Arsenal moved back to within two points of fourth-placed Chelsea in the Premier League with a flattering 4-1 win over Fulham at the Emirates Stadium on New Year's Day.
The Gunners opened the scoring through Granit Xhaka's first-half strike and added a second before the hour via Alexandre Lacazette.
Aboubakar Kamara pulled one back for the visitors, but fellow substitute Aaron Ramsey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang killed off the contest late on.
Relive how the 90 minutes of action unfolded with Sports Mole's live text coverage below.
Hello and welcome to Sports Mole's live text coverage of the Premier League meeting between Arsenal and Fulham at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners have lost two and drawn one of their last three top-flight matches to fade out of the top-four picture, finding themselves five points adrift of Chelsea ahead of this first outing of 2019, while their opponents have enjoyed an upturn in form.
The visitors have avoided defeat in their last three matches and picked up a valuable 1-0 win over Huddersfield Town a few days ago to drag themselves to within a point of safety. The two sides are after a positive victory today for different reasons, then, though the Gunners are considered overwhelming favourites to kick off the new year with maximum points. Let us start by checking out some confirmed team news...
ARSENAL TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Leno; Sokratis, Koscielny, Mustafi; Maitland-Niles, Guendouzi, Xhaka, Kolasinac; Iwobi, Lacazette, Aubameyang
SUBS: Cech, Elneny, Ramsey, Torreira, Lichtsteiner, Nketiah, Saka
Starting with a look at the home team, Unai Emery is still without Mesut Ozil. The German playmaker missed out on inclusion against Liverpool at the weekend because of a knee injury sustained in training, and that problem has once again ruled him out of the 18-man squad today. Ozil has struggled to hold down a place in the side over the past month, with his most recent appearance seeing him withdrawn midway through the draw with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Ozil's prolonged absence aside, the big news is that Alexandre Lacazette is drafted back into the starting lineup alongside the division's joint-leading goalscorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The two men have worked well together in tandem this season, though Emery has been reluctant to use them together form the off. With Laurent Koscielny and Matteo Guendouzi also returning, it appears as though the Gunners will use a three-man backline.
Stephan Lichtsteiner drops down to the bench and Nacho Monreal misses out entirely due to a tight hamstring, joining long-term absentees Rob Holding, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Danny Welbeck on the sidelines. Koscielny, who is still not 100% fit after an eight-month spell out injured, will join Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi in the backline, with Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles operating in the wing-back positions.
FULHAM TEAM NEWS!
STARTING XI: Rico; Odoi, Le Marchand, Ream; Christie, Cairney, Cisse, Bryan; Schurrle, Mitrovic, Sessegnon
SUBS: Bettinelli, Johansen, Ayite, Vietto, Fosu-Mensah, Seri, Kamara
Fulham are expected to line up in an identical system to Arsenal, with Claudio Ranieri enjoying some success since switching to a three-man backline. After conceding 42 goals in their first 17 games, it is just one goal against in their last three. Alfie Mawson drops out of the backline after sustaining a potential season-ending injury in the win over Huddersfield Town, while Calum Chambers is also absent against his parent club.
Maxime Le Marchand is recalled alongside Denis Odoi and Tim Ream in defence, and further forward there are starts for Ibrahima Cisse, Ryan Sessegnon and Andre Schurrle, taking over from Luciano Spalletti, Chambers and Aboubakar Kamara, who was accused of 'disrespecting the club' by boss Ranieri for taking a penalty instead of Aleksandar Mitrovic against Huddersfield at the weekend.
Mitrovic is undoubtedly the shining light in this struggling Fulham side, boasting eight goals in 20 Premier League matches this season after ending his six-match drought against Huddersfield. Schurrle and Sessegnon will be tasked with providing some attacking support from the wide areas, but there is still no sign of Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who has now missed the entire festive and New Year period with an ankle problem.
Mesut Ozil's absence from the Arsenal squad continued this afternoon, with the German playmaker missing out because of a knee injury sustained in training last week. Unai Emery makes three changes from the 5-1 loss to Liverpool, compared to four alterations for Fulham from their 1-0 win against Huddersfield Town on the same day.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS! Arsenal have never lost at home to Fulham in any competition in a run spanning 114 years, failing to win just five of those 28 matches. The Cottagers were thrashed 5-1 at craven Cottage in the reverse fixture three months ago during the Gunners' unbeaten run, but the West Londoners were triumphant in the only previous New Year's Day clash between the sides in 1966.
Arsenal's long-running 22-match unbeaten run is now a distant memory as they have lost two and drawn one of their last four Premier League matches since mid-December, as well as being dumped out of the EFL Cup at the hands of bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Four points from the last 12 on offer marks a bad return over the festive period, with Emery's side now finding themselves five points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.
Just as worrying is the fact that Manchester United are bang in form since swapping managers and are now three points adrift. The Gunners cannot afford any sort of slip-up from this afternoon's game, then, with Chelsea at Southampton on Wednesday evening and Man United in action against Newcastle United on the same night. Winning the title was never a realistic ambition for Arsenal; now they have their work cut out qualifying for the Champions League.
Arsenal's impressive unbeaten run, spanning four months, came to an end away to Southampton in December. The Gunners also dropped points away to Brighton & Hove Albion and were thrashed 5-1 by Liverpool last time out, meaning that what was shaping up to be one of their most positive campaigns in years is now looking like being a case of same old. The only shining light, if you can truly describe it as that, was a 3-1 win over strugglers Burnley here in their most recent home match.
The win over Burnley was Arsenal's third top-flight victory in a row on home soil, scoring eight times in that run and conceding three. Their only home loss in the Premier League since Emery took charge in the summer came on the opening day when falling to a 2-0 reverse at the hands of champions Manchester City, but they did suffer that cup defeat to Tottenham just before Christmas, which may not yet be out of their system.
The 5-1 loss to Liverpool was rather embarrassing for Arsenal, who had been tipped to the Reds one of their toughest assignments of the season. Instead, it turned out to be one of their easiest matches to date, as the Gunners shipped four first-half goals fr the fourth time in their Premier League history, two of those now coming in games against Liverpool. It also extended their record to no away win in 20 away matches against big-six opposition.
Liverpool away is not in the same category as Fulham at home, though, and Arsenal will be confident of rebuilding some momentum with a comfortable victory in front of their own supporters today. This is the start of three London derbies in a row in the Premier League, while three of their four top-flight matches this month are at the Emirates Stadium, with Chelsea and Cardiff also visiting this ground over the next four weeks.
The biggest concern for Emery at the midway stage of the season will be the number of goals his side have conceded, shipping 30 in all across their 20 league games - more than they ever shipped at the same point in Arsene Wenger's two decades at the helm. Their return of three clean sheets is pretty appalling, meanwhile - only today's opponents Fulham and, surprisingly, Man United have a worse record in that regard. After trying seven different centre-back partnerships, Emery will hope to soon stumble across the right one.
Arsenal have a good home record against sides towards the bottom of the table, going 28 matches - a run spanning over a decade - since last tasting defeat here against a team that started the day in he relegation zone. Of concern to Emery, though, will be the fact that his side are without a clean sheet in a Premier League London derby in their last 10 attempts. Having shipped 14 goals in December, the Gunners must focus on becoming far tougher to break down.
Arsenal conceded 14 Premier League goals in December - the most they have shipped in a single month since April 1979 when letting in 15. The Gunners have slipped off the top-four pace over the past couple of weeks and cannot afford any sort of slip-up today if they are to prevent Chelsea, the side immediately above them, from bursting clear.
Fulham picked up a much-needed 1-0 win over fellow strugglers Huddersfield in their most recent outing, lifting them above their opponents and to within a point of safety. Mitrovic netted a stoppage-time winner at Craven Cottage at the end of a game that saved its best till last, as Kamara took over penalty duties and missed from 12 yards, leading to some strong words from boss Ranieri.
That was only Fulham's second victory in eight league matches under Ranieri, who was brought in early in November as a replacement for Slavisa Jokanovic. The Cottagers had not really improved during the Italian's first six weeks or so at the helm, but they have looked far more stable at the back over their past few games and that has made a massive difference. One goal against in three matches is in stark contrast to 42 against in 17 matches.
DID YOU KNOW? Fulham have kept a joint-low two clean sheets this season, equal with Manchester United, and they have lost all five of their London derbies in 2018-19. If that return was not bad enough, boss Claudio Ranieri has failed to win any of his previous 10 Premier League matches with Arsenal, losing six of those as manager of Chelsea and Leicester City.
Both of Fulham's victories under Ranieri came at Craven Cottage. The West London side are the Prem's only winless side on their travels this term, collecting just two points from a possible 10 and scoring once in their last five - a penalty in their 4-1 defeat to Man United. Fulham followed up their defeat at Old Trafford with a home loss to West Ham United, but they have since gone three matches without losing.
Ranieri's men drew away to Newcastle, keeping the rarest of clean sheets in the process, and held Wolverhampton Wanderers at Craven Cottage prior to their 1-0 win against bottom-placed Huddersfield. Five points from nine is a positive return, especially considering three of those points came against the only side that have been worse than them this term, and now they have winnable games against Burnley and Brighton to come before January is over.
First, though, is this daunting trip to Arsenal - a fixture that Fulham have been notoriously poor in throughout their history. Ranieri will not have written off this game entirely, and that is also no doubt the case for the upcoming home match against Tottenham, but so much as a point from those two fixtures would be a big positive. The immediate priority will be taking points off Burnley and Brighton over the next few weeks.
With kickoff at the Emirates Stadium now a little over five minutes away, let us check out some pre-match thoughts from both camps.
Unai Emery: "We need to keep the balance in the middle, be serious and continue on Tuesday with a big match at the Emirates. We need to show our supporters there we are standing up after the result [against Liverpool]."
Claudio Ranieri: "Emery is working well and it will be another tough match for us. I've come across him before. Maybe I played against him when he was at Paris Saint-Germain. He's an intelligent and experienced coach."
Emery has called for better midfield balance from his side today, perhaps explaining the Spaniard's decision to effectively go with five across the centre, with Aubameyang and the returning Lacazette spearheading the side. Fulham have been stronger defensively over the past fortnight, keeping two clean sheets in their last three matches, but overall their record at the back is pretty shocking and the home side will fancy their chances of scoring a few today.
Both sets of players are now out on the field at the Emirates Stadium, with kickoff just a couple of minutes away. Arsenal can move to within two points of Chelsea with victory here, albeit having played a game more, while London rivals Fulham will climb out of the relegation zone with a shock victory in their opening fixture of 2019.
KICKOFF: Arsenal get us up and running in this London derby! The hosts make an explosive start, with Maitland-Niles bursting down the right but seeing his cross into the middle easily dealt with.
CHANCE! Arsenal really have come out all guns blazing! Xhaka slots in Iwobi and the wideman picks out Aubameyang, who directs the ball over the crossbar at the front post. By his standards, as the division's joint-leading scorer, that was a good opportunity.
As expected, Fulham are going with five across the back in an attempt to keep their opponents out. A 0-0 draw would be considered a very good result for the visitors, but they have another 85 minutes to see through before claiming that valuable point.
Already the tempo has dropped from Arsenal's perspective following a bright opening few minutes. Fulham are starting to settle, with the Gunners unable to get the ball into an advanced position since Aubameyang's early chance.
Fulham's wing-backs show some bravery by getting out of their own half, penning Arsenal back in the process. A free-kick is won, but the Gunners are able to deal with the danger. Another cross then comes into the area, which Leno is able to catch.
Fulham, despite getting plenty of bodies back behind the ball, as being exposed too easily at the moment. Kolasinac charges in a straight line and somehow gets past a few opposition men to win his side a corner kick.
Xhaka takes the corner but it curls out of play before one of his teammates can even attempt to get on the end of it. Talk about a waste! Arsenal are the side on top in the opening 13 minutes and they have already created one good chance.
Arsenal are looking very flat once again. Emery's men started bright and have been pretty dominant in terms of possession throughout, but they have not really put together an attacking move of any note over the past 10 minutes.
Already a few groans can be heard around the Emirates Stadium - the flat atmosphere matches the flat performance from the home players. Mitrovic is caught in the back by Maitland-Niles and Mustafi, leading to a short stoppage in play.
CHANCE! The best chance of the match so far falls Fulham's way, but Sessegnon cannot make the most of it. Schurrle slipped the ball through for the youngster to latch on to, but he could not get enough bend on the shot with just Leno to bear.
Arsenal have been incredibly sloppy over the past five minutes, leading to plenty of groans from the home section. The Gunners could easily have found themselves a goal down inside the opening quarter of the game - that was a big miss from Sessegnon.
It is just not happening for Arsenal. The Gunners are playing well below the levels we saw from them this time next month, with Rico yet to make a save of any note. At the other end of the field, Leno's distribution has been pretty poor.
CHANCE! Mitrovic is causing a few issues for Arsenal's three-man defence, but it is Sessegnon who has squandered two opportunities. A cross from the left landed at the youngster's feet, but he miscued his shot at the back post - yet another let-off for Arsenal.
GOAL! ARSENAL 1-0 FULHAM (GRANIT XHAKA)
A minute or so after Sessegnon missed a big chance at one end - his second of the afternoon - Xhaka edges Arsenal in front with a clinical finish at the other. The Swiss midfielder ghosted in front of Ream, controlled Iwobi's pass and finished past Rico in one movement.
It must be said that Arsenal's breakthrough goal came against the run of play - Fulham had created the game's two best chances before Xhaka's strike. Plenty of positives for Ranieri, but he will be wondering just how his side trail.
Xhaka now has as many goals in 20 league appearances this season as in his previous 70 in the competition. Fulham continue to attack, with Schurrle blasting one over the crossbar from a long way out.
Arsenal continue to look sloppy in possession. The Gunners may be ahead but if they continue to play in first gear the visitors could easily hit back and take a point from this match. There is still a long way to go in North London.
SAVE! Poor defending from Arsenal once again. Bryan lifts the ball towards the back post and Mitrovic, despite having three Arsenal men around him, gets his head to the ball first. The header is down the middle and Leno makes a comfortable save.
SAVE! Much better from Arsenal! Iwobi has been the hosts' best player out wide, causing yet more danger that leads to Kolasinac teeing up Xhaka for a shot on goal from close range, which Rico is equal to. Good stop from the Fulham keeper.
Arsenal are enjoying their best spell of the game, piling real pressure on their opponents. Sokratis gets a shot away which is blocked in front of goal by Le Marchand. All of a sudden the visitors are having to hold on.
Sokratis brings down Cairney to concede a free kick around 30 yards out. Schurrle steps over it and blasts the ball high over the crossbar for the second time today. The Cottagers' momentum has been lost over the last six or seven minutes.
CLOSE! Brilliant play from Arsenal, who are growing more and more into this first half with each passing minute. Iwobi exchanges passes with Lacazette and crosses the ball for Aubameyang to guide inches wide of the post via his head.
SAVE! This is superb play from Lacazette, who manages to get in behind down the left before firing a low shot on goal. Rico, who has already pulled off one good save since his side fell a goal behind, pulls off another to keep his side in the match.
Xhaka is down receiving some treatment to what appears to be his thigh. Emery has Torreira and Ramsey among his subs and may well have to use one of them for the start of the second half.
HALF TIME: ARSENAL 1-0 FULHAM
Arsenal go into the interval a goal to the good in a Premier League match for just the second time this season. The Gunners scored through Xhaka's close-range finish against the run of play, but they have been on top since then and could have added another couple of goals to their tally.
Fulham, without an away win of any sort in this fixture in their 114-year history, squandered a couple of glorious chances to open the scoring through Ryan Sessegnon. The youngster was played in behind Arsenal's makeshift back three but curled wide of the goal with just Bernd Leno to beat, before completely miscuing his shot when picked out unmarked at the back post soon after.
That second miss in particular would prove to be costly, as Arsenal edged in front less than two minutes later through a clinical finish - Granit Xhaka ghosting in front of Tim Ream and guiding Alex Iwobi's cross past Sergio Rico with a stabbed finish. Arsenal looked a lot brighter from that point on, with Rico keeping out Alexandre Lacazette and goalscorer Xhaka, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - who had earlier shot wide inside the first two minutes - guided a header wide shortly before half time.
Fulham, somewhat rejuvenated by a run of five points from their last three matches, were by no means out of the match at the midway point, though, as Aleksandar Mitrovic powered a head on target to send out a warning to the Gunners. Plenty to play for in the second half, then, with the Gunners aiming to build on their slender advantage.
BENCH WATCH!
ARSENAL SUBS: Cech, Elneny, Ramsey, Torreira, Lichtsteiner, Nketiah, Saka
FULHAM SUBS: Bettinelli, Johansen, Ayite, Vietto, Fosu-Mensah, Seri, Kamara
KICKOFF: Fulham, seeking a first-ever away win against Arsenal, get us back underway at the Emirates Stadium. There is news of a change as Torreira is on for Mustafi, possibly meaning a change in formation for the second half.
Cairney makes a good run to the byline and digs out a cross, which Koscielny had to deal with - and did. Arsenal are not quite sure what system they are going with - Xhaka may well be playing in the heart of a back three.
SAVE! Mitrovic's header from the corner is right at Leno. Arsenal are taking some time to readjust to this new system. There is a point there for the taking today if Fulham can take on of their chances.
Fulham are playing some nice football in the early stages of the second half. After a few passes inside their own half, a deep ball is nearly latched on to by Schurrle, but it has a little too much on it and goes out of play for a goal kick.
This is not too dissimilar to the Tottenham vs. Wolves match a few days ago. Arsenal are not really looking to add to their lead and are instead focusing more on keeping out the opposition. Can Fulham, like Wolves, pull off a big upset?
Real panic at the back for Arsenal as Mitrovic heads a deep delivery back across goal. Sokratis inadvertently diverted it on his own target, but Leno did well to not only keep it out but also keep hold of it. However, the offside flag went up.
GOAL! ARSENAL 2-0 FULHAM (ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE)
They may not have been at their best today, but Arsenal have played some really good football at times and are now well on course for all three points. Iwobi, Aubameyang and Kolasinac exchange passes and the latter squares the ball for Lacazette to calmly convert.
SAVE! Lacazette, having just scored his first league goal in a month, should have had a second. The Frenchman is played clean through but is kept out by the legs of Rico from the one-on-one position. Fulham have brought on Fosu-Mensah for Christie.
FULHAM SUBS! Ranieri brought on Fosu-Mensah a few minutes ago and he makes his second and third changes in quick succession. Seri and Kamara are on for Cisse and Schurrle for the remaining half an hour.
Fulham have offered nothing since falling two goals behind. The West London outfit have certainly had their chances today, but a failure to make the most of them has cost them a share of the spoils. It appears to be a case of damage limitation now.
Goals from Xhaka and Lacazette have Arsenal on course for their opening win of 2019. The scorer of Arsenal's second goal is down in the box after being caught - unintentionally - in the face by substitute Seri. A painful one for the Frenchman.
The tempo of the match has dropped considerably since Arsenal scored their second goal. Should Fulham find a way through we will have a game on our hands, but they do not look like scoring one on the basis of what we have seen in this second half.
GOAL! ARSENAL 2-1 FULHAM (ABOUBAKAR KAMARA)
Leno produces a good save to keep out another Mitrovic header, but from the next attacking wave Sessegnon plays the ball across the six-yard box and substitute Kamara has the simplest of finishes towards the back post. Game on!
Lacazette plays a smart ball in behind, but Rico - brilliant today - reads the danger and sweeps up before Aubameyang can get to it. Arsenal could do with a third goal to settle their nerves, having once again failed to keep a clean sheet.
A big 15 minutes or so ahead for Arsenal, then, with this game far from over. It looked like being the easiest of conclusions to the game following Lacazette's goal, but the tempo dropped and Fulham made the most of that.
ARSENAL SUB! The home fans make their displeasure known as Emery takes off Lacazette and brings on Ramsey. You can see the Spaniard's thinking - Ramsey's arrival will give the hosts some midfield balance, and Aubameyang can lead the line on his own through the middle.
YELLOW CARD! Twelve minutes to go in North London and Arsenal are still not over the line just yet. Fosu-Mensah, who has looked pretty poor since coming off the bench, is cautioned for his sloppy challenge.
GOAL! ARSENAL 3-1 FULHAM (AARON RAMSEY)
Some home supporters did not agree with his introduction a few minutes ago, but Ramsey has proved his worth once again by killing off the contest. Kolasinac gets down the left far too easy and picks out Aubameyang, whose shot comes back off the post. Ramsey is waiting to pounce on the loose ball, setting himself with his first touch and guiding it past Rico with his second.
SAVE! Rico makes another fine stop, this time to keep out Aubameyang who was played through. Arsenal, who have found their groove once again, bring on Saka for Iwobi out wide. Less than 10 minutes to go now.
GOAL! ARSENAL 4-1 FULHAM (PIERRE-EMERICK AUBAMEYANG)
Shocking defending from the visitors, as the Premier League's most lethal marksman is left all alone to drive the ball past Rico via a deflection off a Fulham player. That is 24 goals in 34 Premier League games for the in-form Gabonese striker - only Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has a better return in that time.
We are now into the final few minutes at the Emirates Stadium and Arsenal are cruising over the line. Fulham put up a real fight and the scoreline certainly flatters the Gunners, but the hosts do deserve the three points overall.
Sessegnon does well to nip in ahead of Maitland-Niles to prevent Arsenal from netting a fifth. The Gunners are looking good value to add to their scoring in the remaining four or five minutes of the match.
Guendouzi is down receiving some treatment, but the French midfielder looks as though he will be able to see through the remainder of the match. We are now into the final couple of minutes of the game.
FULL TIME: ARSENAL 4-1 FULHAM
Arsenal move back to within two points of fourth-placed Chelsea with a 4-1 win over Fulham. The scoreline was a little flattering from the Gunners' perspective, as they took the lead against the run of play - Sessegnon missing two big chances before Xhaka struck - and they were pegged back to 2-1 with a quarter of the game to play. In the end, though, Ramsey and Aubameyang killed off the game and the hosts are back to winning ways.
That concludes Sports Mole's live text coverage of events from the Emirates Stadium. An on-the-whistle report can be found by clicking here, and you can follow updates from Tottenham Hotspur's trip to Cardiff City right here. Thanks for joining!
