On August 26th, Mikael Arteta expressed his regret over Arsenal’s defensive weakness in the early stages of the game. This came after a thrilling 2-2 draw against Fulham in the Premier League clash, where the hosts quickly turned the game around with rapid goals, making them the freshest and quickest team to score on the counter.
Just 57 seconds after kick-off, Arsenal took the lead when Andreas Pereira delivered a clever back pass that outplayed the defenders and put the visitors ahead even before the fans could settle into their seats.
This goal made history in the Premier League, as it made Arsenal the first team to score within the first minute three times in a calendar year. Arteta shared with BBC, “We’ve been in this situation a thousand times in football. We put the ball in a dangerous area and it worked really well.”
“Right from the start, we dismantled a seemingly impossible goal. We dominated the game, created countless opportunities, and should have easily scored five, six, seven goals. When you’ve done the hardest job – beating a well-organized team – you have to defend your box from a corner.”
After failing to find the net in the first half in their search for a breakthrough, Arteta made changes in the second half, and he was delighted to see Fabio Vieira and Eddie Nketiah pull Arsenal back into the game.
Vieira secured a penalty for Bukayo Saka, leveling the score at 1-1, and before that, Nketiah provided the assist for a 2-1 lead. “Fabio was involved in everything we built and I’m really pleased with him. It’s great to see players who can create and generate opportunities with quality,” said Arteta. “Eddie, too. It’s my fault that Fabio didn’t play much, and today he told me the reason to play him more.”
However, Fulham managed to equalize late through Joao Palhinha from a corner, despite being down to 10 men. This frustrated Arteta as Arsenal dropped two points, failing to climb higher in the standings.
“We have to show another level of determination and desire – ‘on my dead body’. With 10 men, you can’t accept a defeat. It’s the only opportunity they have and you get punished. Yet you get two more chances and don’t score, that’s the story of the game,” he stated.
“For (us), we did enough to win the game comfortably for the capability to win the game easily, but we end up with one point,” Arteta concluded.
