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| Report: Fulham 2-2 Arsenal |
At the Emirates Stadium, Fulham with 10 men earned a 2-2 draw after we rallied from a goal down to take the lead.
The game was turned on its head when Andreas Pereira startled the home fans by scoring inside the opening minute. However, a comeback in the second half saw Bukayo Saka score from the penalty spot and Eddie Nketiah tuck home a Fabio Vieira cross two minutes later.
The Cottagers subsequently had Calvin Bassey sent off, but with only four minutes left, they still managed to respond through Joao Palhinha.
Identify Pereira
Things got off to the worst conceivable start when we went behind after only 57 seconds. Pereira seized on an errant pass from Saka, shocking Aaron Ramsdale with a first-time shot from 25 yards that saw the ball curl into the net via the near post.
After that loss, it took us some time to bounce back, and all Gabriel Martinelli could muster was a feeble shot before we almost fell down by two goals.
Raul Jimenez made an incredible attempt to hook the ball goalward with the ball bouncing within our arena; from a home perspective, it dropped on the right side of the post. Soon after, Harry Wilson fired wide as Fulham continued to cause issues.
following a storm
We gradually established our groove as the weather changed from a lovely summer day to a downpour, and the tourists soon found themselves under a lot of strain. Before Leno pushed a Martinelli drive around the near post and then the Brazilian blasted tamely at him again as our search for an equalizer persisted, Saka saw a downward header from close range clear the crossbar.
When Havertz appeared to have sprung the offside trap and set up Martin Odegaard to score into the bottom corner, we thought it had finally arrived. However, the offside flag properly put a stop to our celebrations. The skipper then tried his luck from further out, but Leno did well to catch as thunder and lightning greeted the halftime whistle.
Twice lightning strikes
Following Nketiah's introduction at halftime, Arteta altered his lineup by bringing in Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira. Bobby DeCordova-Reid then bent a shot just wide of the far post to start the second 45.
As we increased the pressure, we started to look much more scary in attack, with Odegaard twice twisting and spinning in his signature way to get shots off without giving Leno too much trouble.
And halfway through the second half, when we scored twice in a span of two minutes, Fulham finally gave in. Vieira was brought down by a sliding tackle by Kenny Tete after Martinelli tricked a pass through for him inside the area from 12 yards, tie. Unlike Monday night at Crystal Palace, Saka chose to take it, and despite a lengthy delay, he maintained his composure to annoy Leno.
Things improved shortly after when Vieira's inch-perfect center was tucked home by Nketiah after Odegaard won the ball back high up the pitch. The goal caused a shout from the Emirates Stadium fans that was louder than the thunder clapping in north London.
Palhinha equalizes for Fulham.
The visitors' efforts to retaliate were hampered on minute 84 when Bassey was sent for a second bookable offense after stopping Nketiah as we tried to counter, but they were still able to draw level again three minutes later.
The 10 men regrouped after winning a corner, and Harrison Reed's delivery found Palhinha in the open area. He struck the ball beyond Ramsdale's helpless dive to overcome the odds and tie the score.
Adama Traore raced through for a one-on-one with Ramsdale in the final nine minutes of stoppage time, but our shot-stopper stayed strong and blocked the attempt to prevent Fulham from earning their first-ever away victory at our cost.
Then in theIn the tense game's waning seconds, Leno had to tip over a powerful Vieira attempt from the edge of the box.
Facts and figures
With 24 victories and seven ties from 31 matches, we have never lost against Fulham at home in league play. This is a record for the most home meetings between two teams in English league history without a loss.
The longest streak of any team in the history of the tournament, we have not lost any of their last four Premier League games after giving up a goal in the first minute (W2 D2).
Fabio Vieira, who entered the game in the 56th, became the first replacement since Kelechi Iheanacho to win a penalty and assist on a goal in the Premier League Iheanacho will join Leicester in January 2020 as the first player from Arsenal.
Bukayo Saka has now played in every one of our previous 83 Premier League games, surpassing Paul Merson (1995–1997) to have the longest streak of any player for us in the league. The opening match of the streak was played in May 2021 against West Bromwich Albion.
Next steps
Before the transfer window closes on Friday, we will learn who our League Cup and Champions League opponents will be in the coming week. Then, on Sunday, September 3, we return to play as we host Manchester United at Emirates Stadium in our final game before the first international break of the year.
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