Title Race: Arsenal pull six points clear
by Kickoff Reporter · KickOffArsenal moved six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 victory over Fulham on Saturday evening.
Riccardo Calafiori, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Bukayo Saka, Leandro Trossard, and Eberechi Eze started were recalled to the Gunners starting line-up, while Antonee Robinson and Harrison Reed came in for the Cottagers.
Saka, who was handed the armband, proved influential ten minutes gone when he tossed and turned right of the area and cutback for Viktor Gyokeres to tap in from close-range for the opening goal.
The visiting team were keen to go back on level terms instantly following a promising free-kick by former Arsenal man Emile Smith Rowe, but nothing came of it.
Arsenal doubled the lead towards the half-hour mark when Calafiori rose high to nod in a cross from Declan Rice, but his header was brought back and disallowed for offside.
Saka came good again five minutes to halftime after he linked-up timeously with Gyokeres to run in on the shoulder of the area and fired into the bottom-corner, making it 2-0.
Gyokeres piled more misery on the visitors and completed a first-half brace when he popped up at the back-post to head in a teasing cross from Trossard.
The comfortable cushion didn’t prevent the league leaders to go to the bench, as Noni Madueke came on to fill in for the hard-running Saka ahead of Tuesday's UEFA Champions League clash against Atletico Madrid.
After an underwhelming opening, the Cottagers looked for a lifeline when a corner into the box found the head of Raul Jimenez but the Mexican failed to trouble David Raya.
Raya was called to action following a quiet spell and got down to his area to court a low and hard shot on the edge of the box by Timothy Castagne.
Arsenal regained momentum in the remaining ten minutes and threatened a fourth when a header by Calafiori from a corner hit the top of the woodwork. Nevertheless, the missed opportunity didn’t matter as the Gunners marched to victory and opened-up a six-point lead over Manchester City, who have two games in hand.