Arsenal's good form continues, with a 1-0 win over Fulham. But that was the only positive to take. It was a dire display, and with Olivier Giroud being red carded, the Gunners have to play three of their four remaining matches with either Theo Walcott or Lukas Podolski in attack.
Wojciech Szczesny - 7 – Was busier that he might have expected, and made some decent saves. Although, he was reprieved by Sian Massey's offside flag when Fulham (rightly) had a goal disallowed.
Bacary Sagna - 7 – Didn't always look comfortable, but played his part in the Arsenal bulwark when Fulham turned up the pressure in the closing stages. Made some important interventions in defence, but offered little going forward.
Per Mertesacker – 7 – Some of his positioning wasn't up to its usual standard early on, at one point leaving Dimitar Berbatov with a free run on goal. But he improved as the game progressed, and was a key figure in the second-half. His winning goal may be the biggest one he'll score in an Arsenal shirt.
Laurent Koscielny – 7 – A solid display from a man who's fast becoming the club's best defender. Dealt well with a series of crosses from the wide areas, and managed to evade Bryan Ruiz to assist the goal from Mertesacker.
Nacho Monreal - 6 – Lost out in a 1 vs 1 situation against Urby Emmanuelson early on, and struggled with the Dutchman throughout. His distribution was also very poor, and Kieran Gibbs might have been a better option to start. However, it'd be remiss not to mention his goal saving clearance in stoppage-time.
Mikel Arteta – 6 – While he saw plenty of the ball, and kept his pass success rate high (92%), he never exerted control of the midfield. Could possibly have been sent-off for fouling Alex Kacaniklic when on a yellow card, and conceded possession carelessly when Arsenal needed him to keep the ball better.
Aaron Ramsey - 7 – Arsenal looked sluggish, with Ramsey one of the few players to give any urgency to the side. His propensity to give away free-kicks is maddening, but he's fast becoming an important cog in the Arsenal machine. While some players look to be running on empty, Ramsey is Arsenal's 'Duracell bunny'.
Tomas Rosicky - 6 – I have to wonder if Rosicky was match-fit, as the usual alacrity and prompting we see from him was conspicuous by its absence. Didn't make any glaring mistakes, but never did much to hurt the Fulham rearguard either.
Theo Walcott – 5 – Another listless display. Bar his free-kick, which led to the goal, there's very little that's positive to say about Theo's performance. At a time of the season where we need our dangermen firing, he's been poor since returning from injury. A pass completion rate of only 23% says a lot.
Olivier Giroud - 5 – Was unlucky with one shot that clipped the post, but otherwise this was substandard fare. He failed to hold the ball up and link with the midfield. This was only exacerbated by his red card, which while a touch harsh, was a careless tackle from the Frenchman. He'll be banned until the final match of the season.
Santi Cazorla – 5 – While he worked hard, the Spaniard could be another who has little left in his tank. Didn't do much to harm the Fulham defence, and was sloppy with his passing and set-pieces. He appears to be more effective playing centrally than on the flank.
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Lukas Podolski – 5 – Saw little of the ball, and his impact was negligible.
Jack Wilshere – 7 – Played quite well, being one of the few Arsenal players to look comfortable when Fulham were looking dangerous. Might be beginning to shake off the ring-rust.
Thomas Vermaelen– n/a – Came on in stoppage-time to thicken up the defence.
If Man City and/or Liverpool can do Arsenal a favour tomorrow, then this will be quite a productive weekend. But the spectre of Giroud's red card could hang over the final furlong in the quest for the top four.
Either way, one thing is certain; Arsenal can forget Champions League qualification if they play like they did today for the remainder of the season.
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