The beautiful game, the game that characterizes Arsenal Football Club continues to shine bright at the Emirates as the fans bore testimony to yet another competent display from Arsene Wenger’s side. After an insipid first half in which Arsenal had little to show for their limited endeavour, a burst of energy early in the second period enabled Arsenal to emerge victorious 2-0 on the back of two goals from Santi Cazorla.
A brisk paced first half saw Fulham boss Rene Meulensteen the happier of the two bosses, with the only moment of brilliance from the Gunners coming from a one-two involving Wilshere and Ozil, but the latter failed to finish things off for the opener. On the other hand, Fulham had their chances with Kacaniklic getting behind the defence, while a powerful shot from Steve Sidwell saw Szczesny make a good save to deny the Cottagers.
The second half saw more determination from the Gunners, who picked up the pace of their passing. However a brilliant move from Arsenal saw Cazorla grab the opportunity and drive a spectacular shot past a resilient Stekelenburg. Cazorla was the scorer again five minutes, when he drove a low shot past a helpless Dutch keeper, which effectively killed the game off.
Fulham threatened to add a consolation in the dying stages but had only themselves to blame after a very ordinary display, quite justifying their position in the Premier League table. Arsenal continue their winning ways and retain top spot, all the while crossing the half-century mark in the points tally.
Here’s a look at how the team performed:
Wojciech Szczesny: (7/10): The game saw the Pole being called upon to make several crucial decisions in order to deny the opponents and he took all of them correctly. Saved a good effort from Sidwell and came off his line twice to make very important interceptions for his team. Looked solid till the last 5 minutes when he made two half-errors, but escaped punishment.
Bacary Sagna: (7/10): The Frenchman was omnipresent along the right for the Gunners and showed his proficiency at delivering brilliant crosses, none of which was taken advantage of by his team-mates. Did well to quell Kacaniklic’s runs along his line and put in a very solid performance. Also bossed all the aerial duels in the match.
Per Mertesacker: (7/10): His lack of pace left him at a loss at times during the game which therefore let Darren Bent in during the closing stages of the game. However did well to hold his line at the back and make advantage of his physicality, making important interceptions and stopping the opponents in their tracks.
Laurent Koscielny: (8/10): Was rock solid at the back, commanding the back-line well and closing in on opponents to put the sting out of their attacks. Did not seem to make any mistake at all and was ever vigilant to prevent undue pressure on Szczesny.
Nacho Monreal: (8/10): Was a real treat for the eyes tonight as he not only shrugged off his previous poor defensive displays, but also forayed forward like a true wingback and helped support the Gunners’ attacks. Arguably played one of his best games of the season so far.
Mathieu Flamini: (7/10): Did a good job of covering the Gunners’ defence and helped in winning balls away from the opposition cleanly.
Jack Wilshere: (8/10): Continued his good performance from the Villa game and looked extremely comfortable in his favoured position. Was a real threat to the Fulham defence with his intelligently crafted balls and superb distribution across the midfield.
Mesut Ozil: (6/10): Had a game to forget as he performed way below his standards. Did not seem to have the spark to break the persistent deadlock in the first-half. Looked even more lost in the second and his runs at the Fulham defence proved fruitless and was even guilty of plenty of miss-passes and losing possession too easily. Missed a glorious chance to score the opener and naturally looked dejected by his performances when he was subbed.
Santi Cazorla: (9/10): Was the live-wire in the team and constantly made threatening runs at the opposition defence. Showed incredible skills on the ball and scored two beautifully crafted goals, one with his right foot and the other with the left. Although still looked uncomfortable on the wings, his performance tonight surely was one worthy of a MOTM.
Serge Gnabry: (7/10): The young German looked lively on the ball and combined it with some tremendous skills to round off defenders, even forcing a brilliant save from Stekelenburg. Overall had a mixed day at office, but got some useful experience at the highest level.
Olivier Giroud: (7/10): Put in a good performance but failed to stamp his presence on the game completely. His physical presence troubled the Fulham defence but didn’t really do enough when he was on the ball. His shooting from distance was quite woeful too..
Subs:
Lukas Podolski: (7/10): Looked extremely happy to get off the bench and replace Gnabry. Came close to scoring moments after coming on only to see his shot blocked. Had a chance to score the 3rd when he shot powerfully aimed at the corner, only for Stekelenburg to get a touch on it and see it rattle off the crossbar. Overall had a lively game for the last 20 minutes or so on the pitch.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: (N/A): Made a cameo appearance in the dying stages after coming on for Mesut Ozil.
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