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Arsenal were made to work a great lot by the inspired Fulham team under Ranieri but the quality of players finally delivered and the Gunners moved within two points to the top four. The Gunners somehow took a lead against the run of play in the 25th minute through Granit Xhaka.
Lacazette added the second right at the start of the second half, but Kamara who has been going through a tough time from the Fulham supporters scored soon after. Aaron Ramsey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang killed off the Fulham challenge with timely goals late into the second half.
Arsenal needed this win after their embarrassing defeat at the Anfield. Unai Emery’s men have been too soft off late and calls of same old Wenger team from supporters was growing large. Emirates was buzzing again and gave the team much-needed confidence after some poor results off late.
Here are the three reasons why Arsenal thumped Fulham.
#1 The Auba-Laca partnership
Whenever Aubameyang and Lacazette have played together they have created magic on the field. That was the case today too. Their understanding and the neat one-twos are a delight to watch.
The advantage here is that they both play in interchangeable positions and are not reluctant to move on the left wing when the other partner is taking up the striker’s role inside the penalty area.
The understanding was clearly visible in Lacazette’s goal and Unai would hope to name more starting 11 with both names in it. Emery’s big problem is the tight formation he plays which has little or no chance of fitting in two strikers, but then he has himself tweaked the formation quite a few times and can accommodate both the lethal strikers in the coming matches.
Aubameyang, though not at the same level as he was a week before showed glimpses of returning back to form after having just 13 touches in the Liverpool game.
#2 Faith in Iwobi pays off
Alex Iwobi was Arsenal’s only bright spot from the dark night at Anfield. His precise runs, crosses, and link up play with the strikers was seen against Fulham. Iwobi took up the no 10 role in the absence of Ozil and Mkhitaryan, but due to natural tendencies, he drifted towards the left side to use the space provided by Fulham.
Iwobi’s forte is the one on ones with defenders where most of the time he brings the ball forward into a dangerous area. There have been criticism about his final ball though in many past matches but that was not the case today as he delivered some great passes in dangerous areas.
Ramsey’s contract situation, Ozil’s inability to adjust to Emery’s game, and Mkhitaryan’s injury and inconsistency will give Iwobi lot of chances in the coming weeks. His development is important for a club like Arsenal as they lack the sending power like the bigger teams in top 4.
#3 Unai Emery’s timely substitutions
Ramsey and Torreira were the live wires on the field and played according to their manager’s plans. Torreira was brought in the first half as a replacement for Mustafi as Emery needed more control in the midfield and so he tweaked the formation into a back four. Torreira worked hard and intercepted a lot of balls in dangerous areas. He was also instrumental in initiating attacks from the deep midfield area.
Ramsey’s substitution in the 75th minute was actually the game changer as he scored a Ramsey-like goal when he pounced upon the initial effort of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang which hit the crossbar.
Emery, though not starting Ramsey in most of the matches, has used him well in second halves when Arsenal have needed the killer blow or an extra dimension in attack.
Ramsey’s contract situation was a shame and the supporters have failed to understand why he has been allowed to leave for free when his peak years are still ahead of him.
