Fulham given another thrashing by Arsenal

 

Arsenal 4 Fulham 1

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Goals from Granit Xhaka, Alexandre Lacazette, Aaron Ramsey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang consigned Fulham to another heavy defeat.

The Premier League strugglers, thrashed 5-1 at home by Arsenal in October, pressed well in the opening stages and kept the Gunners at bay, aside from an early chance for Aubameyang, who should have done better when he fired over from close range in the first two minutes.

A slick passing move cut through Arsenal with ease on 15 minutes with Ryan Sessegnon through on goal, but he placed his effort wide before the teenager failed to make contact with a pinpoint André Schürrle cross with the goal at his mercy.

Xhaka then made them pay moments later with nobody picking up his run into the box, as the Swiss brought down a ball in from Alex Iwobi to poke home.

While the Whites had chances to equalise through Schürrle and Aleksandar Mitrović, they had goalkeeper Sergio Rico to thank for a string of fine saves from Xhaka and Lacazette in the first half.

But the Frenchman made no mistake shortly after the restart with tidy interplay between Iwobi, Aubameyang and Sead Kolašinac teeing him up to double Arsenal’s lead.

Subsititute Aboubakar Kamara gave Fulham hope midway through the second half, pulling one back by tapping in at the back post from Sessegnon.

But the hosts cut short Fulham’s revival and made sure of the victory with 10 minutes to go as Ramsey fired home a rebound and Aubameyang’s deflected shot looped in, leaving the Whites in nineteenth place at the start of the new year.