Bukayo Saka battles for the ballImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Arsenal moved to within six points of leaders Liverpool after the draw at Fulham

Arsenal had a late goal disallowed as they missed the chance to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points with a draw against Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Bukayo Saka thought he had given the Gunners all three points when he headed in Gabriel Martinelli's cross two minutes from time, but the goal was disallowed after the Brazilian was found to be offside during the build-up.

Raul Jimenez, with his sixth goal of the season, put Fulham in front against the run of play when he latched on to Kenny Tete's ball down the line to fire past David Raya from a tight angle.

Arsenal, looking to capitalise on the postponement of Liverpool's Merseyside derby against Everton on Saturday, struggled to carve out opportunities from open play in the first half and managed just one shot on target from Saka.

But Mikel Arteta's side were level within six minutes of the second half after a well-worked corner kick routine saw William Saliba convert Kai Havertz's knockdown.

It was one-way traffic after that as Arsenal pushed to find a winner but they struggled to break down a resolute Fulham side.

The draw means Arsenal are six points behind leaders Liverpool, having played a game more.

Fulham end testing week on a high

After the 4-1 defeat at home to Wolves a fortnight ago, Fulham fans could have been forgiven for dreading a games against Tottenham, Brighton and Arsenal within seven days.

In hindsight, they need not have worried.

A spirited draw against Spurs last weekend was bettered by a 3-1 win against Brighton in midweek.

The visit of Arsenal, though, was the toughest of the lot.

Silva made four changes to his starting line-up from the team that beat Brighton.

In came Tete, Sasa Lukic, Jimenez and Adama Traore with Timothy Castagne, Reiss Nelson, Rodrigo Muniz and Harry Wilson dropping out.

The Cottagers had to weather an early storm as Arsenal settled instantly into their rhythm.

But it was two of Silva's changes that combined to give Fulham the lead in the 11th minute.

Tete - remarkably, with his first touch of the game - threaded a lovely ball down the line between Jurrien Timber and Jakub Kiwior to find Jimenez.

The Mexican, quickly accompanied by Saliba, had plenty to do but he took Raya by surprise by taking his shot early and finding the bottom corner.

It was the home side's only shot on target in the first half but Fulham were good value for their lead as they limited Arsenal to just one shot on target of their own.

A less determined side would have caved after Saliba's equaliser, as Arsenal dominated the remainder of the match in search of a winner.

The Cottagers carried a counter-attacking threat of their own through substitutes Harry Wilson and Andreas Pereira, with the latter testing Raya at his near post late on.

It was the end of a testing week for Silva's side but it is one that they have passed with flying colours by taking five points from the nine available.

Set piece routines pay dividends again for Arsenal

The Gunners were well below their best in the first half, lacking the sharpness that that they have shown in wins against West Ham, Manchester United and Sporting in recent weeks.

Saka had the Gunners' only shot on target in the opening 45 minutes as the Gunners struggled to create opportunities from open play.

Much was made of Arsenal's prowess from set pieces following the 2-0 win against Manchester United in midweek, with both goals coming from corner kick routines.

The Gunners had set piece coach Nicolas Jover to thank again as they equalised at Craven Cottage with a routine straight from the training ground.

Declan Rice whipped a brilliant in-swinging corner in from the left to the back post, where Havertz nodded down for Saliba to tap home.

The goal - which survived a video assistant referee (VAR) review - was Arsenal's 23rd scored from a corner since the start of the 2023-24 season, more than any club in Europe during that time.

Arteta's side managed just four shots on target during the game and their best opportunities once again came from dead ball situations.

After Liverpool's game against Everton was postponed, the Gunners had the chance to close the gap on the Reds to four points.

They will rue that they could not take full advantage of the opportunity.

Player of the match

Number: 17 A. Iwobi
Average rating 7.27
Number: 17 A. Iwobi
Average Rating: 7.27
Number: 7 R. Jiménez
Average Rating: 7.26
Number: 16 S. Berge
Average Rating: 7.22
Number: 1 B. Leno
Average Rating: 7.20
Number: 2 K. Tete
Average Rating: 7.14
Number: 31 I. Diop
Average Rating: 7.12
Number: 33 A. Robinson
Average Rating: 7.12
Number: 3 C. Bassey
Average Rating: 7.08
Number: 20 S. Lukić
Average Rating: 6.98
Number: 32 E. Smith Rowe
Average Rating: 6.78
Number: 8 H. Wilson
Average Rating: 6.78
Number: 11 Adama Traoré
Average Rating: 6.65
Number: 15 Jorge Cuenca
Average Rating: 6.50
Number: 18 Andreas Pereira
Average Rating: 6.42
Number: 9 Rodrigo Muniz
Average Rating: 6.37

After the opportunity to rate players has closed, the score displayed represents the average from all the submissions by BBC Sport users.