Gyokeres nets brace as Arsenal ease past Fulham

Gyokeres nets brace as Arsenal ease past Fulham

Arsenal produced a controlled and confident performance at the Emirates to beat Fulham 3-0, strengthening their position at the top of the Premier League and edging further ahead in a tight title race.

The Gunners wasted no time asserting themselves, taking the lead inside nine minutes. Bukayo Saka glided past Raúl Jiménez down the right and drilled a low ball across the face of goal, where Viktor Gyökeres was on hand to finish from close range. It set the tone for a dominant first half from Mikel Arteta’s side, who barely allowed Fulham a foothold.

Bernd Leno was kept busy as Arsenal pushed for a second, producing a sharp save to deny Gabriel Magalhães before reacting quickly to stop Gyökeres after Saka had fired the rebound wide. The pressure eventually told again just before the break, as Saka turned finisher this time, collecting Gyökeres’ pass and drilling a low effort past Leno at his near post in the 40th minute.

Arsenal weren’t done there either, adding a third before half-time. Leandro Trossard delivered from the left and Gyökeres stretched to guide a header beyond Leno, capping a near-perfect opening 45 minutes.

The second half was more about game management. Arteta used the opportunity to rotate, with Saka and Gyökeres among those withdrawn ahead of a busy schedule. Fulham did improve slightly after the break, with Timothy Castagne and Raúl Jiménez both having efforts, but was rarely seriously tested.