Arsenal's title bid disrupted by VAR and feisty Fulham

A game of “millimetres”, as Mikel Arteta put it. Are these the fine lines on which titles are eventually won or lost? In the 90th minute of this 1-1 draw at Fulham, Gabriel Martinelli was waiting for that key pass and looking along the Fulham defence.

- MIGUEL DELANEY

He was at that point onside, and then received the ball to cut in and play the cross that had been lacking from Arsenal’s attack all game. Bukayo Saka finished, but the moment was not done. In the second before the pass was played to Martinelli, Kenny Tete had stepped up. The Brazilian hadn’t been attentive to that, and the goal was eventually ruled out.

“For millimetres, we could have been sitting here with three points after a really strong and dominant performance against a really good team,” Arteta lamented, as he described it as he spoke about a “really crucial moment for us to go for it”.

Arsenal still squandered the chance to temporarily cut the gap to Liverpool to four points because they didn’t quite create enough in open play. Granted, Fulham didn’t allow them to. The inevitable set-piece goal ensures Arsenal gain a point on Liverpool, sure, but the game in hand similarly means the swing-back from Wednesday could eventually be cancelled out. That, at least, is whenever the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park is played.

A lot might have changed by then, especially in a calendar this packed and creating such havoc with results. Arsenal have to hope as much, as they felt the frustration of so casually going behind to Fulham and then toiling to work their way through. Arteta declared himself “gutted not to win it”, and said his side did “almost everything”. But that’s the key. As much territory as Arteta’s side had, it’s hard not to feel Fulham deserved something.