Gabriel’s redemption: Arsenal complete spirited comeback over Fulham

The Gunners were far from their best on the day and struggled to break down the visiting side’s compact defensive unit.

The scene was somewhat set on the 11th minute, when Gabriel rushed out of defence to contest a high ball with Mitrovic — nudging the striker in the back in an attempt to unbalance him. The Serbian did not move and got to the ball first. This would not be an easy afternoon for Arsenal.

Despite having much of the ball, clear cut chances were hard to come by. Neeskens Kebano and Antonee Robinson doubled up well on Bukayo Saka, giving him limited opportunity to hurt The Cottagers on the right flank.

When openings did appear, Arsenal were slow to take them. Saka and Odegaard both had opportunities to shoot in the same sequence of play just after the 20th minute, but both were hesitant. It was this that characterised much of Arsenal’s attacking play; intricate but lacking potency in the key moments.

When Saka eventually did find himself through on goal towards the end of the first half, he was denied by a sprawling save from former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

Coming out level at the break, the Arsenal supporters would have been hopeful for a fast start from their team. Instead, they got the opposite.

55 minutes had been played when the determined Mitrovic closed down Gabriel, dispossessing him in the Arsenal penalty area and dispatching calmly past Aaron Ramsdale. Despite his horrendous error, the Brazilian centre back was met with applause from the Emirates crowd — a situation akin to that of William Saliba after his own goal against Leicester.

As Arsenal desperately searched for an equaliser, it was skipper Martin Odegaard who stepped up to the plate to register his 3rd goal in 2 games; his deflected shot beating Leno at his near post after a deflection. Having faced some criticism for his performances in the first two games, the Norwegian is showing exactly why Mikel Arteta has placed so much faith in him.

Arsenal were buoyed, but Fulham weren’t without their moments. Ramsdale was required to save smartly from a Mitrovic header not long after the equaliser, and Ben White’s last ditch block denied Bobby Decordova-Reid on the follow up.

As the game drew to a close, Arsenal showed real grit and determination to take all 3 points. As Martinelli’s 85th minute corner swung into the Fulham box, Gabriel — so clearly at fault for the goal his side conceded — leapt highest and unsettled Leno, who spilled the ball at the Brazilian’s feet. He needed no further invitation to prod the ball home to complete quite the redemption at the Emirates.

While Arsenal were far from their best today, they put in a battling performance against a team who had, until this point, not lost a game in the Premier League this season. On Arteta’s 100th game as manager, his side have shown him they are ready to fight for the cause — and with a perfect start in the opening 4 games of this season, the supporters have plenty to be excited about.