Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
Arsenal continued their unbeaten run with a professional performance at Craven Cottage, ripping Fulham to pieces in the second half to record a 5-1 victory.
Two goals for Alexandre Lacazette , two for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang off the bench and a magical team goal finished off by Aaron Ramsey marked an excellent afternoon for Unai Emery’s side, who move up to third in the Premier League .
The victory comes as Arsenal’s ninth in a row in all competitions, and sees them performing above expectations as Emery’s impact begins to show signs of bearing fruit.
For Fulham, who drew level just before half-time through Andre Schurrle, they have alarming problems to fix as they have the worst defensive record in the Premier League, having now conceded 21 goals in just eight games, and they sit one place above the relegation zone in 17th.
Show all 22 1 /22Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings <b>Fulham:</b> Marcus Bettinelli: 6 out of 10 He was disappointed not to get to Lacazette’s second but few keepers would have done. A great save from Hector Bellerin just prior. Could go nothing about Arsenal’s other goals.
REUTERS
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Denis Odoi: 6 out of 10 Covered well several times early on but faded as Arsenal blew Fulham away.
Getty Images
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Tim Ream: 5 out of 10 Not his best afternoon. Embarrassed a couple of times in the first half and then sacrificed early in the second half as Fulham moved away from the back three. Competed well in the air, as you would expect.
REUTERS
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Maxime Le Marchand: 7 out of 10 Three last-ditch interventions made Le Marchand Fulham’s clear defensive standout. Looked the most comfortable of the centre-halves in the back three
PA
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Cyrus Christie: 5 out of 10 Christie never looked comfortable at wing-back, being caught too far upfield too often in the first half.
AFP/Getty Images
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Andre-Frank Anguissa: 5 out of 10 Slow in possession, and it is telling that Anguissa was taken off in a straight swap with plenty of time still left for Fulham to get back in the game. Broke up play relatively well.
AP
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Jean Michael Seri: 6 out of 10 Promised much; delivered little. Neat and composed on the ball but Seri failed to make a telling contribution going forward. Loves a little clipped pass to the back post - tried several today: none came off.
REUTERS
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Ryan Sessegnon: 6 out of 10 Clearly a good talent and showed glimpses but failed to really impact the game. Moved to left-back before Fulham capitulated in the second half and a little exposed at a position he hasn’t really played this year.
REUTERS
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Luciano Vietto: 7 out of 10 Lively performance from Vietto, who notched his fourth assist of the season with a nice little ball for Schurrle.
AP
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Aleksandar Mitrovic: 5 out of 10 Too quiet throughout. Didn’t worry Arsenal’s defence and could have done better with a couple of chances.
REUTERS
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Andre Schurrle: 7 out of 10 The German took his goal really nicely, lifting the ball cleverly over Bernd Leno.
Getty Images
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings <b>Arsenal:</b> Bernd Leno: 6 out of 10 Relatively quiet. Impressed with his positioning and made a good early save.
REUTERS
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Hector Bellerin: 7 out of 10 Grew into the game and became a potent threat down the right. An assist for Aubameyang a highlight from a good performance from Arsenal’s right-back.
AFP/Getty Images
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Shkodran Mustafi: 6 out of 10 Partnered well with Holding. Didn’t allow himself to be bullied by Mitrovic.
REUTERS
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Rob Holding: 7 out of 10 Showed improved defensive positioning to prevent Fulham finding the final pass several times in the first half. Solid showing.
PA
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Nacho Monreal: 6 out of 10 An awful giveaway for Schurrle’s goal, but otherwise a good performance and an assist for the opener.
Getty Images
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Lucas Torreira: 8 out of 10 Quietly excellent. Used the ball superbly, made several crunching tackles and was positionally sound throughout.
REUTERS
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Granit Xhaka: 6 out of 10 Captained the side but gave the ball away poorly early on and looked out of position defensively at times. Grew into the game - Xhaka and Torreira’s burgeoning midfield partnership is far more balanced than any Arsenal have seen in recent years.
AFP/Getty Images
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 7 out of 10 Drifted in and out of the game in the first half but surged on strongly in the second half. Influential later on as Arsenal pulled away.
AFP/Getty Images
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Danny Welbeck: 6 out of 10 Quiet, and didn’t add much to Arsenal going forward. Iwobi and Mkhitaryan more effective.
AP
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Alex Iwobi: 8 out of 10 The standout Arsenal player in the first half, Iwobi looks a revitalised force in recent weeks. Lovely bits of skill to exploit Fulham’s vulnerabilities on the right. Another good performance from Iwobi.
Getty Images
Fulham vs Arsenal player ratings Alexandre Lacazette: 8 out of 10 Two excellent finishes and a lively all-round performance. One lone striker is perhaps the way forward for Unai Emery and Lacazette showed his credentials in strong fashion today.
Getty Images
So how did the players perform? Click the gallery above to see out player ratings.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies