For the second time in a week, Arsenal let a two-goal lead slip. But whereas against Schalke, it was against superior opposition who had strong possession, and whose goals came after periods of constant pressure – against Fulham it felt like self-induced collapse.

Control and power

Arsenal started so brightly, and were ahead with their first attempt on goal in the 11^th minute. Great movement down the right by Walcott, Cazorla and Sagna was rewarded with a corner.

Driven in by Walcott, Giroud rose majestically to power a header past Schwarzer. He got a hand on it, but the power of the header was too much for him.

Fulham were down to ten men when the second went in. Kieran Richardson pulled up with a hamstring injury and, while Fulham were readying their substitute, Arsenal showed a calmness and control – expertly passing the ball around the edge of the area, until Arteta drove into space and neatly passed the ball through to Podolski who sharply beat his marker and gave Arsenal the sort of breathing space which ought to have been enough to pave the way to a handsome victory.

Sloppy defence

But shortly afterwards, Vermaelen gave away a soft corner and with a stooping header, Berbatov had pulled one back for the visitors. Somehow the Arsenal defenders managed to misjudge, mistime, or completely ignore the ball from the corner, and the former United player gratefully nodded it past Mannone. It was their first attempt on goal.

The second, a few minutes later, also came from some sloppiness on the left. Berbatov was at the heart of it again – exchanging passes with Ruiz, before Kacaniklic steered a neat header into the net to bring the scores level. And it was almost three on the stroke of half-time, when the defence seemed to fall asleep yet again, before Dejagah steered the ball just wide of the post.

Arsenal started the second half as they had played for much of the first, with a confident control of the ball. But it was occasionally over-confident, and Arteta in particular was unusually sloppy. He was robbed of the ball on the edge of the area, and could only clumsily bring down Ruiz, with Berbatov gratefully scoring the resulting penalty.

Schwarzer – the one who got away

At 3-2, Arsenal were still in it and looked the more menacing of the two sides – with both Walcott and Giroud bringing sharp saves from Schwarzer before the equalizer came from yet another Giroud header. What a shame Arsenal didn’t sign him a couple of seasons ago. He was on brilliant form yesterday.

But from having been two-up, even a 4-3 win would have felt desperate and unnecessary. And, despite the strong forward play, Arsenal remained scarily vulnerable on the break. Arteta lost the ball, Sagna slipped, Vermaelen mistimed….. time after time the Arsenal defence seemed intent on letting Fulham have the three points.

The penalty when it was awarded felt like a reward for Arsenal’s pressure – but it was very harsh, with one of those ball-to-hand moments which rarely are given. So, perhaps justice was done when Schwarzer pulled off an expert save to his left from Arteta’s strong, but ultimately unsuccessful spot-kick.

Giroud

All credit must go to Giroud for his display. Two goals scored, and he could easily have had two more: one brilliant drive from a full 25 yards was superbly turned around the post by Schwarzer, and with the goal gaping on another occasion, he fashioned his easy header wide.

He won virtually every high ball played up to him, and showed great centre-forward control, with regular cushion-headers to partners left and right, and strong link-up play.

He was at the heart of everything good about Arsenal, and is now showing the sort of form which made him top-scorer in the French league last season.

The Berba and Ruiz show

But the man-of-the-match for me was Berbatov. He showed imperious control throughout and his partnership with Ruiz tormented Arsenal all afternoon. Often playing very deep, much of Fulham’s play started with Berbatov and, as we know, two of their moves finished with him too. Ruiz, his foil, was always close to hand.

It was a poor defensive show from Arsenal, and they need to be drilled to control the game and remain focused when they have a lead (there was a time….). But, to be fair to Fulham, they have an enviable central midfield, and took their chances when they came, and could easily have nicked the three-points themselves.

Arsenal need to dust themselves down, tighten up at the back, and get ready for what could be a season-defining north London derby next week.

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