Kai Havertz leaves Mikel Arteta red

Aug 29, 2023

A frustrated Arsenal were held to a 2-2 draw by 10-man Fulham in an enthralling London derby on Saturday. The Gunners came from behind to lead 2-1 thanks to goals by Bukayo Saka and Eddie Nketiah - only for Joao Palhinha to bundle home an equaliser late on.

Here are five takeaways as Arteta is forced back to the drawing board after an underwhelming display.

Havertz frustrates

Kai Havertz epitomised Arsenal’s frustration in the opening hour. The German seemed a yard off the pace and a couple of unnecessary offsides nullified promising Arsenal attacks.

Havertz had strayed beyond Fulham’s defence before setting up Odegaard for what would have been an equaliser. The summer arrival from Chelsea also missed an excellent chance to score in the first half, sliding in only to divert the ball well wide of goal.

Arteta worked hard to secure Havertz’s signature earlier in the summer. But it seems the 24-year-old will need plenty of time before fans will see the fruits of the transfer. Havertz has endured an underwhelming start to life at the Emirates Stadium and there are already plenty of people questioning Arteta's decision to splash out on him.

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Arteta picks the wrong team - but subs impress

Eyebrows were raised when Arteta named a team without a recognised striker. Leandro Trossard was selected as an auxiliary No 9, flanked by Saka and Gabriel Martinelli.

Trossard lasted only until half-time before being hauled off. Eddie Nketiah - who has played well in Arsenal’s first two Premier League games - was brought on in place of the former Brighton man. He and Fabio Vieira - another substitute - combined to bail out their underperforming team-mates.

Arsenal immediately looked better with a more natural striker on the pitch but still struggled to find the net. That will worry Arteta.

Ramsdale under pressure

Until a few weeks ago, Aaron Ramsdale seemed untouchable as Arsenal’s No 1. But the addition of David Raya has thrown that into doubt.

It was Ramsdale's bizarre error that handed Fulham the lead inside the opening minute. The England goalkeeper was caught out of position and struggled to adjust his feet as Andreas Pereira took aim from 40 yards. What should have been an easy save for Ramsdale was turned into a mess - giving Arsenal a mountain to climb.

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Five stars struggle

Arsenal made extremely hard work of this game, caused largely by some underperforming stars. Ramsdale was poor for Fulham’s goal, while the likes of Martin Odegaard, Havertz, Martinelli and Trossard struggled.

Odegaard gave away possession on too many occasions - this was a rare below-par display from the Arsenal captain. And he was not helped by those around him.

Arteta given food for thought

Young midfielder Vieira has given Arteta plenty of thinking to do over the Portuguese ace’s Arsenal future. The playmaker has been starved of action since the turn of the year, starting just two Premier League fixtures.

But it was his immediate impact from the substitutes’ bench that hauled the Gunners back into this game. His trickery saw him go past Kenny Tete, whose rash challenge handed Arsenal a penalty. Saka calmly rolled home the spot-kick.

Vieira then provided a sumptuous cross for fellow substitute Nketiah to score a second Arsenal goal. The former Porto talent will hope his performance has earned him more opportunities.

But that was not enough for Arsenal, despite Nketiah forcing Fulham full debutant Calvin Bassey into a rash second yellow card. Palhinha secured a point for Fulham in the final minutes of the game.