Arsenal Triumphs 3-0 Over Fulham: Saka and Gyokeres Shine, Boosting Title Hopes with a Six-Point Lead Over Man City!

MIKEL ARTETA may end up being right all along and the final part of Arsenal’s title charge could be fun for Gunners fans.

It certainly will be if Arsenal continue to play like this.

Viktor Gyokeres fired Arsenal six points clear at the top of the table as he netted a brace against Fulham Credit: Reuters Bukayo Saka was also back among the goals for the Gunners at the Emirates Credit: Getty

The Emirates has been the most nervous place in the country in recent months, but there was a party atmosphere yesterday.

A first-half double from Viktor Gyokeres and one from Bukayo Saka created it, putting Arsenal in the rare position of being comfortable in a game.

Indeed, Arteta had the luxury of being able to take Saka off at half time and Declan Rice just after the hour mark.

Clearly, the Spaniard had one eye on Tuesday’s Champions League semi-final second leg at the Emirates against Atletico Madrid – and Arsenal go into that full of confidence.

This was a brilliant performance from the Gunners – the best they have played in months – and it has heaped pressure onto Manchester City in the title race.

Pep Guardiola’s side are now six points behind the Gunners and have the first of their two games in hand when they head to Everton tomorrow.

City travel there knowing that Arsenal are clearly up for the fight as they try to lift the Premier League for the first time in 22 years.

Everyone assumed Arteta’s side would crumble after they lost at the Etihad last month, but this win suggests otherwise.

After the 2-1 defeat to City, Arteta described this final push as a five-game series for the title and Arsenal are now two from two.

The Spaniard also urged his side to go for it and embrace the situation, echoing his words from January when he told fans to jump on “the fun boat” and promised “beautiful things” lie ahead.

Arsenal supporters will have been reluctant to believe that before, feeling more like this side was a sinking ship rather than one heading for glory.

But that has surely changed now as the Gunners scored more than one goal in a Prem game for the first time since the middle of March.

Suddenly Arteta’s side have momentum and must fancy their chances of crowning a great few days by finishing the job against Atletico on Tuesday night.

Arteta clearly had one eye on that game with his team for this clash as he made five changes – the most he has made for a Prem match this season.

Arteta was right to mix things up, though, and the freshness clearly helped.

Myles Lewis-Skelly, starting in midfield for the first time, set the tone by playing with purpose.

Saka, back in the starting XI for the first time since last month’s Carabao Cup final after an Achilles injury, was electric.

He transformed Arsenal’s forward line, and even without captain Martin Odegaard due to injury, the Gunners were threatening.

Saka was up against Antonee Robinson, who was one of two changes Fulham boss Marco Silva made following their win over Aston Villa last week.

That victory kept Fulham in the conversation to qualify for Europe and they came to the Emirates with plenty to play for.

Not that you would have known it.

Before this, Fulham had lost to Arsenal in 32 league trips across London – which is the most any side has faced another without defeat in English Football League history.

And this Fulham outfit never looked like ending that miserable run.

Silva’s side played like one that was on the beach, perhaps lulled in by the glorious sunshine they warmed up in.
But when the game began, the rain started falling and Fulham were a shower.

Within 10 minutes, the Gunners were ahead as Saka skipped past Raul Jimenez, leaving the Fulham striker on his backside.

The winger’s cross perfectly picked out Gyokeres, who had the easiest of finishes as he brought up 20 goals for the season.

It felt inevitable that a second would follow and Riccardo Calafiori thought he had it just before the half-hour mark, but VAR intervened and ruled the defender was offside from Leandro Trossard’s cross.

The decision briefly lifted Fulham, however not for long.

Arsenal got their second in the 40th minute as Gyokeres returned the favour, teeing up Saka to emphatically finish.

By that point, the Gunners were flying and Gyokeres helped himself to a second in injury time of the first half by heading home Trossard’s cross on the counter.

The question was whether the floodgates would open after the break, but Arsenal slipped into cruise control.

Saka came off at the break, and 15 minutes later Gyokeres and Rice followed.

Gyokeres should have had his hat-trick before then, however his effort was saved after Trossard put him through.

A fourth nearly came late on when Calafiori’s header from a corner hit the crossbar, but by that point the game was long dead.

Arsenal’s title charge is well and truly alive, though.