Arsenal 2-2 Fulham: Player ratings as Palhinha snatches late point for Cottagers

Arsenal played out a breathless 2-2 draw at home to Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

The Gunners stumbled through large swathes of their opening two Premier League fixtures but managed to beat Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace. Quick-fire goals from Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah at the Emirates threatened to bail out Arteta's side once again but Joao Palhinha swept in a late equaliser for Fulham from a poorly defended corner.

Fulham nervily survived a late flurry of set pieces from Arsenal to emerge with a point.

How the game unfolded

A mere 57 seconds had elapsed before Fulham took the lead at the Emirates Stadium. Saka began a record-breaking appearance with a wayward back-pass which Andreas Pereira pounced upon. Aaron Ramsdale back-pedalled so furiously he tripped over his own toes while watching Pereira's chip bounce into his net.

This was not new territory for Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's side trailed after eight seconds when Bournemouth arrived at the Emirates last March before recovering to win 3-2 and took a point at home to Southampton in April despite falling behind in the first minute. The Gunners strayed towards desperation in their immediate attempts to make another comeback on Saturday but, in the process, left themselves open at the back.

The hosts repeatedly switched the play, flinging the ball from one flank to the other, in an attempt to tease open the tight stitching of Fulham's disciplined 4-4-2. At the culmination of one such first-half move, Saka almost made up for his early error but planted his header into the turf and over the crossbar.

A biblical downpour in north London added to the theatre of a contest where each minute felt like the 90th. Between the vicious thunderclaps, the Emirates crowd produced their own deafening roar to greet the award of an Arsenal penalty in the 70th minute.

Fabio Vieira, one of three substitutions that Arteta made before the 55th minute, combined with Gabriel Martinelli to finally get the better of Kenny Tete and win the spot kick. After stepping aside for Martin Odegaard against Crystal Palace, Saka took on the responsibility against Fulham, coolly slotting past his former teammate Bernd Leno.

Another of Arteta's replacements fired Arsenal in front less than three minutes later. Eddie Nketiah capped off a move of pure chaos that perfectly suited the contest. Played onside by Fulham's Calvin Bassey as he writhed in agony following a tangle with Saka, Nketiah stabbed in Vieira's low cross.

The referee overlooked any foul on Bassey but spotted his blatant bodycheck on Nketiah in the centre circle, which earned the defender a second yellow card on his full Premier League debut.

Arsenal had a man advantage but Joao Palhinha was conspicuously unmarked from an 87th-minute corner, walking onto a cross which he swiped into the far corner to haul Fulham level.

Arsenal player ratings (4-3-3)

GK: Aaron Ramsdale - 5/10 - Caught off his goal line for the very early opener but the keeper was hardly to blame.

RB: Thomas Partey - 3/10 - Reluctantly trundled back into defence when Arsenal lost the ball, repeatedly leaving Arsenal's awkward rearguard exposed.

CB: Ben White - 3/10 - Skittish when lured into a physical duel with Raul Jimenez and too transfixed with playing a defence-splitting pass every time he had possession.

CB: William Saliba - 6/10 - Had to rely upon his supreme physicality to make a number of last-ditch interventions.

LB: Jakub Kiwior - 5/10 - Unfussy off the ball but offered little in possession.

CM: Martin Odegaard - 7/10 - Peppered the match with some wondrously silky touches that inspired gasps from the crowd.

CM: Declan Rice - 5/10 - Invariably collected the ball in front of Fulham's block, rather than within the opposition's shape from where his passes could cause more damage.

CM: Kai Havertz - 4/10 - Burst into the right places, regularly at the right time. Yet, all too often, Havertz didn't prove to be the right player.

RW: Bukayo Saka - 8/10 - Hell-bent on rectifying his first-minute fumble, Saka ran around, behind and through Fulham's Antonee Robinson.

ST: Leandro Trossard - 4/10 - Hooked at half-time after he was repeatedly let down by a heavy first touch.

LW: Gabriel Martinelli - 6/10 - Unrelenting in his fervour on and off the ball.

Substitutes

SUB: Eddie Nketiah (46' for Trossard) - 7/10 - Offered a more fixed focal point than Trossard, as evidenced by his simple tap-in from point-blank range.

SUB: Oleksandr Zinchenko (56' for Partey) - 7/10 - Immediately caught up to the break-neck pace of the contest, adding another link in the chain of Arsenal's passing network.

SUB: Fabio Vieira (56' for Havertz) - 8/10 - Bursting beyond Fulham's backline, Fulham couldn't contain Vieira's dynamism.

SUB: Jorginho (84' for Odegaard) - 5/10

SUB: Gabriel Jesus (90' for Rice) - N/A

Subs not used: Raya (GK), Nelson, Smith Rowe, Gabriel

Manager

Mikel Arteta - 7/10 - Did not waste any time ringing the changes which indelibly altered the game, but will know this is two points dropped.

Fulham player ratings (4-2-3-1)

GK: Bernd Leno - 6/10 - The former Arsenal number one made all the saves expected of him.

RB: Kenny Tete - 4/10 - Muzzled Martinelli when one-on-one but gave away the penalty when he was outnumbered.

CB: Issa Diop - 7/10 - Contorted his hulking frame into the path of many Arsenal forward thrusts.

CB: Calvin Bassey - 4/10 - On his first start for the club, Bassey was thrown in the deep end but couldn't keep his head above water.

LB: Antonee Robinson - 3/10 - Not given a moment's rest by Saka when he was defending or in possession of the ball.

CM: Sasa Lukic - 5/10 - Struggled to exert an overwhelming influence on proceedings.

CM: Joao Palhinha - 8/10 - Dove into his familiar flurry of challenges, topping off a dogged display with a well-taken goal.

AM: Andreas Pereira - 7/10 - Exploited a perfect example of opportunism.

RW: Harry Wilson - 5/10 - More involved in the second half when he wandered infield off his perch on the right.

ST: Raul Jimenez - 7/10 - On his return to the ground where he suffered a career-changing head injury, Jimenez almost converted an incredible bicycle kick. Defended feverishly from the front.

LW: Bobby Decordova-Reid - 6/10 - Burst into life when afforded space to sprint into on the counter.

Substitutes

SUB: Tom Cairney (63' for Pereira) - 5/10

SUB: Adama Traore (71' for Wilson) - 5/10

SUB: Harrison Reed (71' for Lukic) - 5/10

SUB: Tosin Adarabioyo (89' for Decordova-Reid) - N/A

Subs not used: Rodak (GK), Muniz, Vinicius, Harris, Mbabu

Manager

Marco Silva - 7/10 - Had his side brilliantly marshalled for so much of the match, keeping any space between the lines of midfield and defence to a minimum.

Player of the match - Joao Palhinha (Fulham)