Arsenal opened up a three-point lead at the top of the Premier League table after edging Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage on Saturday, thanks to Leandro Trossard’s decisive strike.
The Belgian forward netted his first league goal of the season midway through the second half, handing the Gunners their fifth straight win across all competitions and extending their unbeaten run to eight games.
With Liverpool slipping after back-to-back defeats, Mikel Arteta’s men have emerged as the bookmakers’ new favourites to lift the title.
Manchester City had temporarily gone top following their 2-0 victory over Everton earlier in the day, but Arsenal’s composed performance by the River Thames restored them to first place.
The north London side have now claimed six wins from eight league outings as they continue their quest for a first Premier League crown since the Invincibles’ triumph in 2004.
Fulham started brightly and nearly took the lead when Harry Wilson set up Raul Jimenez, whose low strike was palmed away by David Raya.
Wilson later capitalised on a loose pass from Gabriel Magalhaes but curled his effort inches wide.
Arsenal thought they had struck first when Riccardo Calafiori lashed home from distance, only for VAR to rule it out for offside.
The hosts continued to threaten through Wilson and Josh King, while Arsenal’s Viktor Gyokeres saw his barren run stretch to seven games after missing a one-on-one with Bernd Leno.
Trossard went close after the break before Fulham defender Timothy Castagne cleared off the line to deny Arsenal again.
The hosts nearly punished that wastefulness, but Wilson’s fierce volley just cleared the crossbar.
With Rolling Stones legend and Arsenal fan Mick Jagger watching from the stands, the visitors finally found their rhythm.
In the 58th minute, Gabriel glanced on Bukayo Saka’s corner and Trossard reacted quickest to slot home from close range.
The goal extended Arsenal’s impressive set-piece record — they have now netted 37 times from corners in the league since the start of last season.
Saka later weaved his way through Fulham’s backline but was denied by Leno, and a potential penalty was overturned after VAR confirmed Fulham’s defender had played the ball cleanly.
Gyokeres, prolific in his Sporting Lisbon days, endured another frustrating evening as he missed two late chances, but Arsenal had already secured the points and another step toward their long-awaited title dream.
