Brilliant Arsenal brush aside Fulham

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Fulham 0 Arsenal 3

A scintillating first-half performance from Arsenal restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League against a feeble Fulham side.

Goals from Gabriel, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard put the Gunners 3-0 up at the break against a shell-shocked Whites side who sunk to their heaviest defeat since losing 4-1 to Newcastle in October.

Arsenal thought they had taken the lead midway through the first half when Bernd Leno parried Gabriel Martinelli’s cross into the retreating Antonee Robinson only for VAR to rule the Brazilian was narrowly offside.

However, two minutes later the Gunners did go in front when Gabriel rose above the Fulham defence to nod home Leandro Trossard’s corner.

The league leaders doubled their advantage with the very next attack when Martinelli finished off a fine move when he outjumped Robinson at the back post to head in Trossard’s pinpoint cross.

Trossard should have made it 3-0 before halftime when Thomas Partey’s pass cut through the Fulham defence but the Belgian fired wide from close range.

But on the stroke of half-time Odegaard extended the Gunners’ lead further after the struggling Robinson was again deceived by a Trossard cross with the Arsenal skipper burying a shot into the bottom corner.

Fulham did improve in the second half with Tosin hitting the bar with a header and Bobby Decordova-Reid forcing a diving save from Aaron Ramsdale.

But Mikel Arteta’s side looked a constant threat whenever the outstanding Odegaard was on the ball with only the outstretched leg of Kenny Tete denying Martinelli a second goal after another wonderful move orchestrated by the Norwegian.

Reece Nelson, Gabriel Jesus and Odegaard all went close to adding a fourth goal but Fulham held firm on what was a chastening afternoon for Marco Silva’s men.

Fulham: Leno, Tete, Tosin, Ream, Antonee Robinson; Lukic, Reed, Pereira (Wilson 76); De Cordova-Reid, Mitrovic, Solomon (James 76).
Subs not used: Rodak, Wickens, Wilson, James, Vinicius, Diop, Francois, Harris, Charlie Robinson.