FLICK EMERY BRINGS BACK THE FULGOOD FACTOR
“WE’VE GOT our Arsenal back,“sang the delirious Gooners at the Putney End of Craven Cottage, as their team tore a sorry Fulham apart.
Ironically though, this was a very Arsene Wenger-type performance from Arsenal – full of pace and skill and deadly counter-attacking. Unlike the disjointed final days of the Frenchman’s reign in charge at the end of last season.
But there was a venom, purpose and determination about this performance from Unai Emery’s Arsenal.
Alexandre Lacazette and PierreEmerick Aubameyang each grabbed two goals and Aaron Ramsey one just 39 seconds after coming on, to make it a remarkable nine wins on the bounce, that was missing from the latter days of the Wenger era.
In fact, only Wenger, Herbert Chapman and George Graham among the litany of great Gunners managers have secured a nine-game winning feat.
And coming after a 5,700 mile round trip to Azerbaijan for their Europa League visit to Qarabag on Thursday, this was some performance.
Apart from a small blip just before half-time, Arsenal were totally in control. And they left a chastened Fulham, who collapsed worryingly in the second half, having conceded 21 goals in their eight Premier League games and looking worryingly bereft of form and confidence.
Arsenal almost got off to the worst possible start, as
Hector Bellerin gave the ball away, and Luciano Vietto hit a deflected shot that forced a superb save from Bernd Leno.
But Arsenal were beginning to find space, and when
Alex Iwobi found Nacho Monreal overlapping, Tim Ream could not cut out his low cross, and Lacazette turned to shoot home.
Henrikh Mikhitaryan almost added a second, but Fulham were level a minute before the break.
Monreal gave the ball away, Vietto played in Andre Schurrle, and he clipped the ball over Leno.
Arsenal though were finding room galore down the flanks as Fulham pushed forward, and Lacazette pounced onto a loose ball, spun off the hapless Ream, and hit a right-foot shot home.
Arsenal were humming like a finely-tuned engine.
On came Ramsey, and soon scored from another fine move. The Welshman started it, Mikhitaryan sent another substitute Aubameyang racing away down the left, and when his low cross came in Ramsey flicked it cheekily in off far post. Fulham’s heads dropped, their defence run ragged by Arsenal’s movement and pace.
Bellerin picked the ball up in yards of space on the right, played in Aubameyang, and he turned Maxime Le Marchand easily to shoot into the corner.
The fifth came in the final minute, as Ramsey cleverly put Aubameyang clean through a yawning gap in the Fulham defence, and he raced away from Le Marchand to tuck his shot home.
It was a brutal and brilliant display of forward play and movement, and Fulham have the international break in which to lick their wounds.
Then they face Cardiff and Huddersfield in games they have to take something from.