Leandro Trossard, a Belgian forward, became the first player in the history of the Premier League to assist a hat-trick of away goals just before halftime in a crushing 3-0 victory against Fulham. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard complimented Trossard’s “incredible” effect since joining the team.
As Gabriel Jesus made his long-awaited comeback from a knee injury, January signing Trossard shone in a masterful first-half performance that restored Arsenal’s five-point lead atop the Premier League. Trossard assisted headers by Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli as well as Odegaard’s goal in stoppage time.
According to Sky Sports, Odegaard said of the $32.5 million ($27.4 million) signing from Brighton & Hove Albion, “I love to play alongside him. He has contributed some incredible things to the squad. He’s always trying to locate the best pass. I fired my shot towards the corner while remaining composed. We are delighted to have him on the squad.
Lineups:
Leno (GK) — Tete, Adarabioyo, Ream, Robinson – Reed, Lukic – De Cordova-Reid, Pereira, Solomon – Mitrovic are the members of Fulham’s starting Lineup (4-2-3-1).
Rodak (GK), Wickens, Wilson, James, Vinicius, Diop, Francois, Harris, and Robinson are the substitutes for Fulham.
Ramsdale (GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko — Odegaard, Partey, Xhaka — Saka, Trossard, Martinelli are the players starting for Arsenal in a 4-3-3 formation.
Turner (GK), Tierney, Jesus, Smith Rowe, Holding, Tomiyasu, Jorginho, Vieira, and Nelson are the substitutes for Arsenal.
The victory allows Arsenal to regain the lead they had over Manchester City at the start of the weekend and makes them the first Premier League club to ever win five straight away London derbies while maintaining a perfect record.
With an early warning for Fulham, Antonee Robinson’s own goal was disallowed because Martinelli was offside. Fulham didn’t manage a shot on goal in the first half but improved in the second and Aleksandar Mitrovic’s header struck the crossbar.
After 21 minutes, Gabriel gave the visitors the lead from the latest of many Trossard corners, and five minutes later, Martinelli followed suit from a cross from the same left wing after being given plenty of room inside the penalty box.
Odegaard got the third goal after taking advantage of Fulham’s careless defending. Fulham suffered their second straight loss and are now ranked ninth in the standings.
Arsenal has made money
The strain on an Arsenal team that was engaged in a thrilling 2-2 draw at Sporting CP in Portugal in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday grew when Erling Haaland’s late penalty gave Manchester City victory at Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Any worries about playing again so soon after their return from Lisbon were quickly put out by Arteta’s team in a carefree manner.
The goalkeeper, who is often a dependable presence, made matters worse when he gave Andreas Pereira a chance to miss from a close angle, encapsulating the team’s shocking lack of danger despite having suffered only one loss in their previous eight home games across all competitions.
By the time Martinelli turned the ball into his own net, Robinson had already given Arsenal the opportunity to put themselves in danger with a careless foul on Bukayo Saka. The defender was unable to react quickly enough after Bernd Leno parried the Brazil international’s shot following a furious Martinelli run.
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