3 standout players from disappointing draw with Fulham

A chaotic and unpredictable encounter ended in a draw at the Emirates as Fulham fought valiantly and equalised late on.

The weather contributed to a very scrappy game which was full of twists and turns but the result was bitterly disappointing given that Arsenal turned things around in the second half after they fell behind in the first minute.

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The first-half performance from the Gunners wasn’t the best and it was mostly substitutes who shined. There were poor performances from Kai Havertz and Thomas Partey, who looked shaky and off the pace. Leandro Trossard underwhelmed in that false 9 position and his touch was uncharacteristically awful.

Declan Rice had another quietly good game, always being where needed and putting in some great tackles. You want your #6 to be the most consistent player on the pitch and that’s what Rice has been so far. Saka also deserves praise for how he reacted to his mistake and how he buried his penalty.

3 standout players from disappointing draw with Fulham

There were some other good performances despite the result. Here are three players that stood out against Fulham.

1. Fabio Vieira

Without a doubt, his best performance in an Arsenal shirt. He came on in the 59th minute and Arsenal instantly looked like a different team, with Havertz’s indecision replaced by Vieira’s precision and sharpness.

Vieira managed to knock the ball past Fulham full-back Kenny Tete who then tripped him up to win the Gunners a penalty. Just a couple of minutes later, he swung in an incredible ball to Eddie Nketiah which fell at the striker’s feet. Eddie calmly buried it and the Emirates was rocking.

Anytime the Portuguese midfielder had the ball, he looked dangerous. The man is supposed to be a goal and assist machine, and in Saturday’s game, it’s clear why. He has a killer instinct and an efficiency that is extremely rare in football.

His performance will be very difficult for Mikel Arteta to ignore. He has a much better understanding with Gabriel Martinelli than Havertz and would light up that left side with the Brazilian. He must start next week against Manchester United.

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