26 August was one of the matches of the 3rd round of the English Football Championship. Arsenal (London) and Fulham (England) met.
English Championship, 3rd round
Arsenal (London) - Fulham (England) - 2:2 (0:1)
Goals: B. Saka (70), E. Nketia (73) - Andreas Pereira (1), Joao Palinha (87).
Warnings: R. Jimenez (19), Calvin Bassey (51), Lukic (66), M. Rodak (75), M. Silva (75), Arteta (80), Calvin Bassey (83).
Arsenal and Fulham came together in a tense Premier League encounter at the Emirates Stadium recently. The score at half-time was 0-1 in Fulham's favour thanks to A. Pereira's goal in the 1st minute. This setback forced Arsenal to go into the break under pressure, but the Gunners came out for the second half with renewed vigour. Their determination bore fruit in the 70th minute when a penalty was awarded. B. Saka converted the penalty, levelling the score and giving Arsenal fans hope. The game continued to be a battle of attrition, with both teams striving for the winning goal. In the 73rd minute, the Emirates Stadium erupted in cheers when E. Nketiah found the back of the net and Arsenal took a 2-1 lead. But Fulham did not give up. J. Palhinha, who came off the bench, scored a late goal in the 87th minute, leaving Fulham stunned. The match ended that way in a 2-2 draw, with neither team able to find a winner in the remaining minutes. Several cards throughout the game added to the drama on the pitch. In the 19th minute, R. Jimenez received a yellow card for Fulham, and in the 51st minute, K. Bassi received a yellow card for Fulham. In the 66th minute S. Lukic joined his team-mate.
Arsenal were warned by M. Arteta and M. Silva on the 80th and 75th minutes respectively. At the end of the game, the situation for Fulham began to deteriorate when Bassi received a second yellow card in the 83rd minute and was sent off. As a result, Fulham were left with ten men for the rest of the match. Both teams made several substitutions in an attempt to change the course of the game. At the start of the second half, Arsenal introduced L. Trossard and T. Partey, followed by K. Havertz and M. Odegaard. Fulham responded with their own substitutions: A. Pereira replaced T. Cairney, while H. Wilson and S. Lukic were replaced by A. Traore and H. Reid respectively. In the final minutes of the game, Fulham made two more substitutions: H. Reid and T. Adarabioyo replaced H. Wilson and J. Palhin respectively. Wilson and J. Palhinha. Arsenal also brought on D. Rice and Gabriel Jesus to snatch victory in the final minutes. Overall, the match between Arsenal and Fulham showed the spirit and determination of both teams. The 2-2 draw was a fair reflection of the intensity and quality of the game. The fans at the Emirates Stadium witnessed a thrilling game that will be remembered for goals, cards and the red card that turned the tide in Arsenal's favour.
The next round of matches await the rivals: Arsenal vs Man United, Man City vs Fulham.
| Arsenal | Fulham | |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Kicks to the goal | 3 |
| 16 | Kicks | 9 |
| 3 | Blocked shots | 2 |
| 13 | Penalty kicks | 7 |
| 3 | Kicks from outside the penalty area | 2 |
| 6 | Offences | 5 |
| 6 | Corner | 3 |
| 4 | Offsides | 1 |
| 71% | Ball possession | 29% |
| 0 | Yellow cards | 5 |
| 0 | Red cards | 1 |
| 1 | Keeper saves | 6 |
| 670 | Total assists | 267 |
| 605 | Accurate assists | 192 |
| 90% | Transmission accuracy | 72% |