Fulham v Arsenal - as it happened
Join us for live coverage of the opening Premier League match of the 2020/21 season as newly promoted Fulham take on Arsenal at Craven Cottage.
List of goalscorers
Match report in news
End of match
-
93'FT: Fulham 0-3 Arsenal!! All over at Craven Cottage and it was comfortable for Arsenal! Lacazette put the Gunners ahead early on and it was easy from then on. Magalhaes added a second early in the second half and then Aubameyang's strike sealed the points. Thanks for joining us and see you again soon!
-
92'Fulham attack, but Mitrovic fouls his marker.
-
91'Three added minutes.
-
90'Reid has an ambitious pop from distance which goes nowhere near the goal.
-
89'Little to report here in the last few minutes.
-
86'Arsenal sub: Lacazette is replaced by Nketiah.
-
86'Fulham win a corner here.
-
84'Lovely nutmeg by Ceballos who thens lays it off for Bellerin and the pass comes to nothing.
-
83'Lacazette wins a free-kick for the Gunners. Fulham still doing nothing going forward.
-
79'Arsenal sub: Ceballos on for Xhaka.
-
78'Chance for Aubameyang!!! Bellerin sends a lovely pass for Aubameyang, he goes around the keeper and then his shot is headed off the line! Nothing comes from the corner.
-
77'Mitrovic's cross into the box cannot find a teammate.
Substitution
at Arsenal
-
76'Arsenal sub: Pepe is on for Willian.
Substitution
at Fulham
-
75'Fulham sub: Onomah is replaced by Reid.
-
74'Xhaka's leg in trapped in the turf after a Xhaka challenge.
-
71'Chance for Arsenal, but the flag is up as Aubameyang was offside. Lacazette's shot was well saved by Rodak.
-
70'Free-kick to Arsenal in Fulham's half.
-
67'Mitrovic goes for goal from just outside the box and it's easily saved.
-
64'Arsenal pass the ball around, but it comes to nothing.
-
62'Fulham sub: Kamara is replaced by Mitrovic.
Yellow card
a Fulham
-
61'Willian is fouled by Cairney and it's a yellow card.
Goaaaaaal!
de Arsenal en el 57'
-
Statistics of P. Aubameyang in Premier League29100.34320
-
57'Aubameyang makes it 0-3!!! That kills the game! Willian sends a long pass to Aubameyang who controls with his chest before shooting across Rodak and into the far corner.
Yellow card
a Arsenal
-
55'Bellerin is booked for a clear pull back on Cavaleiro.
-
54'Willian wins a free-kick on the near side for Arsenal.
-
52'Kebano is caught offside as Fulham attack.
Goaaaaaal!
de Arsenal en el 49'
-
Statistics of Gabriel Magalhães in Premier League2320.09030
-
49'Magalhaes makes it 0-2 from the corner!! He heads Willian's corner into the goal from inside the 6 and it's a tall order now for the home side.
-
48'Lovely play by Holding with plenty of touches to find Lacazette and the Frenchman wins a corner.
-
47'Arsenal attacking early on in this second half.
-
46'Arsenal get us going again!
-
45'HT: Fulham 0-1 Arsenal! Half-time at Craven Cottage and Lacazette's goal after eight minutes following Ream's error sees Arsenal lead. After a slow start, the Gunners have been comfortable since then and could have doubled the lead, but Willian's free-kick struck the post. Xhaka and Aubameyang have also had opportunties. Fulham have done little to trouble Leno so far. Back in a bit for the second period!
-
45'It's headed away and it's half-time!
-
45'Corner for Fulham despite the one minute being up.
-
45'One minute added on.
-
45'Tierney knocks over Kebano and a free-kick is given. I'm not sure about that...
-
42'Arsenal are in complete control.
-
40'Arsenal again!! Maitland-Niles' cross can't find Lacazette at the back post.
Yellow card
a Arsenal
-
39'Aubameyang catches Odoi late and is rightly penalised.
-
37'Aubameyang!! Xhaka sends a lovely pass to Aubameyang who controls and then hits the ball towards Rodak's near post. The Slovakian makes a simple stop.
-
37'Arsenal are keeping the ball here and waiting patiently for the opening.
-
34'Chance for Arsenal!! Lacazette gets the ball and is cutback is cleared by Ream. The Frenchman is just offside.
-
31'Odoi goes down the near side again and his cross can't find Cavaleiro in the middle. In fact, Cavaleiro is penalised for a push in the back.
-
30'Fulham having some possession, but Leno has had little to do so far. Arsenal actually look more likely to score again.
-
27'Off the post by Willian!! Rodak tries to get there, but the ball strikes the base of his right hand post.
-
26'Hector downs Lacazette just outside the D and this is in a dangerous position.
-
24'Attempts: 2-5, on target: 1-2.
-
23'Fulham are offside from the set-piece. Just.
-
22'Lacazette brings down Cairney and takes a blow for his troubles.
-
21'Double opportunity for Arsenal!! Lacazette lays the ball off to Elneny, his shot is blocked by Ream and then Xhaka skies the rebound over.
-
18'Fulham are shouting for a foul after Maitland-Niles collides with Odoi.
-
17'Arsenal continue to press and Hector stops Maitland-Niles in the box.
-
15'Arsenal much more comfortable now and Willian's cross is blocked by Bryan.
-
13'Aubameyang's cross into the area is cleared by Hector.
-
10'Arsenal have not had the best of the starts, but they are in front.
-
8'Lacazette gives Arsenal the lead!!! Aubameyang picks up the ball near the byline, he passes to Xhaka whose wayward shot is not cleared by Ream. Willian's shot is then saved and Lacazette taps in!
-
7'Chance for Fulham! Odoi runs down this near side and drives towards the box before hitting a shot straight at Leno.
-
6'Arsenal are awarded a free-kick after a foul by Kamara.
-
4'Magalhaes pushes Kamara in the back in midfield and a free-kick is awarded.
-
2'What an error!!! There's a mix up between Magalhaes and Leno as they both leave for ball for each other, Kamara gets on the end of it and Leno has to slide in to make a vital stop!
-
1'Aubameyang sends a ball into the box looking for a teammate, but the ball runs through to Rodak.
-
1'Fulham get us going from left to right in white while Arsenal are in blue.
Start of match
-
PRVWThe players are out here at Craven Cottage!
-
PRVWThe last meeting between the two sides was a 4-1 win to Arsenal on 1st January 2019 while their last meeting at the Cottage was a 1-5 Arsenal victory in October 2018.
-
PRVWVAR will be used differently this season. The referee will go to the monitor for all subjective calls instead of relying on the VAR while goalkeepers will be punished even if they are slightly off their line when they save a penalty. At least part of one foot must be touching the line.
-
PRVWIt's 19 degrees and dry in West London this lunchtime.
-
PRVWChris Kavanagh is the referee for this one while David Coote is the VAR.
-
PRVWWe are back to three subs in the Premier League this season instead of five like the rest of the European leagues. The drinks breaks have also been scrapped.
-
PRVWA reminder that Fulham got promoted via the play-offs while Arsenal finished last season in 8th, but made the Europa League after beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final. Arsenal also defeated Liverpool on penalties in the Community Shield two weeks ago.
-
PRVWFor Fulham it's a similar side which saw them beat Brentford 2-1 in the play-off final last month. Joe Bryan, the hero in that match with a brace, starts for Scott Parker's men while Tim Ream makes his 200th Fulham appearance.
-
PRVWWillian makes his Arsenal debut, Magalhaes makes his first start for the Gunners while Leno is back in goal after recovering from injury. Emiliano Martinez is not even on the bench as he wants first team football and he is set to leave the club. He has been linked with Villa and Brighton.
-
PRVWArsenal XI: Leno (GK); Tierney, Magalhaes, Holding; Maitland-Niles, Xhaka, Willian, Elneny; Aubameyang and Lacazette.
-
PRVWFulham XI: Rodak (GK); Bryan, Ream, Hector, Odoi; Cavaleiro, Cairney, Onomah, Reed, Kebano; Kamara.
Pre-match
12 September 2020, 13:30
Referee: Chris Kavanagh
Stadium: Craven Cottage
-
PRVWHello and welcome to a new Premier League season as Fulham take on Arsenal at Craven Cottage!!