Arsenal came into the match against Fulham hoping to extend its’ winning steak to three wins from three games to start off the season. After dispatching Nottingham Forest 2-1 and Crystal Palace 1-0 (and seeing out the game with 10 men following Takehiro Tomiyasu’s red card just over an hour in), the North Londoner’s hadn’t made it easy on themselves, but were able to grind out results when it mattered. Unfortunately, the trend did not continue against London rivals Fulham as the game ended in a 2-2 draw at Emirates Stadium.

Following Jurrien Timber’s injury in the first game of the season, Mikel Arteta decided to adjust the back line to include Thomas Partey at right back and allow him to rotate into midfield during the attack. This strategy fell flat in the first minute of the game following a swapping of positions between Partey and Ben White. Partey found himself in the right center back position, with White going to his familiar right back role out wide. Partey then rotated into midfield, which left a sizable defensive gap in between White and William Saliba in the middle of the defensive line. Bukayo Saka went to pass backward to where Partey would’ve been before he moved up, which ended up being a pass to wide open grass. This allowed Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira to capitalize on the error, take a shot first time from quite a distance outside the box (30 yards or so), and score. Ramsdale, who was roaming outside of the box, was caught out by Saka’s error and had to attempt to run back to a more defensible position once he saw the danger. In tracking back, Ramsdale’s shoulders were turned away from his near post, and since that’s where the shot was shaped he was unable to turn and make a diving save.

Communication seemed to simply be lacking in this instance. It’s normal for the right or left back to invert into midfield under Arteta’s regime, and if Partey had been in the right back role it wouldn’t have been an issue. White would have presumable been in the exact spot the pass went to, and that would be that. However, since Partey took up the center back position, then decided to rotate into midfield, the chance of potential calamity increased. Then a pass that would typically be straight to a defender 9/10 times this time fell to no one but open air in the middle of the field with a straight path toward goal. I would lean toward Partey being to blame for this one since he was in the center back role and should’ve known not to advance up the field since White was so far out to the right. In the event something were to happen, there would be no chance White could close the gap quickly enough to deter any forward push by Fulham. In full transparency, this kind of swapping happened several times during the game with White and Partey, whether by design or ad hoc based on the fluid movements on the field, and fortunately this was the only major error to occur as a result.

Apart from the early goal, Arsenal did a solid job of neutralizing the Fulham attack and soaked up possession. With that said, the first half will be looked back on as one where Arsenal should’ve scored multiple goals, but were unable to convert big chances. Kai Havertz made a habit of posting up in the center forward position, but was again unable to finish a key chance early and later on hesitated on a cross that Eddie Nketiah would’ve been drooling over from the bench. Havertz’s first chance came inside 10 minutes, where he was the target of a pass from Saka inside the six yard box, but was unable to score. It was a chance that was made more difficult by a defender that was right on top of Havertz, but in the end he appeared to make first contact, and from three yards out the end result needed to be a goal.

Shortly after that miss, a golden chance was created from new signing Declan Rice stealing possession in Arsenal’s attacking third. After a few sharp passes, the ball came to Saka who sent a grounded cross across the box that begged for a crashing Arsenal forward to simply tap it in. Kai Havertz was unmarked in the vicinity of the penalty spot, but instead of continuing toward goal he stoped just outside the Fulham six yard box. Maybe he misread the intent of Saka, maybe it’s a lack of confidence that caused him to hesitate for a split second, but in that situation I can see Eddie Nketiah scoring nine times out of ten with his style of prowling the penalty spot area just waiting for that exact kind of pass.

Havertz wasn’t the only one to miss a key chance in the first half either. Gabriel Martinelli, who to be fair was an integral part of the Arsenal attack the entire first half, had two chances where he had an open shot, but was unable to put enough bend on it or shot it straight to former teammate and current Fulham keeper Bernt Leno.

Bukayo Saka had possibly the best chance of the first half. Around the 30 minute mark, Trossard lofted a cross to Saka who was driving toward goal. Martin Odegaard tried to head the ball in, but it was too high in the moment and he was unable to make contact. It instead came down in the perfect spot for Saka to head it in from ultra-close range, but he ended up heading it straight into the ground which caused it to bounce over the bar with no damage. To me, it was this moment that summed up the first half. Chance after chance came for Arsenal, and somehow the normally lethal finishers like Saka, Odegaard, and Martinelli were unable to convert.

As the second half began, a similar vein of form continued. Chances were created after threatening entrances into the attacking third, but either the final pass was lacking or the shot went straight at the keeper.

Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka were especially dangerous to open the half, both basically having their way in the attack but unable to make anything of the skillful play.

Another sloppy pass, this time from Havertz, gave Fulham its’ first real chance of the half but in the end the shot fell harmlessly wide of the net. Apart from a couple nervy moments around the box from the Fulham attack, the first 15 minutes or so of the second half were about as dominated by Arsenal as they could’ve possibly been.

A key moment of the game came at ~55 minutes when Arteta made a double substitution. Oleksandr Zinchenko was brought on for Partey, and Fabio Vieira was brought on in place of Havertz. Almost immediately, an injection of energy and pace was put into the Arsenal attack that made one move to the edge of their seat in anticipation. At first the shooting form was still lacking as Odegaard missed a couple more shots (one off target and one straight to the keeper), but there was a feeling that a goal would surely come soon enough.

The moment finally came at ~70 minutes. Fabio Vieira, a breath of fresh air since he came on, drove into the box and forced a late challenge from defender Tete, drawing a foul and penalty kick to the Gunners. Saka was the one to take it, and clinically converted with no threat from Leno.

Vieira was by no means done on the evening. Just minutes later, he would have a sublime minute long stretch of play that ended in his first official assist (second if you count the drawn foul that led to the penalty goal). First, Vieira played one of two immaculate passes to a running Saka from deep midfield. Due to heavy pressure from his defender and potentially the wet conditions, Saka was unable to bring it under control and it went to Leno harmlessly. Then, after he won back possession himself immediately following Leno’s throw in, Vieira was awarded the ball by Saka to advance down the left side. Vieira took one touch, and directed an inch-perfect cross that perfectly met the running Nketiah just inside the penalty spot, who finished the tailor-made chance lethally.

It is worth noting that in the second run of play leading to the goal, Fulham defender Bassey was on the ground unable to contribute his efforts on defense. This stemmed from the first pass Vieira played to Saka, and what appeared to be Saka holding Bassey’s arm against him as the two went to ground together on the wet surface. This resulted in Bassey’s arm being landed upon by Saka, fully extended, in a position that was stomach churning on the replay. Fortunately, Bassey wasn’t seriously injured and was able to finish the game, but it was a scary moment. Fulham was incensed by the ball not being taken out of play by Arsenal when it was known Bassey was injured, and the goal was met with outrage from manager Marco Silva and players alike.

At the time of watching, I was of two minds about it. If a player is down, I’ve seen in many Premier League games the ball be played out to allow medical attention to be given. However, at that moment Arsenal looked very dangerous in the attack and were in no mood to styme their own efforts due to a potential injury. Due to the injury not being head related, the referee had no obligation to stop the game either. I believe both teams had a reason for how they conducted themselves, and had it happened the opposite way I’m sure Arsenal would’ve reacted the same way Fulham did. However, in a situation where chance after chance had come Arsenal’s way only to see them slip away each time, I can’t blame the Gunners for taking advantage of the situation and being ruthless. Ruthlessness, after all, is needed in order to win at the highest level.

As the game moved to its’ conclusion, Arsenal ceded possession to Fulham and sank back into a defensive posture. Fulham, as a result, was able to probe the Arsenal defense at will for the remaining portion of the game in an attempt to bring the gam back level.

Arsenal were given a helping hand at ~82 minutes. Fulham defender Bassey fouled Nketiah as the Arsenal forward was attempting to go past into open field, resulting in the defenders second of yellow card of the game for denying a move toward goal, forcing Fulham to see out the remaining time with 10 men.

Then, at ~86 minutes, Fulham achieved its’ goal of bringing the score level via a corner kick. Gained through a poor pass by Zinchenko in the defensive third that was intercepted by Adama Traore, Arsenal were forced to close down and play the ball out at the back. On the corner, Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha was able to hover high in the box and crash down, unmarked, as the ball came in and score an uncontested shot into the far corner. Lack of movement in the defense was a key factor in the goal, but in the end it was a superb shot by the midfielder.

When a team is down to 10 men, the only real chance for them to score to me in through a set piece. Against Arsenal’s defense, Fulham had very few real chances throughout the game and even when Arsenal sank back in defense following the second goal, the opposition didn’t have much success. I get that protecting a lead is important, and Arteta likes to close out games where he has a lead in a very defensive posture, but once Fulham went down to 10 men it’s tough for me to understand taking the same approach as when a team is full strength. Arsenal had no trouble soaking up possession for the majority of the game, and instead of letting Fulham have their way with the ball I would’ve like to see more of a concerted effort to see the game out on your own terms rather than Fulham dictating the pace.

As it turned out, the last 15 minutes or so of the game following Fulham’s equalizer would be he most intense of the game. Each team had chances to take all three points, and each team would surely walk away at the end thinking they should have done just that.

Arsenal did their best to crank the heat up and score a winner and had multiple chances. Fabio Vieira, in his best performance in an Arsenal shirt to date, was a primary driver in each. He nearly snatched a stoppage time goal with an incredible, contorted scissor kick inside the box, but it was well saved by Leno and would’ve been ruled offside as Jesus played it to him from an offside position.

In a nearly devastating turn of events, Fulham then had the best chance of them all shortly after. A free kick was given to Fulham following what myself and commentary originally thought would be a free kick to Arsenal after Viera appeared to be pushed over. To make matters more confusing, the linesman who was closest to the foul pointed his flag indicating a foul by Fulham, but the head referee ruled against it. Hand ball was called as the referee didn’t believe it was a foul and Vieira had fallen on top of the ball in a way that saw his hand make contact with it in the process.

Fulham took the free kick immediately, and played the ball down the left to a breaking Adama Traore who only had William Saliba to beat. Saliba is a great defender, but against Traore who is one of the quickest players in the Premier League, he was eventually beaten. Saliba went to ground inside the box in a heart-in-mouth moment, but Traore didn’t try to draw a foul and instead tried to score on his own one on one against Ramsdale. Proving once more that he is one of the best in the Premier League, Ramsdale made a great reaction save to prevent Fulham from pulling ahead. This would prove to be the last chance Fulham would get.

Throughout stoppage time, Nketiah had a couple shots blocked, there were multiple threatening crosses sent in that were well defended by Fulham, Leno had to come out and punch away another, but nothing was able to go through. Then came the last 30 seconds of the game.

Fabio Vieira, again attempting to etch himself into Arsenal lore, carried the ball into the box following a Fulham clearance and curled a dangerous shot toward goal that Leno had to deal with. The ensuing corner from Saka was deflected to Fulham defender Diop, who’s clearance flick fell to the feet of Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior. Sadly, the ball arrived to Kiwior then deflected off of his legs quicker than he realized it was there. That would be Arsenal’s last chance, as the game ended after the following corner was cleared.

Overall, Arsenal played very well as a whole throughout the game. Missing from the performance was the finishing touch that is normally much more prevalent in this Arsenal team. There was also elements of loose defending that cost two goals in the end, and will be looked at harshly by Arteta and Co. as they analyze the film. Man of the match for me is easily Fabio Viera, who has had his fair share of turmoil since joining Arsenal but is quickly coming into his own by adding onto his excellent preseason with this performance. I’m looking forward to watching how he evolves this season as the Champions League and other domestic competitions begin and force rotation to happen more regularly.

Summing up the game, Arsenal had the lead against a 10 man side and were unable to see the game out. Regardless of how well the team responded to the opening goal and glaring error that caused it, this draw will feel like a defeat. Each game played this season to this point has been a struggle and has seen Arsenal get away with loose performances. This game was the same, but instead the men in red were unable to rescue victory. As the first international break looms following the next game against Manchester United, it will be important to get momentum back in hand to go into the break on a high.

United has had its’ own share of woes this season, but this game is one that is always competitive and always seems to bring an immense amount of drama. At the very least, it’s sure to be an entertaining spectacle for those that have no dog in the fight. For those of us that have a rooting interest, it’s sure to be quite the stressful affair.