Arsenal took the lead in the Premier League title race between the Champions League semifinals against Atlético. The Gunners played with great enthusiasm in the first half against Fulham and, thanks largely to Gyökeres, were already leading 3-0 at halftime, which was also the final score.
Between the Champions League semifinals, Arsenal had the opportunity to put pressure on Manchester City in the tight title race. Mikel Arteta gave a few regulars a rest. Compared to the 1-1 draw at Atlético Madrid, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Saka, Eze, and Trossard started in place of Hincapie, Ödegaard, Zubimendi, Madueke, and Gabriel Martinelli.
One member of the new quintet immediately took center stage: Saka spun past Jimenez so skillfully that the latter fell to the ground, and then laid the ball off to goal-scorer Gyökeres (9th minute). Despite the early deficit, Fulham—who had made two changes (Robinson and Reed replaced Sessegnon and Berge following the 1-0 win over Aston Villa)—stuck to their tactics, initially limiting themselves to defending and waiting for counterattacks. But they didn’t get any, because the Gunners had a solid back line.
Moreover, the home side wanted to add to their lead immediately. After Gyökeres and Saka (both in the 27th minute) missed chances to make it 2-0, Calafiori headed the ball in virtually unmarked. However, the VAR intervened and disallowed the goal due to the defender’s offside position (29th minute).
But the 2-0 was only postponed: Gyökeres returned the favor to Saka for his assist and set up the winger for his powerful finish (40′). However, this wasn’t the final score before halftime; Gyökeres provided that: The striker beat Leno with a header (45’+4).
xG metric highlights Arsenal’s attacking intent
The xG metric (2.39) underscored just how dominant and eager the Gunners were. Only Chelsea against Bournemouth (2.77) and Man City against Leeds (2.67) recorded a higher first-half xG in the league.
Given their comfortable lead, the hosts took their foot off the gas after the restart without letting the Cottagers back into the game. As a result, the second half saw few chances. Only Gyökeres (57th), who was later substituted to a standing ovation (64th), and Calafiori missed out on an even bigger win (80th min).
With the 3-0 victory, the North Londoners extended their lead at the top of the table to six points, though closest pursuer ManCity still has two games in hand.
On Tuesday (9 p.m.), Arsenal will host Atlético Madrid for the second leg of the Champions League semifinals. Fulham’s next match is not until Saturday (4 p.m.), when they face Bournemouth at home.
