If they win, Arsenal will start 2024 as England’s league leaders. However, the Gunners lost to city rivals Fulham on New Year’s Day. In the pouring rain at Craven Cottage on the banks of the Thames, the Premier League’s number 13 won for the first time in three matches and made the score 2-1.
The defeat leaves Arsenal in fourth place, with rivals Tottenham Hotspur feeling the drop. Spurs defeated Bournemouth 3-1 and Justin Kluivert was substituted an hour later.
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta said after Thursday’s 0-2 defeat at home to West Ham United: “We won’t be champions if we don’t get better in the penalty area.” Still, Arteta remained positive because I saw good things too.
However, Arsenal, who spent most of the first half of the season at the top, showed no signs of improvement at Fulham. This is our second defeat in a row. The North Londoners have picked up just four points from their last five league games.
Sunday afternoon started well for Arsenal, though. Bukayo Saka was in the right place after goalkeeper Bernd Leno could not clear Gabriel Martinelli’s shot: 0-1.
However, Fulham soon showed that he could play football. Fifteen minutes later, Mexican striker Raúl Jimenez was at the end of perhaps the best attack of the game; He switched from Fulham’s right-back to left winger and eventually got in front of Jimenez’s feet. Unfortunately for the neutral crowd and Fulham fans, this did not result in a goal.
However, with the next chance, a soft counter attack, Jimenez sent the ball to the far post with a very sharp move: 1-1.
Arsenal hardly intervened and after an hour of play things got worse: Bobby De Cordova-Reid did not hesitate for long when he saw the ball fall at his feet during the challenge and signed in to make it 2-1.
Arteta’s team’s latest attack brought great excitement and celebration, but not many chances. Saka failed to hit the volley from about five meters away. The ball even flew into the sky over the stands.
Arsenal will have to lose sight of their leadership position for a while and look down in fear. Because Tottenham Hotspur, who defeated Bournemouth with goals from Pape Sarr, Heung-Min Son and Richarlison, is coming.
As well as being the only major tournament with matches scheduled on New Year’s Day, the Premier League is also the only major tournament with matches on New Year’s Day. Leaders Liverpool will host Newcastle United at 21.00.
Source: NOS
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
