Arsenal swat aside Fulham as Pierre-Emerick Aumbameyang strikes again
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Your support makes all the difference.Arsenal bounced back from its mauling by Liverpool by easing past Fulham 4-1 in the Premier League to move to within two points of the Champions League qualification positions on Tuesday.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wrapped up a routine victory in the 84th minute with his 14th goal of the campaign, leaving him the league's top scorer and giving him as many in 21 games as Alexandre Lacazette managed in leading Arsenal last season.
Lacazette was also on target at Emirates Stadium, scoring between strikes by Granit Xhaka and substitute Aaron Ramsey.
Fulham was well-beaten but briefly just 2-1 down when substitute Aboubakar Kamara tapped in from close range in the 69th. Kamara was dropped to the bench against Arsenal after disobeying manager Claudio Ranieri's orders by taking a penalty — which he subsequently missed — in a 1-0 win over Huddersfield on Saturday.
Arsenal was thrashed 5-1 by Liverpool on the same day in its heaviest loss since Unai Emery joined in the offseason. With the win over Fulham, fifth-placed Arsenal moved six points ahead of sixth-placed Manchester United, which plays Newcastle on Wednesday.
AP
Match preview
What time does it start?
Arsenal vs Fulham kicks off at 3pm (GMT)
Where can I watch it?
The match will not be shown live on TV or online in the UK.
Independent Sport will keep you up to date with the action via our live blog.
Player to watch…
Aleksandar Mitrovic: It would have been easier to name an Arsenal player but with the Gunners’ defence a clear weakness, they will need to be very wary of the danger Mitrovic brings. The Serbian striker saved his side on Saturday after slotting the ball under the keeper to win his side the three points. That was his first goal in seven games so he’ll be feeling confident travelling to Arsenal, making him even more of a threat.
Form guide…
- Arsenal: LDWLWD
- Fulham: WDDLLD
Odds…
- Arsenal to win: 33/100
- Fulham to win: 8/1
- Draw: 23/5
Prediction…
Arsenal 3-1 Fulham: Arsenal will be looking to please the fans after a very poor display against Liverpool and I feel they’ll come out firing. With the form Aubameyang is currently on, it’s going to be very difficult for the Fulham back line to keep him at bay.
Alexandre Lacazette kicks us off at the Emirates Stadium.
1 minute
Though, in essence, both sides are playing the same defensive formation, already Fulham have slipped into more of a five with wing-backs tucking in and sitting deep, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Sead Kolasinac are pushing on and leaving Arsenal with a three.
2 minutes
That's a great chance!
Fulham lose the ball in midfield and somehow have only two men back, and though Alexandre Lacazette is rather taken out the ball is moved to Alex Iwobi moving into the box on the left.
Iwobi carries the ball to the byline and squares, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang should do far better at the near post, hooking his half-volley over the bar with his left foot.
A let-off for Fulham early on.
3 minutes
Aubameyang is the man at the point of Arsenal's front three, with Alex Iwobi and Alexandre Lacazette flanking him.
Arsenal have an appeal in hope rather than expectation for handball turned down rightly by referee Graham Scott.
5 minutes
Laurent Koscielny looks for either Alexandre Lacazette or Alex Iwobi as both move to a similar area down the left, but Maxime Le Marchand and Tim Ream combine to snuff out that danger.
Staggeringly, Claudio Ranieri has never beaten Arsenal in the Premier League. Will that change today?
10 minutes
Sead Kolasinac moves forward for the first time in earnest, but Maxime Le Marchand is alive to challenge him and concede corner.
12 minutes
Fulham are trying to press high and are doing so with energy, though Arsenal are showing an ability to move the ball between the dark blue shirts, and Fulham need to be careful to leave enough men at the back to cover.
13 minutes
Maxime Le Marchand has started the game well and shows good speed to beat compatriot Alexandre Lacazette to a long ball into the right corner.
15 minutes
What a chance for Ryan Sessegnon!
It is a lovely move from Fulham from the back, sparked by a nice turn round the corner from Andre Schurrle.
The ball is fed through the open Arsenal defence by Tom Cairney and though Aleksandar Mitrovic is offside, Ryan Sessegnon is coming like a train behind him to latch on to the through pass.
Sessegnon is one-on-one with Bernd Leno and tries to pick the bottom corner, but gets his angles wrong and in the end tamely places his effort a few feet wide.
17 minutes
Granit Xhaka's odd backwards header nearly allows Aleksandar Mitrovic to nip in and win the ball, but it just evades the powerful striker.
Arsenal just a bit rattled at the moment. Unai Emery's side are giving the ball away with more regularity than he'd like.
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