On paper Arsenal may have ‘demolished’ Fulham but the 4-1 scoreline doesn’t do the bold Cottagers justice.
Ryan Sessegnon was particularly dangerous for the visitors, but the Gunners turned the screw in the second half.
Goals from Granit Xhaka, Alexandre Lacazette, substitute Aaron Ramsey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang added gloss, with Fulham’s lone strike coming from Aboubakar Kamara.
Sead Kolasinac, Alex Iwobi and Granit Xhaka also starred for Arsenal though much of the defence has had better days. We take a closer look at the Arsenal displays below.
Bernd Leno 6: The goalkeeper did not have much to do, with Fulham’s players missing sitters and doing his job for him.
Ainsley Maitland Niles 6: Played his role well in the first half, halting some of Fulham’s attacking transitions and providing in attack. Was not as involved in the second half and looked lost at times.
Laurent Koscielny 5: Had lapses in concentration and allowed Andre Schurrle trouble him in the first half. Showed signs that he needs time to get back to his best after the lengthy injury.
Sokratis 6: Looked shaky at times, but not the worst in culprit at the back.
Shkodran Mustafi 5: Defence was the weakest link for Arsenal in this game and Mustafi deserves a sizable chunk of the blame. Skied the ball in missing an easy chance, but played a key part in Arsenal’s fourth goal.
Sead Kolasinac 9: Sturdy in defence, productive in attack. One of Arsenal’s best players on the night, an took away an assist to show for it.
Granit Xhaka 7: Scored a goal, looked dangerous when he pushed into the final third. Had a couple of nervy moments in midfield, but a good game overall.
Matteo Guendouzi 7: Pressed well and channelled passes expertly. Didn’t allow Tom Cairney much time on the ball and helped Arsenal win the midfield battle.
Alex Iwobi 8: Main source of creativity, had a near-perfect game on the left-wing. Assisted Xhaka’s opener.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 6: Scored a goal but missed around 4-5 sitters in the process. One of which was a one-on-one with the keeper that was begging to be buried.
Alexandre Lacazette 8: Scored Arsenal’s insurance goal. Was great at linking up and provided a lot of options upfront.
Substitutes
Bukayo Saka N/A: Came on too late to be assessed.
Lucas Torreira 6: A quiet game by the Uruguayan’s standards. Lost the ball before the move which led to Fulham’s goal amidst claims that he was fouled.
Aaron Ramsey 7: The Juventus target was not as involved as he came on late. Curled one into the top corner, though.
