Steve Sidwell’s red card proved costly as Fulham were beaten at home by the midfielder’s former club. Here’s how we rated the players in their 1-0 defeat.
Mark Schwarzer: 7
The veteran keeper made his 500th Premier League appearance and made some good saves. His defence was entirely to blame for the goal.
Stanislav Manolev: 7
The on-loan Bulgarian started in place of the injured Sascha Riether and was excellent on the right-hand side, linking up well with Urby Emanuelson.
Brede Hangeland: 6
Dominant in the air and made sure striker Olivier Giroud had a quiet game. However, he did not look to deal with the Theo Walcott free-kick that led to the goal.
Philippe Senderos: 5
At fault for Arsenal’s winner. He allowed Per Mertesacker to steal in behind him into the six-yard box and head home unchallenged after Laurent Koscielny headed Walcott’s free-kick back across goal.
Kieran Richardson: 6
Replaced John Arne Riise at left-back and fared better against Walcott’s pace.
Urby Emanuelson: 8
The on-loan Milan midfielder had a superb game. It has taken him some time to settle into Fulham’s style but he was a constant threat.
Steve Sidwell: 5
The challenge on Mikel Arteta which landed him a straight red card was thoughtless and highly dangerous. He fully deserved his dismissal and the subsequent four-match ban for successive red cards.
Eyong Enoh: 7
Had an excellent first half, repeatedly getting the better of Arsenal’s midfield and protecting his own back four. He withered somewhat in the second period as he is still searching for match fitness.
Alex Kacaniklic: 6
The young Swede was recalled from his loan spell at Burnley on Thursday and went straight into the team in place of the injured Damien Duff. He looked bright in the first half but less effective in the second.
Bryan Ruiz: 6
Sidwell’s exit meant Ruiz was denied the freedom that can make him so effective behind Dimitar Berbatov. He was left with a job for his team behind the ball and he did it well.
Dimitar Berbatov: 7
Had a good game, linking up play with typical classy touches but had just a couple of shots on goal. He should perhaps have done better with an early opportunity that he hit straight at keeper Wojciech Szczesny.
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This post was last modified on 21/04/2013