7.53pm BST
Arsenal supporters had almost forgotten what it was like to win without their nerves being shredded. They were reacquainted with the feeling on an occasion when everything felt right from the start and got better and better. It was all over by half-time, Arsenal three goals to the good and the Emirates Stadium purring over a virtuoso Bukayo Saka performance.
The England winger had not been himself before he was forced to take time out at the end of March to rest an achilles problem – and one or two others aches. He was back in the starting XI here and the bang he produced could be heard in Manchester. City do not play until Monday night. They will kick off at Everton six points behind Arsenal at the top, albeit having played two games fewer. Arsenal have turned up the heat inexorably.
It looked as though Saka was immune to the pressure on his club, which has been such a feature of the season and the last few months, especially. When did Arsenal last win in the league with a degree of comfort? It was the 4-1 at Tottenham on 21 February.
Related: Gyökeres double fires Arsenal past Fulham to turn title pressure on Manchester City
7.38pm BST
Viktor Gyokeres has scored 14 Premier League goals this season , which puts him joint fourth on this particular list.
Related: Premier League top scorers 2025-26: who is leading race for golden boot?
7.31pm BST
Viktor Gyokeres’ reaction
We controlled the game very well. It was a very good performance and an important three points.
We never stopped believing, and we’re not going to. That’s how it is. We’ll focus on the next game now. We’re on a good path but we have to stay there.
7.29pm BST
Mikel Arteta makes a point of giving Myles Lewis-Skelly – who was excellent in midfield – a big hug. Then he punches the air repeatedly, Jurgen Klopp-style, in front of the home crowd. It’s been a very good day for Arteta.
Updated at 7.57pm BST
7.27pm BST
Full time: Arsenal 3-0 Fulham Arsenal move six points clear of Manchester City with a comfortable victory. The Emirates was a happy place throughout, particularly when a rejuvenated Bukayo Saka and a clinical Viktor Gyokeres were tearing Fulham apart in the first. Saka made the first for Gyokeres, who returned the favour before heading an excellent third on the stroke of half-time.
I’m not sure the title race has changed today, because Manchester City will still win the league if they win all their games 10-0, but the mood at the Emirates is very different to a week ago. That kid Saka could make anyone smile.
Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Arsenal 35 41 76 2 Man City 33 37 70 3 Man Utd 34 14 61 4 Liverpool 34 13 58 5 Aston Villa 34 5 58 7.23pm BST
90+2 min Fulham broke four on three. King’s screws the ball across the area and Mosquera stretches to make a very important interception. Who knows, when the music stops we might reflect on that as a title-winning moment.
I’m getting carried away with goal difference, aren’t I? I just want a goal-difference shootout for once in my life.
7.22pm BST
90+1 min That’s a bit negative. This has been an excellent day for Arsenal, whose first-half performance – their most relaxed in ages – bodes well for the rest of the season.
7.21pm BST
90 min There will be four added minutes . The second half has been a bit of a non-event. I hope, for their sake, that Arsenal don’t regret that when the music stops on 24 May.
7.20pm BST
88 min Manchester City have five to play.
Everton (A) 4 May
Brentford (H) 9 May
Crystal Palace (H) 13 May
Bournemouth (A) 1 9 May
Aston Villa (H) 24 May
7.19pm BST
87 min Arsenal’s remaining games – look I know you know, but some people might not know – are as follows
West Ham (A) 10 May
Burnley (H) 18 May
Crystal Palace (A) 24 May
7.16pm BST
85 min Dowman turns Lukic majestically in the centre circle and heads for goal. He holds off Bassey on the edge of the D, dances back inside and screws a right-foot shot wide of the far post. No real threat to Fulham in the end but it was a charming piece of play from an unimaginably talented 16-year-old.
Updated at 7.17pm BST
7.13pm BST
83 min: Arsenal substitution Cristhian Mosquera for Ben White.
7.12pm BST
80 min: Calafiori hits the bar! An excellent inswinging corner from Madueke is headed against the crossbar by Calafiori, who punches the air in frustration.
Replays show that Calafiori’s effort hit the head of Leno, who was trying to punch the ball clear, and then deflected up onto the bar.
Updated at 7.16pm BST
7.09pm BST
78 min: Fulham substitution Smith Rowe limps off to be replaced by Jonah Kusi-Asare.
7.08pm BST
78 min: Arsenal substitution Max Dowman replaces the superb Eberechi Eze. That’s a clever idea, not just because of Dowman’s quality but because a goal from him would add to the feelgood vibe.
7.07pm BST
76 min Smith Rowe hits the side netting from a very tight angle and then flops to the turf, apparently injured. The physios are coming on.
Updated at 7.14pm BST
7.07pm BST
75 min “Hi Rob,” says Simon McMahon. “Really hoping Arteta gets the ‘Yea Pep, Talk Nah’ piece of paper out of his pocket at full time...”
Blimey, I didn’t have Denesh Ramdin on my bingo card today.
Related: Denesh Ramdin offers bizarre paper reply to Viv Richards' criticism
7.04pm BST
73 min: Fulham substitution Rodrigo Muniz for Raul Jimenez.
7.03pm BST
72 min The corner is headed away but Fulham keep the pressure on. The ball drops kindly for Castagne, who rakes a half-volley towards goal from 17 yards. Raya is well positioned and keeps it out.
That was Fulham’s first shot on target.
7.02pm BST
71 min King is fouled just outside the area by Madueke. The free-kick is to the left of centre… and Jimenez slaps it into the wall. Cairney’s follow-up deflects behind for a corner.
7.00pm BST
69 min An animated Arteta shouts some instructions to his team, who have lost their way in the second half. No matter how mindful you are of the potential importance of goal difference, it must be so hard to play at maximum intensity when you lead 3-0.
6.58pm BST
67 min Andersen makes a last-ditch tackle on Jesus, though it wouldn’t have counted as he was fractionally offside.
6.57pm BST
66 min Lukic, on a yellow card, takes a big risk by pulling back Myles Lewis-Skelly. The referee lets him off.
Lewis-Skelly has been quietly excellent in midfield.
6.56pm BST
65 min “I’d make Arsenal pretty strong title favourites now,” writes Max Williams. “They have points on the board, the easier run in and a home match against relegated Burnley to further rack up the goals. Plus it feels a little like City got too carried away with erasing the deficit – the fan tears, Haaland smirk, etc – and might struggle to do it again, especially with the added scoreboard pressure.”
6.55pm BST
65 min: Double substitution for Arsenal No hat-trick for Gyokeres, but it’s a compliment that he’s being rested ahead of Tuesday. Declan Rice also comes off, with Gabriel Jesus and Martin Zubimendi the replacements.
6.54pm BST
64 min: Triple substitution for Fulham Tom Cairney, Josh King and Oscar Bobb replace Reed, Chukwueze and Wilson.
6.52pm BST
62 min Fulham’s passing has been better in the second half, helped no doubt by Arsenal sitting deeper and playing on the break.
6.52pm BST
60 min “Seeing this reminds me of something,” writes DAvid Howell. “Specifically, the Climate Clubs campaign a few years ago that reimagined various club badges to make a point about climate change (and raise money for relevant charities). One of those was the Fulham badge being changed to read FFS – something I’m sure fans of Manchester City would sympathise with right now.”
Arsenal’s next home game is against Burnley, which could be a test of Manchester City fans’ joie de vivre.
Updated at 6.53pm BST
6.50pm BST
59 min Trossard slices a shot from the edge of the area that is easily saved by Leno.
6.48pm BST
56 min: Big chance for Gyokeres! Viktor Gyokeres comes tantalisingly close to his first Arsenal hat-trick. He made a perfectly timed run onto a deft through pass from Trossard, but Leno was quickly off his line to narrow the angle and block Gyokeres’s shot. Good goalkeeping.
Updated at 6.54pm BST
6.47pm BST
54 min It’s not easy for Arsenal to balance the Atletico Madrid game, which begins in 73 hours, and the need to score as many as possible. We’ll have a better idea after Monday night, when Manchester City go to Everton, but there’s every chance both teams will win all their remaining league games. If so, the title will be decided on goal difference.
6.42pm BST
51 min Eze controls Madueke’s pass on the stretch and is shaping to shoot when Bassey makes a vital challenge.
6.41pm BST
49 min Smith Rowe’s near-post corner is headed across goal by Castagne, with no Fulham player able to poke it into the net.
Updated at 7.02pm BST
6.39pm BST
49 min Robinson’s cross is sliced over his own bar by Saliba. Fulham have started the second half pretty well.
6.39pm BST
48 min Jimeneze has a pop from 25 yards. It’s a good effort that fades a few yards wide of the goal with Raya at full stretch.
6.38pm BST
47 min I missed a half-time substitution for Arsenal: Noni Madueke has replaced Bukayo Saka , presumably to rest the main man ahead of Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.
6.36pm BST
46 min Arsenal get the second half under way.
6.30pm BST
‘Press release’ is the subject of Charles Antaki’s email.
(Reads from piece of paper) : On behalf of a significant fraction of Arsenal fans, I am prepared to consider revising my opinion of Victor Gyökeres, subject to further developments.
6.26pm BST
Half-time reading
Related: The football chant mystery: where do fans’ favourite songs come from in the first place?
6.25pm BST
“Rob,” writes Sean Orlowicz, “you said fighting for a title was supposed to be miserable. “I’m having a blast!!!
“(I’ve been miserable since January.)”
Arf. That first half reminds me of the title-winning sides under Wenger, who had – for a Manchester United fan – a sickening habit of being 3-0 up after 20 minutes in April and May.
6.24pm BST
Half time: Arsenal 3-0 Fulham Bukayo Saka’s return to the starting XI inspired a joyous first-half performance from Arsenal, who now have the chance to massage their goal difference in the second half. Saka made the first for Viktor Gyokeres, who returned the favour and then scored his second with a fine header.
Here’s the Premier League table as things stand.
Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Arsenal 35 41 76 2 Man City 33 37 70 3 Man Utd 34 14 61 4 Liverpool 34 13 58 5 Aston Villa 34 5 58 6.20pm BST
Trossard led an Arsenal break with a surge through the inside-left channel . He beat his man in the area and stood up an inviting cross towards the far post. It was slightly behind Gyokeres, who showed his finishing expertise by straining his neck muscles to loop a header over Leno. He took that beautifully.
Updated at 6.26pm BST
6.19pm BST
GOAL! Arsenal 3-0 Fulham (Gyokeres 45+4) Another terrific goal clinches victory for Arsenal, already.
6.19pm BST
45+2 min I think this is the first time Saka has scored and created a goal all season, since 2024 in fact. If so, he’s picked a very good time to signal a return to form. The Emirates is a totally different place to the Newcastle game a week ago.
6.16pm BST
45 min Three minutes of added time. Arsenal are hunting a third before the break, which would then allow them to concentrate on goal difference in the second half. It’s an awkward thing to manage but they should be mindful of it as it may well decide the title.
6.15pm BST
44 min A delicious cross from Saliba just evades the stretching Gabriel at the far post. This is Arsenal’s most relaxed attacking performance in ages, probably since they walloped Spurs 4-1 in February.
6.13pm BST
43 min The return of Bukayo Saka has made Arsenal smile again.
6.12pm BST
In his first start for six weeks , a rejuventated Bukayo Saka has made one and scored one. Eze swept a nice pass down the right for the ever-willing Gyokeres, who held the ball up until Saka made a sudden dart infield. Gyokeres played him in with a nice reverse pass, and Saka rifled a low drive past Leno at the near post. That’s a lovely goal.
Updated at 6.57pm BST
6.11pm BST
GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Fulham (Saka 40) Bukayo Saka’s back, baby!
6.10pm BST
40 min Trossard chops away from a defender on the edge of the area and sweeps a daisycutter that is comfortably saved by Leno.
6.10pm BST
38 min Sounds odd to say, but Fulham might be the happier team if it’s still 1-0 at half-time. Arsenal have been much the better team and will be keen to put the game to bed before we reach the jitterzone.
Updated at 6.10pm BST
6.08pm BST
37 min Wilson’s corner is cleared by Saliba, but then White loses his balance and is robbed by Lukic. His defensive mates get him out of trouble by clearing Lukic’s cross.
6.07pm BST
36 min Fulham are having a decent little spell. Calafiori gives Raya problem with a short backpass in a crowded area; Raya’s clearance hits Gabriel and ricochets behind for a Fulham corner.
6.07pm BST
35 min “I’ve never understood the criticism of Gyokeres, I have to say,” have to says Joshua Keeling. “I think he’s a very good player. Not in the absolute top rank of strikers (Haaland et al), but very few are. He’s a good finisher and gives Arsenal something different.”
I can understand it – he is a relatively limited player – but like everything it has been way over the top.
Updated at 6.08pm BST
6.03pm BST
32 min Chukwueze and then Robinson have long-range shots blocked.
6.01pm BST
No goal! Arsenal 1-0 Fulham It was a fine header by Calafiori from Trossard’s chipped cross, but it looked comfortably offside to the naked eye. VAR confirms as much.
Seconds earlier, Eze had a shot blocked in the six-yard box by Bassey after a slick move involving Rice and Saka. Arsenal are getting a lot of joy down their right, where Saka looks as vibrant as he has all season.
Updated at 6.05pm BST
6.00pm BST
Hang on, he’s offside!
5.59pm BST
GOAL! Arsenal 2-0 Fulham (Calafiori 29) Riccardo Calafiori makes it two, and now Arsenal will be thinking about goal difference as well as three points.
Updated at 6.02pm BST
5.59pm BST
27 min: Good save by Leno! Leno comes for an angled cross, drops it under pressure from Gabriel but recovers superbly to repel Gyokeres’s snapshot. The ball rebounds to Saka, who shoots through a crowd and wide of the far post. That’s a good chance.
On the previous incident in the 26th minute, Saka’s corner might have been headed towards goal by Gabriel. If so, Leno made a really good save.
5.57pm BST
26 min Saka swings a typically dangerous corner into the six-yard box. Leno can’t hold it and is relieved to see the ball fall to a Fulham player.
Updated at 6.10pm BST
5.54pm BST
23 min Lukic is booked for a foul on Eze. Fulham are second best at the moment.
5.52pm BST
21 min Raya makes a sliding tackle on Raul Jimenez inside the Fulham half. Ultimately it was fine, but it was a surprise to see him quite so high up the pitch. Fulham were hoping to break from an Arsenal free-kick that ultimately led to Eze having a shot blocked.
5.51pm BST
20 min Arsenal have controlled the game since going ahead, both with and without the ball. Fulham need to stay in the contest at 1-0, like Newcastle did a week ago, and wait for the nerves to kick in.
5.50pm BST
19 min “At the risk of being reductive, but the downturn in Arsenal’s form largely coincided with Bukayo Saka being injured, and generally when the best player isn’t there, a team is worse,” writes Kári Tulinius. “This is why I’m, probably foolishly, more optimistic than most other Arsenal fans of my acquaintance, because our Starboy is back.”
I don’t completely agree with that – he played the Carabao Cup final, where the blip started, and he hasn’t had a great season – but I certainly think the injury break could be a blessing in disguise for Arsenal. The way he made the goal was very 2022-25 Saka.
5.47pm BST
16 min Gyokeres’s goal was his 20th of the season in all competitions, a pretty good effort for a player who has spent much of the last nine months being criticised.
5.45pm BST
14 min Trossard shoots wide from 25 yards with his left foot. Arsnel have started well, with plenty of energy and purpose.
5.44pm BST
The goal was made superbly by Bukayo Saka , who sat Raul Jimenez down on the right wing and guided a low cross into the six-yard net. It was the kind of ball a goal poacher dreams about, and Gyokeres got across his defender to score from four yards.
Updated at 5.49pm BST
5.42pm BST
GOAL! Arsenal 1-0 Fulham (Gyokeres 9) Viktor Gyokeres scores another vital goal for Arsenal!
Updated at 5.45pm BST
5.38pm BST
8 min Lewis-Skelly skips past Reed and is fouled. He’s made a lively start in midfield.
5.37pm BST
7 min Patient play from Arsenal, probing one side and then the other. Eventually the move breaks down due to an offside, possibly against Calafiori.
5.35pm BST
6 min Both teams have started brightly in possession. Fulham have certainly come to play, and why on earth not.
Updated at 5.35pm BST
5.34pm BST
4 min Chukwueze beats White through sleight of hip and hits a low cross that is booted away at the near post by Rice.
5.33pm BST
2 min Lewis-Skelly wins a header just outside the Fulham area and finds Trossard on the left side of the area. He drives a low left-foot shot across goal and wide. Not a bad effort, a bit of a range-finder.
Updated at 5.34pm BST
5.31pm BST
1 min Fulham get the match under way. There’s an excellent atmosphere at the Emirates; what the home supporters would give for an early goal or three.
Updated at 5.37pm BST
5.28pm BST
Marco Silva’s pre-match thoughts
I want us to express ourselves in the best way possible and to match Arsenal in every aspect of the game.
There is tension around [the Emirates] but it is a normal tension – it’s part of the game at this stage of the season.
[On the absence of Sander Berge] We’ve had a virus at our training ground. But as always it is not going to be an excuse; other players have to stand up.
Updated at 5.29pm BST
5.22pm BST
“My thanks to Richard Hirst , but if we’re talking races to the grave, I’m probably a way ahead of him,” writes Charles Antaki. “So should the Arsenal men’s team fail at this Premier League hurdle, the next may be beyond my span. Today, the universe has a chance to right the wrongs of the women’s unsatisfactory performance at Lyon; but given that the universe seems to show absolutely no interest in righting wrongs of any description, and there are a few around at the moment, I’m not particularly hopeful. But, as ever, we shall see.”
5.22pm BST
Mikel Arteta’s pre-match thoughts
Some of the changes are forced. There are other reasons as well – we need a lot of energy, freshness and quality as well.
[On Myles Lewis-Skelly playing in midfield] He’s been very patient, extremely understanding about the situation and he deserves another chance. Every time he’s played, he’s done really well.
5.09pm BST
Whatever happens at the Emirates , 2 May 2026 will go down as a bad day for Arsenal Football Club. That’s because Arsenal Women, the reigning European champions, were dethroned by Lyon in a dramatic Champions League semi-final.
Related: Jule Brand shatters Arsenal with late winner sending OL Lyonnes into WCL final
5.07pm BST
“Hi Rob,” writes Richard Hirst. “I sort of understand why your preamble is devoted to Arsenal (Charles Antaki, we feel your pain), but there are two teams with something to play for today. I’ve never seen Fulham win anything in my 62 years of supporting them, largely because we are the biggest team in England never to have won anything.
“I was at Wembley in 1975 and in Hamburg in 2010, a gap of 35 years. If we qualify for Europe this season and get to the final in 2027 that will be a gap of 17 years, or roughly half. So I reckon that with luck and good health I’ve got that final plus one in 2035 (half the gap again) to see Fulham win something. To that end, we need to win today; sorry Charles.”
This lack of respect for the 2002 Intertoto Cup sickens me.
Updated at 5.13pm BST
5.01pm BST
Premier League results Brentford 3-0 West Ham
Newcastle 3-1 Brighton
Wolves 1-1 Sunderland
Related: Brentford 3-0 West Ham, Newcastle 3-1 Brighton: Premier League and EFL – football live
5.00pm BST
We’re all painfully aware what Arsenal are playing for , but Fulham also have big ambitions for the remainder of the season.
A win at the Emirates would lift them to seventh and increases their chances of qualifying for Europe for the first time since 2011-12.
Pos Team P GD Pts 1 Arsenal 34 38 73 2 Man City 33 37 70 3 Man Utd 34 14 61 4 Liverpool 34 13 58 5 Aston Villa 34 5 58 6 Brentford 35 6 51 7 Brighton 35 7 50 8 AFC Bournemouth 34 0 49 9 Chelsea 34 8 48 10 Fulham 34 -2 48 11 Everton 34 0 47 12 Sunderland 35 -9 47 13 Newcastle 35 -2 45 14 Crystal Palace 33 -3 43 15 Leeds 35 -5 43 16 Nottm Forest 34 -4 39 17 West Ham 35 -19 36 18 Tottenham Hotspur 34 -10 34 19 Burnley 35 -36 20 20 Wolverhampton 35 -38 18 4.30pm BST
There’s plenty going on in the early Premier League games. You can follow the action with John Brewin.
Related: Brentford v West Ham, Newcastle v Brighton: Premier League and EFL – football live
4.29pm BST
Mikel Arteta has dismissed suggestions that Premier League sides are incapable of matching the levels hit by their European rivals, saying that freshness was key to Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain producing arguably the game of the season in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final.
With the Arsena l manager stressing player availability will make the difference during a defining moment in the club’s history, he argued that English football’s competitiveness cannot be ignored when it comes to accusations that the quality of football has dropped.
Arsenal have fought on four fronts during a draining campaign and Arteta, whose side have a number of injury problems before they hope to boost their title chances by beating Fulham on Saturday, pointed out that the domestic dominance of PSG and Bayern ensured they were in peak condition during their thriller in Paris on Tuesday.
“When I look at that game, Bayern v PSG, it’s probably the best game I ever witnessed in the quality of two teams and especially the individual quality the players delivered, I have never seen something like this,” Arteta said. “But when I look at the amount of minutes and the freshness of those players, then I’m not surprised.”
Related: PSG and Bayern in ‘different world’ to tired Premier League teams, says Arteta
4.24pm BST
Team news Mikel Arteta makes five changes to the Arsenal side that started in Madrid on Wednesday. Riccardo Calafiori , Myles Lewis-Skelly (who is playing in midfield), Eberechi Eze , Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard come in for Piero Hincapie, Martin Zubimendi, Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli. Odegaard isn’t in the matchday squad.
Harrison Reed and Antonee Robinson replace the unavailable pair of Sander Berge and Ryan Sessegnon in the Fulham side.
Arsenal (4-3-3) Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Calafiori; Eze, Rice, Lewis-Skelly; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, Hincapie, Jesus, Martinelli, Norgaard, Madueke, Zubimendi, Dowman.
Fulham (4-2-3-1) Leno; Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson; Lukic, Reed; Wilson, Smith Rowe, Chukwueze; Raul Jimenez.
Subs: Lecomte, Tete, Diop, Cuenca, Cairney, King, Bobb, Kusi-Asare, Muniz.
Referee Jarred Gillett.
4.00pm BST
Preamble Happiness is an illusion glimpsed in the aftermath of victory. Most of the time, watching our team play football is mostly a miserable, desperate, hard-faced experience – one that is entirely worth it for the moments of euphoria that little else can provide.
Nick Hornby nailed it in Fever Pitch when he remembered his first visit to Highbury.
What impressed me most was just how much most of the men around me hated, really hated, being there. As far as I could tell, nobody seemed to enjoy, in the way that I understood the word, anything that happened during the entire afternoon. Within minutes of the kick-off there was real anger (‘You’re a DISGRACE, Gould. He’s a DISGRACE!’ A hundred quid a week? A HUNDRED QUID A WEEK! They should give that to me for watching you.’); as the game went on, the anger turned into outrage, and then seemed to curdle into sullen, silent discontent… Entertainment as pain was an idea entirely new to me, and it seemed to be something I’d been waiting for. It might not be too fanciful to suggest that it was an idea which shaped my life.
This could be the greatest season in Arsenal’s history, the one in which they win the Premier League and Champions League, yet the last few months have had strong root-canal vibes. All things being equal, there will be a fair bit of misery and despair at the Emirates tonight. When you’re trying to win your first league title in 22 years, it’s the way it has to be.
Kick off 5.30pm