Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said his side were “10 times better than last season” despite dropping points for the first time in this Premier League campaign against 10-man Fulham.
The Gunners thought goals from Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah would be enough for victory after falling behind in the first minute at Emirates Stadium.
But, after Calvin Bassey was sent off, Joao Palhinha rescued a 2-2 draw for Fulham by scoring from close range in the 87th minute.
“We go 2-1 up and you have to defend for your life, you cannot concede the goal after everything we have done,” said Arteta.
“We should have scored five, six, seven (goals).
“If I compare the game this season to last season, we were 10 times better than last season. At least 10.”
Arsenal went behind to a defensive error in this fixture last term, on the same August weekend, but they recovered to win 2-1 that time.
Here they trailed after 57 seconds after gifting the visitors possession and handing Andreas Pereira an opener, but Arteta was pleased with the response.
“In the first minute when you make the mistake that we made and you just give a goal to the opponent the game becomes much more difficult,” said Arteta.
“The reaction straight after that and the chances we generated, we didn’t give anything away. We controlled the game for full periods but we didn’t score the goal.”
Substitutes Nketiah and Fabio Vieira had a telling influence after the break, to Arteta’s satisfaction.
“In the second half we made some changes and the dynamic changed, we had better relationships,” Arteta said.
“The subs made a huge difference and great impact. I love the determination and the confidence they brought to the team.”
Are tactical tweaks working for Arteta?
The first two games of Arsenal’s season saw them pick up unconvincing victories against Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace, and for long periods Fulham were able to frustrate Arteta’s side.
Arteta has tweaked the tactical system this year. Arsenal are still lining up in a familiar 4-3-3 formation, but the roles required of some of the players are very different to last season when they competed for the Premier League title.
Thomas Partey is starting at full-back and being asked to move into midfield when the team are in possession. That leaves new £105m signing Declan Rice as the deepest midfielder, in front of a back three when Partey joins the Arsenal attacks.
Ahead of Rice is £65m summer signing Kai Havertz, and at times the crowd were frustrated with the decisions the 24-year-old was making.
Arteta was able to rescue the frustrating performance. The introduction of Vieira was telling as he won the penalty Saka scored from and then assisted Nketiah to put Arsenal in the lead, lifting the home supporters.
Arteta said the substitutions meant there were “better relationships” on the pitch, so maybe he will revert back to the successful system of last season for their next match against Manchester United.
‘I don’t think they’ve learned much’
Even before the draw with Fulham, some fans were not too optimistic heading into the game.
Arsenal had a 2-0 lead against Nottingham Forest on the opening day of the season but had a nervy ending after conceding in the final 10 minutes, and at Crystal Palace they had to hold on to the three points after going down to 10 men.
“They’ve started all right,” fan Mitchell Brooks said. “The Palace game was a bit on the ropes, the red card was a bad decision. The first game, it just dropped off near the end. They could have closed the game out a bit earlier.
“They probably could have dealt with that a bit better, which is what we saw the last two seasons. Last season, especially the end of the season, they got a bit shaky.
“I don’t think they’ve learned that much considering what happened last season.”
Another supporter who has been coming since 1976 thinks Arteta’s tactical changes have not suited the team and are among the reasons for the stuttering start.
“I think Arteta is trying too hard with the formation” he said.
“I don’t know why he is playing Partey at right-back. I think it just needs to sort itself out. I don’t think we have the same fluency as we had in our great start we had last year.
“He is overthinking it. Keep it simple, keep everyone playing in the same position and we will be all right.”
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown also said the Gunners must learn from conceding late on.
“Performances like this at home towards the end of last season were what stopped Arsenal going on to win the title,” Keown told BBC Final Score.
“A disappointment for them and they have to learn from it.”
