Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham in the Premier League, leaving them six points behind league leaders Liverpool.

The Gunners were undone by a brilliant finish from Raúl Jiménez after dominating the first 10 minutes. And after William Saliba equalized from another set-piece just after the break, the Gunners were unable to score a winner as Bukayo Saka’s late header was ruled out after Gabriel Martinelli was ruled offside.

Positive

Arsenal were completely dominant for most of the first half, moving the ball well and maintaining possession. Their threat from set pieces paid off again and led to the equalizer, and they improved again after that. David Raya didn’t have much to do in goal.

Negatives

It will have been incredibly frustrating to admit that they were so dominant in the early stages and it could have been even worse as it was far too easy for former Gunners midfielder Emile Smith Rowe to sneak into a threatening possession embarked, even if he was let down by his first touch. On the other hand, Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno didn’t have enough to do in the first half considering how much possession Arsenal had. Arsenal will be disappointed not to have taken all three points, especially after their game against Liverpool was postponed this weekend.

Manager Rating (1-10; 10 = best)

6 – While Mikel Arteta made no personnel changes at half-time, his team’s play was undoubtedly more purposeful after the restart. The introduction of Martinelli added an extra dimension to Arsenal’s attack, which came agonizingly close to providing the spark for a win.

Player ratings

TK David Raya, 6 – He didn’t see much action in the first half and he couldn’t do much about the opening goal. It was good to block Antonee Robinson’s cross and keep out Andreas Pereira’s attempt. Came out well and got to the ball late ahead of Rodrigo Muniz.

DF Thomas Partey, 6 — Unnecessarily conceded possession a few times, but seemed stable enough as a right-back. He missed a golden chance with his head.

DF William Saliba, 7 — He headed wide from an early corner and didn’t do enough to prevent Jimenez from scoring the opener before the striker gained the upper hand several times in the first half. Was in the perfect position to score the equalizer and put in a solid defensive performance in the second period.

DF Jakub Kiwior, 5 — Was beaten to the first ball by Jimenez and then allowed the striker to get behind him for the opener. He did well to head in a threatening cross from Robinson, but was turned away too easily a few times.

DF Jurriën Timber, 6 -Looked composed in possession, but was another player too easily taken out of the game in the lead-up to Jimenez’s goal. I was lucky that Smith Rowe’s possession was poor after he got through. Made some good forward runs.

MF Martin Odegaard, 6 — Took a few knocks but still played some good football without Arsenal having the influence he would have liked in the first half. Things continued to look good even after the break.

MF Jorginho, 7 — Picked some nice gaps in space and handled the ball well at times. The midfielder didn’t have the pace to catch Pereira on the counterattack, but he had the intelligence to push him over the goal.

MF Declan Reis, 8 – Made some great runs and took threatening positions, but things didn’t quite go his way in front of goal. It was a good idea to expropriate Sander Berge in the middle. His bad luck ended with a great free-kick that nobody hit, but he kept going and equalized straight from the next corner. Played a nice pass that Gabriel Jesus could have put to better use when he saw a saved shot. With a yellow card, Berges prevented progress late on.

FW Bukayo Saka, 8 – He could have done better after a cross from Leandro Trossard, but he was Arsenal’s best player in the first half. He delivered some threatening crosses from the middle that deserved more and forced Leno into his first big save. Headed home late but the goal wasn’t scored.

FW Kai Havertz, 6 — Appeared sluggish in the early stages, was unnecessarily offside and let the ball go too quickly. The Germany international continued to press well and his header was deflected in by Saliba, laying the foundation for a better performance in the second half.

FW Leandro Trossard, 7 — Tried to get things going by delivering a lovely ball for Rice’s chance, beating Alex Iwobi before putting in a good cross. Also worked hard and won the ball back for Saka’s chance.

Substitute players (players are substituted after 70 minutes = no scoring)

Gabriel Martinelli, 7 — Replaced Trossard after an hour and was always very direct when he had the ball. The Gunners thought it had paid off when he crossed for Saka, but the Brazilian was ruled offside. Was booked for disagreement.

Gabriel Jesus, N/R – Replaced Havertz in the 73rd minute and froze when Rice passed the ball to him.

Mikel Merino, N/R – Replaced Jorginho in the 73rd minute and committed a few cynical fouls before scoring an important header in his own penalty area.

Ethan Nwaneri, N/R – Replaced Odegaard in the 79th minute and showed intent with some good attacks going forward.