MY ACCOUNT
Gabriel scored a late winner as Arsenal fought back from behind to beat Fulham 2-1 and maintain their perfect start to the season.
The Gunners dominated the game but could not find a way past former goalkeeper Bernd Leno and in the 56th minute, Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic capitalised on an error from Gabriel to open the scoring against the run of play.
Just six minutes later, however, Arsenal responded as skipper Martin Odegaard lashed into the bottom corner after being fed by Bukayo Saka on the edge of the box.
Gabriel then made amends for his error with just four minutes remaining, turning Gabriel Martinelli’s corner in from close range to win the game after the inswinging delivery deflected into his path off William Saliba.
Arsenal captain and goalscorer Odegaard hailed the character the team displayed to come from behind.
He said: “It was brilliant. We knew it was going to be a tough game. We fought, showed great team spirit and it’s an amazing feeling.
“We played really well in the first half, we just missed the goal but that happens. [Gabriel] showed great character to come back and score the winning goal. It shows the character of the team. When someone makes a mistake, we lift them back up.
“We have to stay calm, take it game by game, work hard and win the next game. That’s the mindset.
“It’s a great chemistry with the fans. We made a mistake with the first goal but they kept supporting us. We’re grateful for all the support we get.”
Fulham’s goalscorer Mitrovic says the result is difficult to take after the effort he and his team-mates put in.
He said: “[It] hurts a lot. That is football, sometimes you win, last week last minute but today we lost.
“We gave everything out there, we fought until the end but we conceded two unlucky goals. The first was a rebound, the second was after a ricochet. Very sad we didn’t take any points but we move on.
“We are here, we are going to challenge everything, we will try to push hard and challenge every team, no matter who we face.
“We have to learn from some mistakes. In a few situations we had to be a bit more clinical. They have had a really good season so far, it is a tough place to come. Plenty more points to play for.”
