Eddie Nketiah gave Arsenal the lead. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)
2. Eddie Nketiah
Of course, Nketiah’s main contribution today was his fantastic finish. A lovely side-foot, it gave Bernd Leno no chance. The ex-Arsenal keeper was very impressive today but Nketiah slammed the ball out of reach.
I was also very impressed with his hold-up play. Nketiah has improved so much in the past couple of seasons with only limited game time. He dribbles incredibly well and is strong enough to back into any centre-back and come out on top.
He was so energetic and pressed constantly. His constant runs in behind were a nuisance for Fulham and he often found space for himself in the penalty area. Give Nketiah minutes on a football pitch and he will score goals. He thoroughly deserves to start in the foreseeable future for Arsenal.
Trossard is by no means a bad player but he had a poor display today and cannot play in that CF role like Nketiah can.
Continued on the next slide…
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<p>— AI (@nonewthing) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/08/26/3-standout-arsenal-players-disappointing-draw-fulham/2/"https://twitter.com/nonewthing/status/1695467891385409694?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>August 26, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<h2>1. Fabio Vieira</h2>
<p>Without a doubt, his best performance in an Arsenal shirt. He came on in the 59th minute and Arsenal instantly looked like a different team, with Havertz’s indecision replaced by Vieira’s precision and sharpness.</p>
<p>Vieira managed to knock the ball past Fulham full-back Kenny Tete who then tripped him up to win the Gunners a penalty. Just a couple of minutes later, he swung in an incredible ball to Eddie Nketiah which fell at the striker’s feet. Eddie calmly buried it and the Emirates was rocking.</p>
<p>Anytime the Portuguese midfielder had the ball, he looked dangerous. The man is supposed to be a goal and assist machine, and in Saturday’s game, it’s clear why. He has a killer instinct and an efficiency that is extremely rare in football.</p>
<p>His performance will be very difficult for Mikel Arteta to ignore. He has a much better understanding with Gabriel Martinelli than Havertz and would light up that left side with the Brazilian. He must start next week against Manchester United.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/08/26/3-standout-arsenal-players-disappointing-draw-fulham/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 standout performer </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_136041" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-136041" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/08/26/3-standout-arsenal-players-disappointing-draw-fulham/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1706,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1625672781-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1625672781-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1625672781-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1625672781-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1625672781-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Eddie Nketiah gave Arsenal the lead. (Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>2. Eddie Nketiah</h2>
<p>Of course, Nketiah’s main contribution today was his fantastic finish. A lovely side-foot, it gave Bernd Leno no chance. The ex-Arsenal keeper was very impressive today but Nketiah slammed the ball out of reach.</p>
<p>I was also very impressed with his hold-up play. Nketiah has improved so much in the past couple of seasons with only limited game time. He dribbles incredibly well and is strong enough to back into any centre-back and come out on top.</p>
<p>He was so energetic and pressed constantly. His constant runs in behind were a nuisance for Fulham and he often found space for himself in the penalty area. Give Nketiah minutes on a football pitch and he will score goals. He thoroughly deserves to start in the foreseeable future for Arsenal.</p>
<p>Trossard is by no means a bad player but he had a poor display today and cannot play in that CF role like Nketiah can.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/08/26/3-standout-arsenal-players-disappointing-draw-fulham/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 standout performer </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><div id="attachment_136048" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-136048" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/08/26/3-standout-arsenal-players-disappointing-draw-fulham/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1718,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1640410074-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1718" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1640410074-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1640410074-768x515.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1640410074-1536x1031.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1640410074-2048x1374.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Zinchenko (R) made a difference when he came on. (Photo by Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)</p>
</div>
<h2>3. Oleksandr Zinchenko</h2>
<p>It was the double change of Zinchenko and Vieira that electrified the Emirates Stadium and got the fans rocking again. The Ukrainian played very confidently, playing difficult passes very precisely and energising the team.</p>
<p>He overlapped well with Martinelli and sent in some dangerous crosses, but it was his influence in the middle of the park that was most impressive. He gave Arsenal a rhythm and an urgency that the team didn’t have before.</p>
<p>It is true that he gave away the ball that then led to a corner that Fulham equalised from, but that was the only real blemish on an otherwise very impressive display.</p>
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<p>With Partey so far inverting from the right-back position but not looking up to the task, Arsenal fans should be very reassured by the return of Zinchenko.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
