Arsenal salvaged a 1-1 draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage in the Premier League, maintaining their streak of scoring in London derbies to 18 matches since May 2022. However, they failed to close the gap to leaders Liverpool, remaining six points behind.
As the league’s top set-piece scorers, Arsenal’s first opportunity came from a corner within the first three minutes. Declan Rice delivered the ball into the six-yard box, but William Saliba’s header went wide. Fulham capitalized on Arsenal’s missed chance in the 11th minute when Raúl Jiménez latched onto a through ball and calmly finished into the bottom corner. Despite this, Arsenal continued to dominate. Rice sent a half-volley just wide after a fine pass from Leandro Trossard, and Bukayo Saka’s right-footed shot was saved by Bernd Leno, marking the only shot on target for the visitors in the first half.
Arsenal’s equalizer came just eight minutes into the second half from another corner. Rice’s delivery found Kai Havertz at the back post, whose header was directed to Saliba, who tapped in for his second goal in as many games. Arsenal pressed for a winner, with Trossard cutting inside and forcing a save from Leno, and another Rice corner saw Thomas Partey head wide from close range when unmarked.
Fulham remained a threat on the counter, with Andreas Pereira testing David Raya, who made a crucial save with his leg. In the closing moments, Arsenal thought they had taken the lead when Saka headed in Gabriel Martinelli’s cross, but the goal was ruled out for offside. Fulham held on for a valuable point, while Arsenal were left frustrated for not capitalizing on Liverpool’s postponed match.
