Gunners secure first league victory

Fulham 1-3 Arsenal

Arsenal built on their fine 3-0 away win in Turkey on Wednesday, with another three goal haul away to Fulham on Saturday to secure their first league victory of the 2013/14 season.

So far this season the Gunners have started matches with a clear intent to take the game to their opponents. Too many times last season, Arsenal were sluggish for the first twenty minutes which would often result in the opposition taking the initiative. However in the three opening games of the new campaign, Arsene Wenger’s side have started on the front foot.

Having travelled to Turkey during the week, followed by an early Saturday kick-off, Arsenal could have easily come undone against a Fulham side which has been significantly strengthened during the summer. Due to the small size of his squad and the great need to secure a positive result following the defeat to Aston Villa, Wenger only made two changes to the team which had performed so impressively against Fenerbache, one of which was forced on him by the suspension to Koscielny. In came Carl Jenkinson, who due to early injuries, had played for over an hour against both Aston Villa and Fenerbache. This change resulted in Bacary Sagna having to switch position, once again moving into the centre of the defence, where he has so far performed admirably. The second change was in midfield, with Wenger opting to rest Jack Wilshere, replacing him with Lukas Podolski and switching Santi Cazorla into his more favoured central position.

The Gunners controlled the game from the very first whistle, as they simply took hold of the midfield battle, with Aaron Ramsey once again producing an excellent display from his deep lying midfield role. Arsenal created their first real goal scoring opportunity in the 10^th minute as Thomas Rosicky flicked the ball over the Fulham defence for Walcott to collect and fire on goal, only to be denied by David Stockdale in the Fulham goal. Having managed to stay onside, it was unfortunate that the young English could not finish off such a fine move. However the away side did not have to wait too long to take the lead as four minutes later, Oliver Giroud netted his third goal in as many games. The Frenchman could not get out of the way of Ramsey’s shot, the ball getting caught under his feet. Yet as the ball squirmed away and with Stockdale rushing off his line, Giroud reacted quickly, readjusting his feet before flicking the ball into the bottom corner of the net, with the outside of his foot.

Although two minutes later, Szczesny was forced into an excellent double save, first pushing Taraabt’s low shot away from goal and then blocking Damien Duff’s follow up, unlike a week earlier against Aston Villa, having taken an early lead, Arsenal never looked back.  With Fulham committing men forward in search of an equaliser, the game was perfectly set up for the Gunners to sit deep and defend well before hitting Fulham on the counter attack. Walcott in particular drove forward at will and led the Arsenal counter attack time and time again. The speed at which the Gunners attacked was exceptional, leaving the hosts practically no chance to recover.

One such counter attack in the 38^th minute should have resulted in Arsenal doubling their lead. Walcott sprinting forward once more and with several yellow shirts supporting the attack, Walcott picked out Kieran Gibbs, but the young left back could not continue where he had left off against Fenerbache and failed to hit the target. As with the first goal however, the Gunners did not have a long wait before doubling their tally. In the 41^st minute Walcott raced forward once more, the Fulham defence simply unable to live with him, before firing on goal. Stockdale made a fine save, but could only parry the ball back into the centre of the penalty area for Lukas Podolski to fire home.

Much had been  made of the fact the German international  had not started the first two games of the season, with Podolski even being linked with a move away from the Emirates stadium. However I believe he is an integral member of the Arsenal squad. While he may appear to be having a quiet game at times, Podolski possess the wonderful gift of being able to find himself in the right place at the right time and his finishing ability is up there with the very best. These two qualities combined make Podolski a constant threat.

The match continued in the same vein during the second half, with the Gunners happily inviting Fulham onto them, seeking to hit them on the counter attack. In the 68^th minute, one such attack led to Arsenal taking an insurmountable three goal lead. The goal owed much to Giroud’s excellent hold up play, as the Frenchman wonderfully controlled a looped ball forward by Mertesacker. Having brought the ball under his spell, Giroud laid the ball back to Walcott who raced forward before feeding Cazorla on the edge of the box. The Spaniard teased the Fulham defence, waiting for the opportune moment to roll the ball back, into the path of Podolski. Having already opened his account for the new campaign, the German exuded supreme confidence as he took one touch, before arrowing a shot across Stockdale and into the far corner of the goal.

Darren Bent’s consolation goal in the 77^th minute set up the prospect of an unlikely comeback, but Arsene Wenger’s side would not be undone. The Gunners could take great pride from not just the victory but also their excellent performance. Although no new signings have been announced since last week the mood around the club has lifted considerably as supporters realise that their team is not actually as bad as has been made out in the media. The next week will now prove critical as Wenger aims to strengthen his squad before the transfer window slams shut while Arsenal look to secure their passage into the Champions League group stage as well as facing the North London derby. Having recovered from a dreadful start, the Gunners must now continue to build on their encouraging performances in the last two games.