Arsenal ended 2023 with a defeat on Sunday evening as Fulham staged a second half comeback to overcome Mikel Arteta’s team 2-1 and deny them the Premier League’s top spot.
Following their midweek loss to West Ham, the visitors got off to an ideal start as Bernd Leno only parried a drive from Gabriel Martinelli into the path of Bukayo Saka, who scored the game’s first goal in the fifth minute at close range.
But Fulham came back to tie the score after three goalless Premier League games thanks to a goal from Raul Jimenez, who headed in Tom Cairney’s cross.
Arsenal had yet another incredibly tough afternoon, as they were unable to register a shot on goal in the second half and were unable to stop Fulham’s momentum as Bobby De Cordova-Reid scored the game’s winning goal in the 59th minute to give Marco Silva’s team a happy ending to the year.
With the victory, Fulham moves up to 13th place in the standings, ending a skid of three straight losses without a goal.
In the meantime, Arteta’s team has only triumphed once in their previous five league games. The loss puts an end to a terrible few days for them, as they remain in fourth place and miss out on a second opportunity to lead the Premier League. Liverpool will have a chance to take the lead by three points when they play Newcastle on New Year’s Day.
