Arsenal was held to a 1-1 draw by Fulham on Sunday, avoiding a loss in their 15th-round clash of the English Premier League.
Fulham took the lead early with Raul Jimenez’s goal in the 11th minute, but William Saliba equalized for Arsenal in the 52nd minute.
The draw lifted the Gunners to 29 points, temporarily securing second place, while Fulham moved to 23 points, sitting in tenth place.
Arsenal nearly took an early lead with their trademark corner kicks, as Saliba leapt to meet a cross but sent his header wide of the post.
Fulham’s first genuine opportunity came when Jimenez received the ball, sprinted into the penalty area, and curled a low shot into the bottom left corner, putting the hosts in front.
Arsenal pushed forward after going behind, eager to find an equalizer early. Rice nearly capitalized on a rebound outside the box, sending a volley just over the bar.
Rice later received a long ball at the edge of the penalty area and attempted a left-footed volley, but it sailed wide of the post. Saka also had an opportunity inside the box, but his shot from a rebound flew over the crossbar.
Saka then sprinted past two defenders and fired a shot, but Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno made a brilliant save. The rest of the first half passed without any further action, leaving Fulham with a 1-0 lead at the break.
The second half began with a brief period of calm before Arsenal equalized from a corner. Havertz met the cross and directed a header toward Saliba, who made no mistake in putting it into the net.
There was some uncertainty over whether Saliba was offside when the pass was made, but VAR confirmed his position was onside, and the goal stood.
Leno was called into action again, making a superb save to deny Trossard’s close-range attempt. Havertz then wasted an opportunity inside the box, steering the ball narrowly wide of the right post.
Partey looked to capitalize on another corner to give Arsenal the lead, rising to meet a perfectly placed cross with a header that went just wide of the right post.
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya made a crucial intervention, stopping Andreas Pereira’s effort from close range inside the six-yard box to deny Fulham another chance.
Rice then tried to take advantage of a rebound on the edge of the penalty area, but his weak shot was easily collected by Leno.
Arsenal pushed hard for the lead, and two minutes before the end of normal time, Martinelli delivered a precise cross to Saka, who finished with a header into the net.
However, the referee was alerted by VAR regarding a potential offside on Martinelli at the start of the move. After reviewing the footage, the offside was confirmed, and the goal was ruled out.
Despite the disallowed goal, the Gunners continued to press in the final minutes, attempting to break through Leno’s defence, but they were unable to find the net before the final whistle.
