Football: Arteta praises Arsenal defence after win at Fulham
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Fulham's English midfielder Harrison Reed vying with Arsenal's Belgian midfielder Leandro Trossard.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – Arsenal’s attacking players picked apart Fulham’s lacklustre defence with ease in Sunday’s 3-0 win but it was their defensive performance that earned praise from manager Mikel Arteta.
Arsenal restored their five-point lead over Manchester City atop the Premier League with a comfortable victory at west London side Fulham, earning a clean sheet a few days after Arteta lamented some soft goals his side had conceded recently.
Arsenal also became the first top-flight team in English Football League history to win five consecutive away London derbies without conceding, racking up a combined score of 11-0.
“It’s that love for defending that 11 players have to be committed to for 96 minutes,” Arteta said. “It’s going to be crucial if we want to keep winning games.”
Three days ago, Arsenal had to fight back to earn a 2-2 draw with Sporting Lisbon in their Europa League last-16, first leg.
Sunday’s game was a total about-face, as goals by Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and captain Martin Odegaard sent the Gunners into the half-time break with a 3-0 lead. They nearly had four, as an Antonee Robinson own goal was ruled offside by the video assistant referee.
“Really happy,” Arteta said after the win at Craven Cottage.
“It’s a really tough place to come, (Fulham are) a really well-organised team and I think we dominated the game, we created lots of chances, we kept a clean sheet and we won the game in a convincing way. So I’m very happy.”
Leandro Trossard, signed in January, contributed three assists.
“He was really impressive,” Arteta said of the Belgian winger. “He had an injury three days ago which could have taken a week but he was really willing to come back.”
Former Tottenham Hotspur and England midfielder Jamie Redknapp, however, singled out Odegaard for praise, calling him the best midfielder in the Premier League.
He told Sky Sports: “Odegaard does this thing which all great players possess: it’s like time stands still when he has the ball.”
Former Premier League Golden Boot winner Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink added: “When he comes into a tight space, he finds the right solution and very calmly.”
In more good news for Arsenal, Gabriel Jesus came on in the 77th minute to a roar of applause from Arsenal fans, who had not seen the player on the pitch since a knee injury suffered at the World Cup in November.
“It’s a massive boost, he’s been out for a while now and we know what he’s going to give to the team again, and we’re all excited to have him back,” Odegaard said.
Meanwhile, Fulham, who are eighth, gave the leaders too much respect, manager Marco Silva told Sky Sports.
“We were flat and didn’t show any fire in the game. There was no intensity,” he added. “I don’t need to talk about their quality because it was more about ourselves...
“We showed too much respect and were flat in the first half.” REUTERS
