Arsenal 3-0 Fulham: Gyökeres and Saka send Arsenal six clear of Man City

Arsenal 3-0 Fulham: Gyökeres and Saka send Arsenal six clear of Man City

Arsenal go six points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League after a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Fulham at the Emirates.

The hosts took an early lead through Viktor Gyökeres after brilliant work down the right from Bukayo Saka before the same duo combined to give Arsenal a second as the Englishman found the bottom corner, with the Gunners taking full control of the contest.

Gyökeres headed home from a Leandro Trossard cross seconds before half-time to put the game to bed as Arsenal went six points clear of Manchester City.

As it happened

After a bright start to the game, Arsenal took the lead. Bukayo Saka did tremendously on the right to bamboozle Raúl Jiménez before firing a low cross across the six-yard box where Viktor Gyökeres was on hand to tap into an empty net as the Gunners got off to the dream start.

Arsenal remained in complete control of the contest and very nearly doubled their lead mid-way through the first half. Gabriel Magalhães and Bernd Leno competed for a cross into the box before the ball fell to the feet of Gyökeres, but his effort was well kept out by the German goalkeeper, before Saka fired the rebound just wide.

Just a minute later, Arsenal thought they had a second after Riccardo Calafiori headed home from a Leandro Trossard cross, but the Italian was well offside and the goal was disallowed after a quick VAR review.

Just as the clock struck 40 minutes, Arsenal did get their second. Coming from the same combination as the first, Gyökeres did well to get on the end of a ball in behind before holding the ball up and finding Saka who slotted home at Leno’s near post as Arsenal doubled their advantage before the break.

Just seconds before the break the Gunners got their third and it was their Swedish marksman again who got his second of the match. After nearly getting caught out at the back, Arsenal managed to slice through the Fulham press as Trossard carried it forward before picking out the head of Gyökeres who found the net for the 21st time this season with the home crowd giving the players a standing ovation as they left the pitch at half-time.

Fulham started the second half well, and Timothy Castagne had a header diverted away from goal by Calafiori. But it was Arsenal who again looked the more likely to score and very nearly did as Gyökeres, in search of a hattrick, found himself one-on-one with Leno, but again the former Arsenal keeper denied the Swede.

Calafiori came very close to getting his goal and Arsenal’s fourth, but his header came back off the bar after taking a touch off the head of Bernd Leno as the Gunners were unable to find a fourth to boost their goal difference.

The second half was far more lacklustre than the first, with Arsenal looking content to preserve energy and see out the game ahead of the huge Champions League Semi Final second leg against Atletico Madrid. Nothing highlighted this more than the decision to substitute Bukayo Saka at half-time, surely to protect him ahead of a huge end to the season for the Gunners, starting on Tuesday night.

Fulham just never got going in the game and it was clear that they were missing some key players going into this one. They still find themselves just three points behind Brentford in sixth, and will still believe that they can achieve something special and qualify for European football for the first time since 2012.