Viktor Gyokeres scored twice, helping Arsenal send a strong warning to Manchester City in the Premier League championship race with a 3-0 victory over Fulham at Emirates Stadium.
Bukayo Saka - in his first start since losing to Man City in the Carabao Cup final on March 22 - left a strong mark with an assist and a goal. He "prepared the feast" for Gyokeres to open the score in the 9th minute, before doubling the gap himself in the 40th minute.
Before the first half ended, Gyokeres completed a double with a header from Leandro Trossard's cross in injury time, sealing a 3-0 lead for Arsenal.
This result helps the "Gunners" temporarily be 6 points ahead of Man City, and also have a better goal difference of 4 goals, despite having played 2 more matches. Coach Pep Guardiola's team will meet Everton and Brentford respectively, before Arsenal returns to the confrontation with West Ham United.
After a prolonged tense period, Arsenal presented one of the best halves of the season. Saka's return from injury brought a clear difference, when he made his mark from the first minutes with a dribble past Raul Jimenez before assisting Gyokeres to score.
In this stage, we must win the remaining matches. Arsenal has shown a good performance and is very happy to win 3 points. I think we always enter the match with the belief that we will play well and create many opportunities. Today we did that and we are very excited" - Gyokeres shared.
Unlike the previous match against Newcastle United, this time Arsenal maintained control and bravery. Although Riccardo Calafiori once put the ball into the net but was rejected by VAR, the home team continued to increase pressure.
The second goal came from a sharp combination when Gyokeres assisted Saka to finish past Bernd Leno. Immediately after that, Trossard comfortably rushed forward before crossing the ball for Gyokeres to complete a double.
Due to having to save energy for the UEFA Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid, Saka was substituted out after halftime. Gyokeres almost scored a hat-trick if he hadn't been rejected by Leno, while Declan Rice was also substituted out early.
In goal, David Raya made an excellent save against Timothy Castagne's shot, while Emile Smith Rowe sent the ball close to the post in the confrontation with his old team. At the end of the match, Calafiori headed into the crossbar from Noni Madueke's corner kick.
With the remaining 3 matches against West Ham, Burnley and Crystal Palace, Arsenal continues to nurture hopes of winning their first Premier League title since 2004. The pressure is now shifted to Man City in the championship race.
This victory shows that we are still nurturing the dream of winning the championship. What the players have done throughout this season is extraordinary.
We have won the most victories in club history in one season, but things are not over yet. There are 3 more matches ahead" - Arteta said.
