Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League table with a gritty 1-0 win over Fulham at Craven Cottage their fifth straight victory in all competitions as Mikel Arteta's men showed the kind of resilience needed in a title fight.
SoftFootball understands that the Gunners, coming off a confident 2-0 win over West Ham before the international break , knew nothing short of a win would take them back above Manchester City. Fulham, though, made life difficult early on, snapping into tackles and creating chances through Tom Cairney and Harry Wilson to test Arsenal's focus.
Arsenal thought they had struck first when Riccardo Calafiori rifled home a powerful effort, but it was chalked off for offside. The setback didn't dampen their energy, though Fulham continued to look dangerous, with Josh King forcing David Raya into a sharp save and Wilson firing narrowly wide. At the other end, Viktor Gyokeres and Bukayo Saka tried to make something happen, but Bernd Leno, facing his former club, stood firm.