Relentless Arsenal send warning to Manchester City and Atlético Madrid with dominant Fulham win

Arsenal did their utmost to silence their doubters as they produced a dominant performance to completely overrun Fulham at the Emirates, opening up a six-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League.

Pep Guardiola’s team can draw level with the league leaders by winning their two games in hand, but the nature of the Gunners’ victory will have them feeling good about themselves at a crucial point in the season.

Arsenal’s fast start sets the tone

Mikel Arteta’s team raced out of the traps and had the game won by halftime thanks to a commanding first-half display, the kind we have not seen in recent weeks. Viktor Gyökeres’ early tap-in settled the nerves and set the tone for a relentless attacking performance in the opening period, in which they completely swept Fulham aside.

After Riccardo Calafiori had a header correctly ruled out for offside, Bukayo Saka doubled Arsenal’s lead with a low strike from inside the box. Moments later, Gyökeres headed in his 21st goal of the season on the stroke of halftime, ensuring there would be no slip-ups from the league leaders.

Opta numbers underline dominance

According to sports analytics company Opta, Arsenal had a non-penalty xG of 2.39 in the opening half, the third-highest of any team in the Premier League this season, statistical proof of their offensive threat.

Arteta manages minutes for key duo

The Gunners’ commanding position at the end of the first half allowed Arteta to replace Saka at halftime and Declan Rice just after the hour mark, with one eye on Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal second leg against Atlético Madrid.

With captain Martin Odegaard a doubt due to the knee injury that forced him out against Fulham, Arteta will be desperate for the rest of his key players to be at 100 percent as Arsenal look to progress to a first Champions League final since 2006 after a 1-1 draw in Madrid.

Back in rhythm at the right time?

After a shaky patch in recent weeks, have the Gunners finally hit top form again at exactly the right moment?

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