Arsenal swat aside Fulham as Pierre-Emerick Aumbameyang strikes again
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Your support makes all the difference.Arsenal bounced back from its mauling by Liverpool by easing past Fulham 4-1 in the Premier League to move to within two points of the Champions League qualification positions on Tuesday.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wrapped up a routine victory in the 84th minute with his 14th goal of the campaign, leaving him the league's top scorer and giving him as many in 21 games as Alexandre Lacazette managed in leading Arsenal last season.
Lacazette was also on target at Emirates Stadium, scoring between strikes by Granit Xhaka and substitute Aaron Ramsey.
Fulham was well-beaten but briefly just 2-1 down when substitute Aboubakar Kamara tapped in from close range in the 69th. Kamara was dropped to the bench against Arsenal after disobeying manager Claudio Ranieri's orders by taking a penalty — which he subsequently missed — in a 1-0 win over Huddersfield on Saturday.
Arsenal was thrashed 5-1 by Liverpool on the same day in its heaviest loss since Unai Emery joined in the offseason. With the win over Fulham, fifth-placed Arsenal moved six points ahead of sixth-placed Manchester United, which plays Newcastle on Wednesday.
AP
Match preview
What time does it start?
Arsenal vs Fulham kicks off at 3pm (GMT)
Where can I watch it?
The match will not be shown live on TV or online in the UK.
Independent Sport will keep you up to date with the action via our live blog.
Player to watch…
Aleksandar Mitrovic: It would have been easier to name an Arsenal player but with the Gunners’ defence a clear weakness, they will need to be very wary of the danger Mitrovic brings. The Serbian striker saved his side on Saturday after slotting the ball under the keeper to win his side the three points. That was his first goal in seven games so he’ll be feeling confident travelling to Arsenal, making him even more of a threat.
Form guide…
- Arsenal: LDWLWD
- Fulham: WDDLLD
Odds…
- Arsenal to win: 33/100
- Fulham to win: 8/1
- Draw: 23/5
Prediction…
Arsenal 3-1 Fulham: Arsenal will be looking to please the fans after a very poor display against Liverpool and I feel they’ll come out firing. With the form Aubameyang is currently on, it’s going to be very difficult for the Fulham back line to keep him at bay.
39 minutes
Arsenal move the ball nicely down the left, with Alexandre Lacazette's run opening space for Alex Iwobi to stab in a similar cross to that from which Granit Xhaka opened the scoring.
This time PIerre-Emerick Aubameyang meets it with his head at the near post, and the striker should hit the target from there. His header skips wide of Sergio Rico's right-hand post.
42 minutes
Another lovely Arsenal move, with Alexandre Lacazette curling a chipped pass to Granit Xhaka, Xhaka returning the ball to the Frenchman with a deft header and Lacazette brushing aside Maxime Le Marchand, but Lacazette can't beat Sergio Rico.
Arsenal corner.
44 minutes
Granit Xhaka has had a strong first-half and thus it is concerning for Unai Emery that the Swiss midfielder will need treatment.
He'll soldier on until half-time at least, and rejoins proceedings soon after trudging off.
Fulham had the better of the first 25 minutes and Ryan Sessegnon missed two superb chances, but it is Arsenal who are ahead at half-time thanks to Granit Xhaka's volley.
That's Granit Xhaka's sixth Premier League goal, but he had never previously scored from inside the box in the competition.
Unconventional.
A half-time change and perhaps an alteration in formation for Arsenal. Shkodran Mustafi fails to make the 90 minutes again, and Lucas Torreira is beckoned for in his place.
For the time being, it seems Granit Xhaka has gone into the back three rather than Arsenal reverting to a four. The second half is underway.
46 minutes
Aleksandar Mitrovic manages to get his head to Ryan Sessegnon's corner after moving away from marker Sead Kolasinac, but his header bounces tamely into Bernd Leno's stomach and the German claims.
48 minutes
Alexandre Lacazette's flick allows Lucas Torreira to look forward to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but Aubameyang was in an offside position as the Uruguayan looked his way.
It is now a back-four for Arsenal, with Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Sead Kolasinac as the full-backs and Laurent Koscielny and Sokratis partnering at centre-half.
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