This was supposed to be the period that cemented their title aspirations; the crucial few weeks in which Mikel Arteta's side built up a points haul to sustain them when winter turns to spring and the depth of their rivals' squads is likely to have an increasingly important say in where the Premier League trophy ends up. Instead, it has exposed their biggest frailties and led to serious questions over how realistic their credentials actually are.
Defeat here against a Fulham side that had lost their last three league games by an aggregate of 8-0 meant a busy December that began with narrow victories over Wolves and Luton has concluded with just one win in the last six across all competitions.
With his side looking worryingly toothless in attack, Arteta opted to recall Eddie Nketiah in place of Gabriel Jesus for only his second league start since a brilliant hat-trick against Sheffield United. The impact of that change was nonexistent.
Nketiah was entirely anonymous, with the visitors hitting the target just three times all game and asking precious few questions of Bernd Leno. Those calls to sign another forward in January continue to mount with each passing match.
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