Fulham manager Marco Silva has hit out at "lucky" Arsenal after the Gunners beat his team 2-1 on Saturday.
The Cottagers took the lead in north London against their unbeaten opponents. However, their advantage didn't last long, with Martin Odegaard drawing the visitors level and Gabriel's late finish giving Arsenal all three points.
Fulham's own unbeaten league record went as a result. And manager Silva, who had been enjoying an impressive start to the season after leading the London side into the top flight, made clear his feelings after a tight game went the way of the home side at the Emirates Stadium.
"They [Arsenal] didn’t have many clear chances, they had two goals and both were lucky goals," Silva said. "It was bad luck for us.
"I didn’t see many clear chances for Arsenal. After 1-0 when the game seemed to be more open they had luck to score with the deflection. Even after they scored the winner we tried until the end. I hope the bad luck we had this evening will go our way in the future."
Silva said his team "took many positives" and reacted well to their opponents' goals, with home goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale twice denying them as Aleksandar Mitrovic and Nathaniel Chalobah went close.
"All the credit to my players, from the first to the last minute, our desire to raise to the challenge was there," Silva said. "Second-half was tough for us on the ball. The pressure from Arsenal was strong but we continued to create chances. We can do better but we deserved to get more from this game.
“In that moment, the way they scored that goal with the deflection was bad luck and the second goal, they don’t know how they scored the goal, that’s the reality," Silva added. “It didn’t come for us the result but this attitude, this commitment we showed this afternoon, it will come for us I don’t have doubts.”
The former Everton manager also had praise for Bernd Leno, despite the former Arsenal keeper being blamed by some for his old club's winner. "He is giving us everything what I expected from him. Quality, class, maturity, experiences, he’s giving everything, and he can give more," Silva said.
Did Arsenal deserve their win? Have your say in the comments section
Arsenal's win took them up to 12 points, keeping them top of the table. Manchester City had briefly overtaken Arteta's team with their 4-2 victory over Crystal Palace in one of the 3pm kickoffs.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta praised the response of Gabriel after his mistake played a part in Mitrovic's opener for the visitors. He said he was not surprised by the Brazilian's recovery, while also praising captain Martin Odegaard.
“It’s not a coincidence because Gabi has changed his mentality and the way he approaches every day is different to a year ago.," Arteta said. "How he looks after himself every day, what is most important in his life apart from his little daughter and his family, and how consistent he is every day in his habits and how much he really wants to become one of the best.
“Influence,“and in difficult moments take the ball, that’s what [Odegaard] has done. I’m really happy with the performance, with the attitude and the mentality the team showed."
