Arsenal 1-1 Fulham: Player ratings as Gunners drop two important points at home | Premier League 2020-21
In a game where nothing went in Arsenal's favor, an extra-time equalizer from substitute Eddie Nketiah secured a point for the Gunners. Fulham's hunt for survival in the Premier League was once again shattered as their dream of staying in the division looks likely to be broken.
It was a game of two halves at the Emirates as both Arsenal and Fulham had their fair share of chances to alter the scoreline. Mikel Arteta's men started the game with high confidence as Fulham were unable to keep the front four of Gabriel Martinelli, Alex Lacazette, Emile Smith-Rowe and Bukayo Saka quiet. But the visitors gradually grew into the game and limited Arsenal to just 1 shot on target in the first half.
Pressure mounted on the home side to find a winner but against the run of play it was Fulham who found themselves on the lucky side. Gabriel Magalhaes committed a silly foul in the box to give Fulham a chance to convert from 12 yards, and Josh Maja stepped up to take the penalty. The former Sunderland striker beat Matt Ryan with ease and Fulham were leading Arsenal at the Emirates within the first hour.
To add insult to injury, the Gunners' most in-form player Lacazette left the pitch due to a hamstring injury just when his team needed him the most. However, his substitute Eddie Nketiah made sure he showed Arteta why he is still valuable to this Arsenal team. The 21-year-old scored a late equalizer to add misery to Fulham's hopes of staying in the Premier League.
On that note, let's take a look at the player ratings for Arsenal.
Matt Ryan - 8/10
The former Brighton goalkeeper was awarded a start as the Arsenal manager decided to give Bernd Leno a day off. While Ryan barely had a save to make, he was impactful in the other half of the pitch. The goalkeeper won the first header from Saka's corner in the dying minutes of the game, which eventually led to the goal scored by Nketiah.
Granit Xhaka - 7/10
The left-back role Granit Xhaka has been playing in recent weeks seems to suit him, as it was another decent performance from the Swiss international on the evening. The 28-year-old won 4 tackles, 100% of his aerial & ground duels and was influential in Arsenal's attacks down the left.
Gabriel Magalhaes - 5/10
While Gabriel was not as poor as some would claim, what was important was that his side dropped 2 points due to his mistake. The penalty was silly to give away and Arsenal were indeed quite lucky to get something out of this game.
Rob Holding - 7/10
A good outing for Rob Holding as he has seemingly won back his position in the Arsenal XI, largely due to David Luiz's injury. But it was an immaculate performance from the Englishman as he rarely put a foot wrong.
Hector Bellerin - 6/10
Hector Bellerin is one of the players who is very likely to depart Arsenal this summer and he once again showcased the reason why he is not good enough to play for the Gunners. An overlapping fullback with 0 accurate crosses is not the level Arsenal should be aiming for.
Mohamed Elneny - 6/10
The Egyptian midfielder has enjoyed a good spell under Arteta but today was not his day. Elneny was getting overrun by the likes of Anguissa as he struggled to get the better of Fulham's midfield.
Dani Ceballos - 8/10
The Real Madrid loanee was once again one of Arsenal's better players. Unlucky not to see his goal given, Ceballos was a constant threat down the left flank and center as he got in between Fulham's defensive lines consistently.
Gabriel Martinelli - 6/10
After an impressive display away at Sheffield, Martinelli was given another start to keep his form up. But to his and his manager's discontent, Martinelli had a below-average performance, failing to beat Ola Aina and creating many goalscoring chances.
Emile Smith-Rowe - 7/10
Arsenal have been heavily reliant on Smith-Rowe but despite his best attempts, Fulham managed to get a point off the Gunners. Smith-Rowe completed the 90 with two key passes to his name.
Bukayo Saka - 8/10
Arguably Arsenal's player of the season, even Bukayo Saka was unable to find a winner for his side. The 19-year-old was a constant threat to Antonee Robinson, who did well to contain him in the second half.
Alexandre Lacazette - 6/10
Except for creating a big chance for Martinelli in the early minutes, Lacazette didn't seem to have an impact on the game before being subbed off for Nketiah.
Substitutes
Thomas Partey - 6/10
Partey was brought on in the 68th minute to add some energy in the middle of the park. Unluckily for Arsenal, Partey couldn't do much except keep the game ticking.
Nicolas Pepe - 5/10
The Ivorian had a brilliant chance to level the score from an inch-perfect cross from Martinelli, but Alphonse Areola pulled off an elite save from point-blank range to deny him. Pepe was non-existent during his spell except for that one instance.
Eddie Nketiah - 8/10
Eddie Nketiah secured a vital point for Arsenal as his awareness and positioning got him in the correct position to tap in the ball home from a deflected Dani Ceballos pass. An impactful cameo from England's young striker.