Arsenal held to 2-2 draw by 10-man Fulham

LONDON – Arsenal were held to a 2-2 home draw by 10-man Fulham in the English Premier League on Saturday, denying Mikel Arteta’s side provisional top spot in the table.

Fulham struck gold on 57 seconds when Andreas Pereira pounced on a loose back pass from Bukayo Saka and the midfielder saw goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale well off his line, pulling the trigger from 30 metres out to score and silence the home crowd.

But the Gunners then won a penalty for a foul on Fabio Vieira in the 70th minute, and Saka redeemed himself with a confident spot kick in the pouring rain. Arsenal made it 2-1 two minutes later when Vieira whipped in a cross for Eddie Nketiah to score.

Fulham were reduced to 10 men when Calvin Bassey received a second booking in the 83rd minute for a cynical foul on Nketiah to prevent a counter-attack, but they equalised four minutes later when Portuguese midfielder Joao Palhinha swept home from a corner to rescue a point.

“I came from an injury and it was tough for me because I missed all the pre-season with my teammates,” Palhinha said on the BBC.

“It is really good to be back and to help my teammates and finish the game like this. Unfortunately we didn’t win, but I think it is a good result. It is always tough to play against Arsenal. We came to try to win but the most important thing was the effort we showed until the end, even with 10 men.

“It was tough in the last 10 minutes. We have the quality to do better with the ball. The effort was amazing from all the players and that is the soul of this team.”

The result meant that Fulham have four points from three games. Arteta’s men are second in the standings on seven points, behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur on goal difference.

Brighton & Hove Albion, however, could leapfrog both Spurs and Arsenal if they win their third straight match of the season against West Ham United – the result was not available at press time.

Over at Old Trafford, Bruno Fernandes completed a 3-2 comeback victory for Manchester United from the penalty spot after the hosts conceded twice inside the opening five minutes against Nottingham Forest.

The home crowd were stunned after two minutes when Taiwo Awoniyi broke away from a United corner to put Forest ahead and in disbelief two minutes later, when an unmarked Willy Boly headed in a second from a free kick.

Christian Eriksen began the comeback after 17 minutes when he touched in Marcus Rashford’s cross but for all United’s pressure, Forest still packed a substantial threat.

Casemiro levelled from close range in the 52nd minute, and Forest were reduced to 10 men when Joe Worrall was red-carded for hauling down Fernandes and denying him a goalscoring opportunity.

In the 76th minute, Rashford went down in the area after contact from Danilo and Fernandes stepped up to beat American goalkeeper Matt Turner from the penalty spot and seal United’s second win of the season.

“It wasn’t the perfect start for us but we kept control, kept the ball and started doing the right things. They defended well with a lot of players, but we got the result and that’s the most important thing,” said Fernandes.

“We had time to change the situation (after going down 2-0), we kept calm. We started to keep the ball at the back and gain confidence and, after that, the game was always on our side. Overall, the performance was really good apart from those (first) four minutes.”

United have not had the easiest of starts, clinching a sloppy 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers and losing 2-0 to Tottenham last weekend, but the United captain also called for patience.

“We know what it means to be a Manchester United player. We know this shirt demands a lot and we are ready for that. The team showed great spirit, passion and desire. We just need to be aware that we can’t concede so early,” added Fernandes. REUTERS