In a thrilling London derby on Saturday, 10-man Fulham held a frustrated Arsenal to a 2-2 draw. Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah gave the Gunners a 2-1 lead after they had trailed earlier, but Joao Palhinha scored an equalizer late in the game to tie the score.
Here are five things to remember as Arteta is forced to start over after a lackluster performance.
Havertz is annoying.
In the first hour, Kai Havertz embodied the frustration of Arsenal. A few unnecessary offsides and the German’s apparent lack of speed thwarted good Arsenal chances.
Before setting up Odegaard for what would have been an equalizer, Havertz had gotten through Fulham’s defense. The summer transfer from Chelsea also squandered a great opportunity to score in the first half when he slid in and deflected the ball well wide of the net.
Earlier in the summer, Arteta put in a lot of effort to obtain Havertz’s signature. However, it appears the 24-year-old will need a lot of time before supporters can enjoy the benefits of the deal. Havertz’s tenure at the Emirates Stadium hasn’t exactly been stellar, and many are already doubting Arteta’s decision to spend big on him.
Arteta picks the wrong team – but the subs impress
When Arteta selected a team without a known striker, eyebrows were aroused. Leandro Trossard, Saka, and Gabriel Martinelli were chosen as the auxiliary No 9s.
Trossard was removed after only playing through halftime. The former Brighton player was replaced by Eddie Nketiah, who has excelled in Arsenal’s first two Premier League games. Together with another substitute, Fabio Vieira, they helped their underachieving teammates.
With a more natural striker on the field, Arsenal immediately looked better, but they were still having trouble scoring. This worries Arteta.
Ramsdale is being pressed.
Aaron Ramsdale seemed impenetrable as Arsenal’s starting quarterback up until a few weeks ago. David Raya’s inclusion, however, has called that into question.
Ramsdale made a strange mistake that allowed Fulham to take the lead in the first minute. When Andreas Pereira took a shot from 40 yards away, the England goalkeeper was taken off guard and found it difficult to reposition his feet. Ramsdale was faced with a mountain to climb as what should have been a simple save descended into chaos.
Five stars struggle
Arsenal made extremely hard work of this game, caused largely by some underperforming stars. Ramsdale was poor for Fulham’s goal, while the likes of Martin Odegaard, Havertz, Martinelli and Trossard struggled.
Odegaard gave away possession on too many occasions – this was a rare below-par display from the Arsenal captain. And he was not helped by those around him.
Arteta given food for thought
Young midfielder Vieira has given Arteta plenty of thinking to do over the Portuguese ace’s Arsenal future. The playmaker has been starved of action since the turn of the year, starting just two Premier League fixtures.
However, it was his quick impact off the bench that propelled the Gunners back into this contest. His cunning allowed him to avoid Kenny Tete, whose reckless challenge resulted in a penalty for Arsenal. Saka calmly executed the penalty kick.
Vieira then assisted fellow substitute Nketiah in scoring a second Arsenal goal with a beautiful cross. The talented former Porto player hopes that his work has opened up additional doors for him.
Despite Nketiah forcing Fulham full debutant Calvin Bassey into a hasty second yellow card, that was not enough for Arsenal. Palhinha earned Fulham a point in the dying seconds of the contest.