrived like a thunderclap out of a cloudless sky. Arsenal had penned Fulham into their own half for almost the entire opening ten minutes before they were split open by one pass from Kenny Tete. Raul Jimenez latched onto the ball and got his shot off before William Saliba sidled across, drilling Fulham into an early lead.
Arsenal gently prodded and probed for the rest of the opening 45 minutes without forcing Bernd Leno, their former goalkeeper, into a serious save. Saliba poked the Gunners level within ten minutes of the restart, narrowly remaining onside to legally latch onto Kai Havertz‘s header from yet another corner.
While the VAR lines fell in favour of the Gunners for Saliba’s equaliser, the virtual geometry went against the visitors as Bukayo Saka’s 88th-minute header was ruled out for an offside in the buildup.
Arsenal dropped five points across their two matches with Fulham last season and were denied another victory on Sunday. The draw left Mikel Arteta’s six points behind league-leading Liverpool, who have a game in hand after the postponement of the Merseyside derby.
Fulham player ratings (4-2-3-1)
Raul Jimenez fired Fulham in front / James Gill – Danehouse/GettyImages
| Player | Ratings |
|---|---|
| GK: Bernd Leno | 7.5/10 |
| RB: Kenny Tete | 7.8/10 |
| CB: Issa Diop | 7.1/10 |
| CB: Calvin Bassey | 6.5/10 |
| LB: Antonee Robinson | 7.6/10 |
| CM: Sasa Lukic | 6.9/10 |
| CM: Sander Berge | 7.8/10 |
| AM: Emile Smith Rowe | 6.1/10 |
| RW: Alex Iwobi | 6.4/10 |
| ST: Raul Jimenez | 7.8/10 |
| LW: Adama Traore | 6.2/10 |
| SUB: Andreas Pereira (60′ for Smith Rowe) | 6.2/10 |
| SUB: Harry Wilson (60′ for Traore) | 6.1/10 |
| SUB: Rodrigo Muniz (80′ for Jimenez) | 6.3/10 |
| SUB: Jorge Cuenca (90′ for Lukic) | 6.0/10 |
Subs not used: Steven-Andreas Benda (GK), Joachim Andersen, Ryan Sessegnon, Timothy Castagne, Joshua King, Martial Godo
Arsenal player ratings (4-3-3)
Kai Havertz had a hand in Arsenal’s equaliser / Ryan Pierse/GettyImages
| Player | Ratings |
|---|---|
| GK: David Raya | 6.5/10 |
| RB: Thomas Partey | 6.6/10 |
| CB: William Saliba | 8.2/10 |
| CB: Jakub Kiwior | 6.8/10 |
| LB: Jurrien Timber | 6.8/10 |
| CM: Martin Odegaard | 6.3/10 |
| CM: Jorginho | 7.2/10 |
| CM: Declan Rice | 7.3/10 |
| RW: Bukayo Saka | 6.8/10 |
| ST: Kai Havertz | 6.9/10 |
| LW: Leandro Trossard | 7.1/10 |
| SUB: Gabriel Martinelli (60′ for Trossard) | 5.8/10 |
| SUB: Mikel Merino (74′ for Jorginho) | 5.9/10 |
| SUB: Gabriel Jesus (74′ for Havertz) | 6.3/10 |
| SUB: Ethan Nwaneri (79′ for Odegaard) | 6.3/10 |
Subs not used: Neto (GK), Ayden Heaven, Kieran Tierney, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Raheem Sterling
