Mikel Arteta encouraged as EPL leaders Arsenal end Fulham jinx
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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta reacts during the game.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hailed his side’s maturity, saying that the 1-0 win over Fulham
Leandro Trossard’s close-range finish following a corner in the 58th minute secured Arsenal’s fifth successive victory in all competitions.
The Gunners are three points clear of second-placed Manchester City in the title race, with champions Liverpool four points behind prior to their clash with Manchester United on Oct 19.
Arteta’s men took just one point in their away fixtures at Newcastle United and Fulham and at home to West Ham United last season.
This term, they have already recorded nine points from nine in those matches and their victory at Craven Cottage was a first in three visits to the west London club.
Arteta believes that those wins are a significant statement of intent as Arsenal – runners-up for the last three seasons – look to win the title for the first time since 2004.
“The recent history wasn’t in our favour and we wanted to change that, like we did against Newcastle and West Ham at home,” the Spaniard said.
“And this is another step to having that mindset and that ability to win these kind of matches against a really good opposition and a really difficult place to come.
“When the context is 0-0, and the game gets longer and longer, it becomes more difficult.
“But we showed a lot of maturity. We kept knocking on the door in various ways and in the end we found a way, with the set piece to do it, but we deserved it.”
Arsenal’s dead-ball deliveries proved decisive as Gabriel Magalhaes flicked on Bukayo Saka’s corner and Trossard converted from close range.
It was their seventh goal from a corner this season and their 63rd since the 2021-22 campaign, 16 more than the next-best team.
“It is quite clear we are quite good at it,” Saka said. “We have high standards for ourselves.”
Moments after helping Arsenal open accounts, the English winger looked to have earned a penalty when he was upended in the area by Fulham substitute Kevin.
Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot, but the VAR (video assistant referee) ruled that the Brazilian winger had touched the ball before taking out Saka.
Arteta, who was visibly frustrated on the touchline, said: “I was getting animated because it was taking so long.
“I asked Anthony why it was taking so long. It was nothing to do with the process, it was just that the screen wasn’t working.
“It probably wasn’t a penalty so they made the right decision in the end, and I was just animated because of the process.”
The only sour note for Arteta was Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres’ failure to find the net for a seventh consecutive game.
Signed from Sporting Lisbon in the close season, Gyokeres is struggling to make an impact in the Premier League after his prolific form for the Portuguese club.
“He was very close again today. We were all begging for him to score,” Arteta said.
“The work rate he puts in for the team is phenomenal. We try to give him support and the love, and it will come.”
In contrast, City striker Erling Haaland took his tally for club and country to 23 goals this season following a brace to help his team beat Everton 2-0.
But manager Pep Guardiola rued the misses from City’s support cast at home.
“Disappointed (Haaland) did not score four or five,” he joked.
“All jokes aside, really pleased, (but) we cannot rely on just him. We need other players. Wingers, attacking midfielders, they have to make a step up and score goals.”
The Spaniard pointed to missed chances from Savinho, Jeremy Doku and Tijjani Reijnders as examples of opportunities that must be converted.
Haaland is the league’s leading scorer with 11 goals in eight games. Only three times has a player scored 10-plus goals in the first eight games of a Premier League season, and it was the Norwegian in 2022-23, 2024-25 and this season.
AFP, REUTERS
