Arsenal maintained their bid for the Premier League title with a 2-1 win over Fulham at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, their 32nd home match without defeat against the Cottagers. The victory momentarily cut the gap to leaders Liverpool, but the Gunners cannot afford more slip-ups if they are to mount a serious challenge for their first league title in more than two decades.
Arsenal started brightly, but they suffered an early blow when Gabriel Magalhães had to be substituted with what appeared to be a hamstring injury. The gloom was soon lifted though, as Bukayo Saka returned from injury to come off the bench to buoy the team.
Arsenal did finally score just before halftime, when Mikel Merino’s deflected shot hit the back of the net. The goal followed a perfectly timed pass from Ethan Nwaneri, and Fulham’s goalkeeper, Bernd Leno, had little chance of stopping it. Fulham did not have a shot on target in the first half, and Arsenal were in control for the distance.
Arsenal kept pressing in the second half, and Saka made an emphatic stamp on his return, headering them into a 2-0 lead on a Martinelli cross. Fulham did pull one back in stoppage time when Rodrigo Muniz found the back of the net, but it was too little, too late for the Cottagers as the Gunners took all three points.
At the same time, at the City Ground, Nottingham Forest scored its first top-flight double over Manchester United with a historic 1-0 win over the Red Devils. Anthony Elanga’s excellent solo goal, on a quick counterattack, was the decisive strike. United had their opportunities, Bruno Fernandes and Diogo Dalot leaving Forest’s backline rattled, but the home side held strong.
Matz Sels in goal was on top form too to deny the United attackers time and time again. United’s possessions and opportunities — including a late chance for Mason Mount — did not produce an equalizer. Forest kept their unbeaten home league run going for nine matches, while United’s suffering of back-to-back away losses to Forest — following on from their loss at this ground last season — for the first time since 1990 left them languishing in 13th in the league table.
