In a tense Premier League clash on a dreary Sunday at Craven Cottage, Arsenal was held to a 1-1 draw by their London rivals Fulham. Raúl Jiménez opened the scoring for the hosts with a brilliant goal in the 11th minute, catching the title-chasing Gunners off guard. William Saliba equalized early in the second half, but Arsenal’s quest for a victory ended in disappointment as the match concluded on level terms.

The result sees Arsenal remain second in the league table with 29 points, just ahead of Chelsea, who were set to play against Tottenham later in the day. Meanwhile, Fulham sits comfortably in 10th place with 23 points, a significant improvement as they have only lost once in their last seven league matches.

Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard expressed his frustration after the match, stating, "We dominated most of the game... It's frustrating not to win." The first half showed Arsenal’s high possession rate, nearly 75%, but they struggled to convert it into goals against an exceptionally organized Fulham defense. Declan Rice came close to leveling the score after Jiménez’s opener but saw his volley narrowly miss the target.

The Gunners finally found the back of the net early in the second half when Saliba netted from close range, capitalizing on a headed pass from Kai Havertz during a corner kick. However, despite pushing for a winner late in the game, Arsenal’s hopes were dashed when Bukayo Saka’s close-range header was controversially ruled offside by the video assistant referee in the 88th minute.

Notably, Fulham has now gone nine consecutive matches unbeaten in London derbies - their best run in over two decades - highlighting the resilience of Marco Silva's side. Ødegaard acknowledged Fulham's strong defensive capabilities, asserting, "They're a good team and they know how to defend... We have to learn from that and make sure we strike back in the next one."

With the Premier League title battle heating up, Arsenal will need to regroup quickly. Their next fixture will be crucial as they aim to regain momentum in their pursuit of the league title while also keeping an eye on Chelsea's performance in the hope of maintaining their position on the leaderboard. Will Arsenal learn from this setback and bounce back stronger? Only time will tell!