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Arsenal and Fulham played out a 1-1 draw in the Premier League on Sunday. The two sides had met on the opening matchday in a game in which the Gunners had comfortably beaten the Cottagers 3-0 away from home. 31 matches later, Arsenal are vying for the top six whilst Fulham are seven points adrift of safety.
Mikel Arteta's side started the game brilliantly and created great goalscoring chances. However, as time passed, the visitors grew more confident and Josh Maja came closest to scoring for Fulham.
Arsenal did put the ball into the net twice in the first half but both the build-ups were ruled offside. During the second half, Craig Pawson and the video assistant referee awarded Fulham a penalty, which Maja converted.
The Cottagers continued to hold on to their lead as the home team struggled in the final third. Just when Scott Parker thought his side would be securing a vital victory, Eddie Nketiah netted the equaliser in the last minute of extra time to ensure that the clubs shared the spoils.
Here are five talking points from Arsenal's lacklustre performance against Fulham.
#5 Gabriel Martinelli shines for Arsenal
In the opening seven minutes of the game, Gabriel Martinelli had two chances to fire Arsenal in front - one went wide and the other was saved by Alphonse Areola.
Although the Brazilian youngster did not get onto the scoresheet today, he was a constant threat in Fulham's half and did well in the absence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
His pace on and off the ball created plenty of trouble for his opponents who struggled to keep up with him at times. When Arsenal play Everton next weekend, the 19-year-old should keep his position in the starting line-up.
#4 Fulham's survival hopes dealt a severe blow
When Maja converted his penalty in the 59th minute for Fulham, Parker must have thought that his team would be leaving the Emirates Stadium with all three points.
Unlike the mid-week match against Slavia Prague, Arsenal had not been at their best for most of this one. The club's top-scorer Alexandre Lacazette was substituted halfway through the game due to a suspected hamstring injury and things appeared to be going perfectly for the Cottagers.
However, with barely a minute left on the clock, Nketiah did the unexpected. He scored from a corner and there was insufficient time for Fulham to regain their lead.
Had Parker's side gotten all three points, they would have been just four points behind Burnley, who are 16th in the Premier League table standings, before their match against Manchester United.
Since Fulham still have to face Chelsea and the Red Devils in the coming weeks, their hopes of staying on in the Premier League are getting bleaker each week.
#3 Arsenal lose Alexandre Lacazette through injury
Just minutes after Arsenal made a double substitution, Lacazette pulled his hamstring and the Gunners were forced to make their third change.
His injury will be a big blow for Arteta, who is already missing the services of Aubameyang, Martin Odegaard, Kieran Tierney and David Luiz.
The manager said:
"We'll have the scan on Tuesday, see the extent of the injury and see the timeline to it. I don't know."
The French international has been in pretty good form in recent weeks, scoring four goals in the last two games and playing a crucial role in setting up Arsenal's semi-final clash against Villarreal in the Europa League.
Given Aubameyang's poor scoring form this campaign, the 29-year-old's absence will definitely affect Arsenal's top six and European ambitions.
#2 Arsenal must sort out their defensive pairing
Without a doubt, Rob Holding and Pablo Mari form Arsenal's best defensive pairing. The duo kept a clean sheet on Thursday when the Gunners played Slavia Prague at Eden Arena.
However, Arteta's decision to replace Mari with Gabriel Magalhaes against Fulham did not pay off. The Brazilian gave away a cheap penalty after catching Mario Lemina inside the Arsenal penalty box and it became a turning point in the match.
Of all the centre-backs in the squad, Gabriel seems most comfortable playing alongside his compatriot Luiz, who is currently nursing a knee injury. The partnership between Holding and Gabriel simply does not appear to be as effective.
Since the Englishman works best with Mari, Arteta ought to stick with playing the two of them at the heart of Arsenal's defence.
#1 Time for Eddie Nketiah and Folarin Balogun to step up
With Lacazette's injury, it's an opportune time for both Nketiah and Folarin Balogun to step up as Arsenal's main striker.
The former came on to grab a late equaliser for the Gunners and Mikel Arteta praised him after the game:
"He always offers his best. Today he scored a goal, he had another two important chances and he's always a threat in front of goal."
Meanwhile, Balogun, who is rumoured to have signed a contract extension with Arsenal, should also begin to get some playing opportunities for the first team in the coming weeks.
The 19-year-old has a total of 12 goals and four assists in 25 matches this season, with two of them coming in the Europa League. Lacazette's absence will be a great chancefor these two young strikers to prove themselves.
