The first song on his post-match playlist? Tequila, and before long Emirates was bouncing to the beat of an old classic. One they have arranged in honor of William Saliba. For perhaps the first time this season, however, the French defender had played in the shadow of his centre-back partner. This was a night that belonged to Gabriel Magalhaes. Finally for the right reasons, after curling home a late winner that maintains Arsenal’s 100% record and keeps Mikel Arteta top of the table. Arsenal defender Gabriel made up for a shock mistake to score the winner against Fulham Gabriel redeemed himself with a scrambled finish from close range in the 85th minute
MATCH DETAILS
Arsenal: Ramsdale, White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney (Ketia 61), Elneny, Xhaka, Saka Odegaard (Holding 90), Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus (Tomiyasu 89). Subs not used: Smith Rowe, Cedric, Vieira, Sambi Lokonga, Alencar, Turner. Book: White, Gabriel Jesus. Goals: Odegard 64, Gabriel 86. Fulham: Leno, Tete (Mbabu 79), Adarabioyo, Rehm (Stansfield 88), Antone Robinson, Reid, Joao Palhinia (Calomba 88), Reid, Andreas Pereira (Diop 79), Kebano (Kearney 69), Mitrovic. Rest not used: Rodak, Duffy, Francois, Harris. Booked: Joao Palhinha, Antonee Robinson, Reid. Goal: Mitrovic 56. This: 60,164 Foul: Jarred Gillett (Australia) For a while, though, it looked like his mistake would cost Arsenal both. Ten minutes into the second half, the Brazilian pulled his shirt over his face – as the shell swept that area – after Aleksandar Mitrovic picked his pocket and opened the door for Fulham to grab a remarkable win. It was comical stuff. From Bucayo Saka’s pass into his own box, to Gabriel’s clumsy foot and Mitrovic’s daylight robbery. Alas, the lead only lasted eight minutes before Martin Odegard’s deflected equalizer mounted a late siege in the Fulham goal. The visitors’ resistance was finally undone by the most rustic attack. With five minutes to play, a corner was sent towards the front post, where Bernd Leno – of this parish until recently – was surrounded. The goalkeeper tried to score it, failed, the ball fell to Gabriel, who was left with an open goal. And so the 100th Premier League match of Arteta’s tenure ended with a 53rd win. Many have not felt this important. No wonder this place was alive once again. From the dugout, Oleksandr Zinchenko was shakier than most – and supposedly injured. “I’m really happy with the performance, the attitude and the mentality,” Arteta said. “We made a mistake … it’s about how you respond to it and I’m very pleased. It’s no coincidence because Gabi has changed his mentality and the way he approaches every day is different than a year ago.’ Arteta added: “What’s more important in his life apart from his young daughter and his family (is) how consistent he is every day in his habits and how much he really wants to be one of the best.” Aleksandar Mitrovic fired Fulham ahead in the second half at the Emirates on Saturday Gabriel lost possession on the edge of the box to allow Mitrovic to fire the visitors in front However, let the post-mortem of this match show that there were two sides to it and to ignore Fulham would be to overlook a performance of grit, tenacity and tactical intelligence that Marco Silva felt was more deserving. And he’s probably right. Yes, they spent a lot of those 90 minutes without the ball, creating a few chances and converting enough to win something. But this simple plan almost worked. After this first defeat of the season, Fulham will accept a few near misses that proved costly. Andreas Pereira was free in the area when Neeskens Kebano tried to square the ball, only to kick it with his right foot and go down. Then at 1-1, Mitrovic’s powerful header was saved by Aaron Ramsdale before Ben White’s follow-up shot was saved. Fulham called for handball and a penalty, to no avail. Even at 2-1, they could have beaten something. But again Ramsdale fell to save from Nathaniel Chalobah. The goalkeeper stood tall when Arsenal needed him. Odegaard was also excellent and Eddie Nketiah made a real difference off the bench. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard equalized with a follow-up strike in the 64th minute Boss Mikel Arteta celebrates after Arsenal maintain 100% start to season This win was particularly satisfying because, for the first time all season, Arsenal faced real adversity. And for the first time, they were missing key players: both Zinchenko (knee) and Thomas Partey (thigh) were ruled out through injury. This, at least, offered a first chance for Kieran Tierney to remind fans why he was such a crucial part of this team before he stepped out of the shower towards the end of last season, mended his knee and began another injury-plagued spell. . Last night he returned to left back, a role that has probably changed since he left it. Zinchenko’s arrival ushered in a new era where full-backs must double as creative midfielders. It doesn’t appear to be Tierney’s bag, but he was there, pouring in and looking to run the game alongside Mohamed Elneny. Is it the best use of his persistence and energy? Probably not. Does he offer the same ruse as Zinchenko? On this evidence, definitely not. He departed after an hour as Arteta sent on Nketiah and Arsenal pushed for a winner. It took a while to come. When it was done, Gabriel knelt down and looked up at the sky. Around him they were singing about Saliba and the top position in the league. Follow Sportsmail’s live blog of the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Fulham.
