ARSENAL made a roaring start to 2019 with an impressive team performance to beat struggling Fulham 4-1.

It was no walk in the park for Unai Emery’s side though and their lead looked precarious at times as they clung on to the one goal cushion established midway through the first half by Granit Xhaka.

The midfielder’s opener came against the run of play with the visitors spurning two great chances. Both fell to Ryan Sessegnon who was unlucky not to score either of them. The young winger otherwise gave another sterling account of his suitability for Gareth Southgate’s England team.

Xhaka seized his team’s first opportunity to take the lead after drifting forward and finding himself unmarked in the box and poked it past Sergio Rico.

The midfielder had a good chance to double his tally soon after. Alex Iwobi received the ball in the box and played through Sead Kolasinac with a smart back-heel, who then gave it inside but the Swiss international was denied by a last-ditch block by Fulham centre back Tim Ream.

Iwobi was again at the heart of Arsenal’s creativity, finding space down the left and sending a menacing ball into Aubameyang at the near post but he couldn’t direct it goalwards.

The Gunners slowly but surely grew more into the game and bagged a second goal just before the hour mark.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s delicious reverse pass to Kolasinac allowed the full-back to pick out Alexandre Lacazette lurking in the middle and the Frenchman made no hesitation in rifling it home.

Arsenal’s defenders have copped more than their fair share of flack in recent weeks for a series of shoddy performances strewn with errors leading directly to goals.

At the other end they have been quite the opposite though as Kolasinac proved today by servicing his teammates with two assists, taking his total to four this season.

With 20 minutes left on the clock, Fulham were thrown a lifeline when Sessegnon’s low cross was met by substitute Aboubakar Kamara racing in at the far post.

Ten minutes later the hosts finally made the game safe thanks to substitute Aaron Ramsey. Kolasinac again played a decisive role in the build-up, finding Aubameyang in the middle who struck the post before the ball rebound to the fresh-legged Rasmsey, only on the field for five minutes, to slot it into the top corner.

The visitors had well and truly lost their way and Arsenal picked off their muddled back line. Sokratis Papastathopoulos picked out Aubameyang on the right of the penalty box and his shot deflected off Ream and looped over Rico into the net.

The win will be vital to boosting morale around the dressing room after bad results at Brighton and Liverpool.

Next in the Premier League is a vital game against Chelsea whom they are in direct competition for European football.