“Just like old times,” suggested a season ticket holder to his friend. Now, such talk is a bit premature. Although quite beautiful, this performance was for long periods ineffective. But what Arsenal have is a new resilience. Take Gabriel Magalhães. His charm on the edge of the area allowed Aleksandar Mitrovic to steal possession and put Fulham in front. But after Martin Ødegaard’s equaliser, Gabriel hit a winner to ensure Arsenal end the weekend at the top of the league. “The reaction of the stadium immediately gave support and belief,” Mikel Arteta said of the mistake. “Then the player has to show courage to continue playing. Mistakes are part of football. It’s all about how you react. “The way Gabby has changed his mentality, the way he approaches every day is different than a year or two ago. How consistent he is with his habits and how much he wants to be one of the best.” In the corresponding week last year – excluding international breaks – Arteta’s side also narrowly defeated the opposition. That result against Norwich arguably saved his job. Twelve months later, times are very different and he marked his 100th league game in charge with a 53rd win. “We have matured and playing in front of these fans helps,” Arteta said. “Then it’s about faith. now we have that conviction.” For the first time this season, Arteta was forced to tinker with his starters, with Thomas Partey and Oleksandr Zinchenko out. In came Mohamed Elneny and Kieran Tierney, with all eyes on whether Arsenal would maintain their start and fluency to the season. Initial results were mixed. For all Arsenal’s possession in the first half, of which there was plenty, they lacked clinical contact. Fulham soaked up the pressure and Bernd Leno, who endured a Jekyll-and-Hyde four seasons at the Emirates, only had to be smothered by Bukayo Saka, who had raced clear after being accidentally played in by Tim Ream. However, Leno may have felt slight palpitations when Gabriel Martinelli’s corner hit the post. At times Arsenal perhaps played too much. Take a clipped bullet from Ødegaard that few would have seen, let alone made, that sent Gabriel Jesus running down the right, for example. Jesus at first seemed to take a long time, but he found Shaka. Instead of striking the first time though, as the supporters were begging, Saka tried to be too neat and Tosin Adarabioyo’s finger prevented him from reaching the ‘two’ after his ‘one’ with Ødegaard. Martin Ødegaard scores Arsenal’s equaliser. Photo: Bradley Collyer/PA Granit Xha had earlier missed the target when he was fed by Jesus, and in the interval there was a tinge of frustration. Start your evenings with the Guardian’s view of the world of football Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Arsenal continued their territorial dominance after the break, with Ødegaard sniping Leno’s palms outside the area. Then they fell back. In the not too distant past, this could have been terminal. But not for this iteration of Arsenal. Instead, outside the box, Ødegaard wrong-footed Leno via a deflection from Adarabioyo. “Arsenal, Arsenal,” they roared. Eddie Nketiah injected from the bench as a winner was sought. Martinelli’s fierce curling strike was, but for Adarabioyo’s head, wide. Then, finally, persistence paid off. From a corner, Leno missed his punch and Gabriel had redemption from close range. The defeat was a bit harsh on Fulham, who, after being unceremoniously kicked out of the Carabao Cup in midweek by the bottom side of the Football League, had a more than passable knife at their top. A Championship cheat code, many felt Mitrovic was not cut out for life at the top. His 100th goal for the club made it four from four, already bettering his tally in Fulham’s last Premier League season. His strike was all the sweeter because he had been clipped earlier when Aaron Ramsdale’s clearance hit his head. Mitrovic bent down to wave to the goalie with the score, but Ramsdale denied him. Then, in the end, Ramsdale prevented substitute Nathaniel Chalobah from earning a point. “Tough, tough result for us,” said Marco Silva, who also hinted at a dietary imbalance, though nothing major. “Congratulations to my players, who deserved more from the game than we got.”
