Arsenal thrash Fulham 3-0 to go six points clear of Manchester City
Arsenal strengthened their Premier League title push with a commanding 3-0 win over Fulham, powered by Bukayo Saka and Viktor Gyokeres. The victory moved them six points ahead of Manchester City, who have two games in hand.
London: Arsenal went six points clear of Manchester City with a 3-0 win at home to Fulham.
Making his first start since March, Bukayo Saka teed up Viktor Gyokeres for the opening goal, with the duo trading roles when the winger made it 2-0 with a trademark near-post finish.
Gyokeres clinched his brace with a towering header on the stroke of half-time, and Arsenal were comfortable throughout the second period, almost adding a fourth when Riccardo Calafiori struck the crossbar.
The Gunners will now be keen observers when City go to Hill Dickinson Stadium, while Fulham remain 10th in the table, three points off the top six.
City, who has two games in hand, must win both, starting with a difficult trip to Everton on Monday, to keep the title race in its hands.
Arsenal were on the attack immediately as Leandro Trossard dragged an effort wide, and shortly after they took the lead in the ninth minute. Saka bamboozled Raul Jimenez and sent a low cross into the six-yard box towards Gyokeres, who tapped in.
The Gunners should have gone 2-0 up in the 27th minute, but Bernd Leno made a reflex save to thwart Gyokeres, and Saka skewed the follow-up wide.
Calafiori then saw a header disallowed for offside following a VAR review, but Arsenal did double their lead when Saka lashed inside Leno’s near post in the 40th minute, following some outstanding hold-up play from Gyokeres.
And it was effectively game over in first-half stoppage time, with the completely unmarked Gyokeres redirecting Trossard’s hanging cross past Leno.
Leno narrowed the angle well to deny Gyokeres his hat-trick early in the second half, and the Fulham goalkeeper later got a touch to Calafiori’s header to divert it onto the woodwork.
Fulham’s only shot on target came in the 72nd minute, when Timothy Castagne tested David Raya, and the only silver lining for the visitors was that they avoided further damage.
At the bottom, Tottenham can climb out of the relegation zone on Sunday if its wins away to Aston Villa after Brentford soared into top six and deepened West Ham United’s relegation fears with a 3-0 win at the Gtech Community Stadium.
