Drenched by the December rain, Mikel Arteta headed over to the away end at Craven Cottage to applaud the Arsenal supporters.
He cut a defiant figure after watching his side draw at Fulham, but speaking afterwards his true feelings were made clear.
“Gutted” was the word Arteta used, with the fact that Bukayo Saka’s late goal was chalked off by VAR because Gabriel Martinelli was offside in the build-up only adding to the agony.
“At the end, we find a way to score. It was disallowed, emotionally that was tough,” he said.
This felt like a missed opportunity for Arsenal in the title race and that explains Arteta’s anguish. After Saturday’s Merseyside derby was called off due to bad weather, the Gunners had the chance to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points with a win on Sunday.
In the end, though, their 1-1 draw with Fulham only narrowed the gap to six - and now Liverpool have a game in hand, too. Credit must go to Marco Silva’s side for that. They took four points off Arsenal last season and were excellent again on Sunday.
Left-back Antonee Robinson dealt with Saka better than perhaps anyone else so far this season, while the midfield pairing of Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic stifled Martin Odegaard.
William Saliba’s equaliser - and Arsenal’s best attacking moments - came from set-pieces, which felt like an event in themselves. Arsenal fans greeted them with with “whoas” of anticipation, while Fulham supporters cheered each one being cleared as if they’d scored.
Arsenal dominated possession and Fulham’s game plan was summed up by the fact that Raul Jimenez scored after 11 minutes with their only shot of the first half. They had one more effort after the break, but other than that they were happy to sit deep and frustrate.
The Gunners could not find a way through and, not for the first time this season, it felt like injuries took their toll. Oleksandr Zinchenko added to Arsenal’s list of defensive absentees, which now stands at five with Ben White, Gabriel, Riccardo Calafiori and Takehiro Tomiyasu all out, too.
It meant Thomas Partey moved from midfield to right-back and Jurrien Timber switched flanks. As a result, Arsenal’s right side suffered because Saka did not have enough overlapping support to stop himself being doubled up on.
On days like this, Arteta needs to find solutions from the bench. Martinelli thought he had done that by coming on to set up Saka with minutes to go, but VAR correctly ruled that he was offside in the build-up.
Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson said it was “criminal” for Martinelli to be offside, given he was looking across the defensive line, but either way the fact that Saka’s goal was chalked off continued a trend of the Gunners’ bench failing to make an impact.
In the Premier League this season, Arsenal’s substitutes have contributed four goals and one assist - and that number has only recently increased. Before they returned from the most recent international break last month, Arsenal’s bench had contributed just two goals.
The impact of their substitutes was one of Arsenal’s biggest weapons in the title race last year. At this same stage last season, the number of goal involvements from the bench stood at 11 instead of five.
They finished the season with 12 goals and eight assists from substitutes, the fourth-best tally in the Premier League. This season, their tally is currently the eighth best.
Arteta places huge importance on the role of the bench and it is born out of the coaching group he is a part of, which includes those from American football, basketball and rugby.
Arsenal’s substitutes must offer more, or else it is a problem that will need fixing in January
New Zealand rugby head coach Scott Robertson, whose players visited Arsenal’s training ground last month, has renamed his bench ‘impact’. Arteta changed the name of his substitutes to ‘impactors’ early on during his time in charge.
There is a distinct lack of impact from Arsenal’s bench right now, though, and that needs to change as they head into a busy run.
Gabriel Jesus looks devoid of confidence, which is no surprise given that his last league goal came in January. Raheem Sterling was, again, an unused substitute on Sunday and cannot get a look in. Leandro Trossard, Arsenal’s most productive substitute last season, has become a starter this year.
It has left Arteta’s bench looking toothless at times and it speaks volumes that Ethan Nwaneri, who will not turn 18 until March, feels like their most exciting weapon. Arsenal’s substitutes must offer more, or else it is a problem that will need fixing in January.
