Fulham 0-3 Arsenal
by Layth Yousif
at Craven Cottage

FIRST half goals from Gabriel, Gabi Martinelli and Martin Odegaard put Arsenal on the road to a commanding victory on the banks of the River Thames on Sunday lunchtime.

Mikel Arteta's Premier League table toppers extended their lead to five points, with only 11 matches remaining following their comprehensive triumph at Craven Cottage.

There was good news all round when Gabriel Jesus gave the Gunners a boost as he returned to the Arsenal squad, coming on as a late substitute to loud acclaim from visiting supporters.

While the impressive Leandro Trossard grabbed a hattrick of assists, as he made the starting XI after the former Brighton attacker limped off during the momentous 3-2 victory over Bournemouth last weekend.

Arsenal had a gruelling trip to Lisbon midweek, with Arteta taking the opportunity to rotate his squad that had been stretched for numbers. The 2-2 draw sets up the return leg in North London nicely on Thursday, with many of the loyal travelling supporters from North London taking their time swapping the Tagus for the Thames this week.

Judging the boisterous but good-natured couple of hundred Arsenal fans enjoying life on the party boat to Putney Pier, arriving for this crucial Premier League clash via the capital's main river, some hadn't stopped imbibing all week.

All of which contributed to a cracking atmosphere in SW6 aas Marco Silva's side started the afternoon in seventh place,  a coveted position which would ensure passage into the Europa Conference League.

Silva's sides always play a compact game, sitting deep and soaking up pressure, bolstered by power up front, with Cottagers iteration of the Portuguese boss current favourite bustling forward coming in the guise of Aleksandr Mitrovic.

It was no surprise that the opening stages were full of endeavour if not guile. Nor was it a shock that VAR disallowed what would have been an own goal by Cottagers No33, Antonee Robinson on 16 minutes. 

The technology judging Martinelli to be correctly, if marginally offside, prior to the Brazil attacker forcing a save from Bernd Leno, with the ball inadvertently hitting Robinson and entering the net.

With second place Manchester City winning a tight game at Crystal Palace 1-0 on Saturday evening, marginal calls are vital, so it was no wonder the Arsenal supporters massed in the away end chanted 'Fuck VAR' in annoyance.

However, Arteta's lively team would take the lead a mere five minutes later, when the fit again Trossard's corner was nodded home emphatically by Gabriel to make the score 1-0.

Worse was the come for Fulham on 26 minutes, when Trossard grabbed his second assist of a productive half, when another corner of his was nodded home by Gabi, this time Martinelli, for his 12th goal of an increasingly impressive season.

Martinelli told this correspondent in Lisbon that he loves making Arsenal supporters happy. Well, the 21-year-old Brazil prodigy certainly kept to his word here in SW6 by doubling the Gunners lead.

Two sucker punches left Fulham deflated, as the game entered into a lull, with Arsenal dominating fully. Such was the commanding nature of the North Londoners performance, there was still time for captain Odegaard to make it 3-0 with an excellent finish, in the second minute of added time.

Not only did the strike seal victory, it also marked a hattrick of assists from Trossard, who has fitted in extremely well since his January move from the south coast, as he became the first player in Premier League history to notch three assists in the first half of a top-flight match.

The second half proved to be a cakewalk as the Gunners kept possession and showed their class as Arteta initiated a raft of substitutions ahead of the second leg against Sporting Lisbon this coming Thursday.

Not to mention eleven domestic cup finals to go for Arsenal this season as they seek the glory of their first title in 19 long years.