The type of low-key victory that title-winners grind out?
Time will tell if 2025/26 is yet another false dawn for Arsenal but the Gunners went back to the top of the Premier League with a 1-0 win over Fulham on Saturday night.
Our Scout Notes, however, start with an injury update from the Cottagers’ camp.
ANDERSEN INJURY
Joachim Andersen (£4.5m) has been one of the star performers for defensive contribution points (DefCon) this season. He’d reached the threshold in six successive fixtures going into Gameweek 8.
He was deprived of the chance to extend his run by a hamstring injury on Saturday, however.
The Dane and Tom Cairney (£4.9m) were both forced off but it’s the 4%-owned defender who is the bigger concern for Marco Silva.
“We have to wait, Joachim is a hamstring injury, he felt something. Now it’s just, for us, a matter of time to know if it’s something more serious or a minor injury. That is really what will come in the next few hours, few days after the exams, because that is a muscle injury.
“Tom Cairney was something in his back, he felt it when he jumped for one ball. It doesn’t look so serious, it’s a different one, it was a knock there, he was not feeling good. I think that next week is going to be [fine]… it’s not [likely] that situation is going to be another absence for us but Joachim could be out.” – Marco Silva
SAKA REWARDED FOR ALL-ROUND DISPLAY
It’s not often the case that the best player on the park gets bonus points if they’ve failed to deliver an attacking return or a clean sheet.
But Bukayo Saka (£9.9m), the clear stand-out for the Gunners on Saturday, did get justly rewarded.
He was excellent down the right flank for Arsenal, twisting and tormenting Ryan Sessegnon (£5.4m). He created more chances (six) than any other Premier League player on Saturday, somehow swerving an assist.
One brilliant piece of dribbling nearly forced an own-goal, while he ‘assisted the assister’ with his corner for the only goal of the game. Teeing up Viktor Gyokeres (£9.9m) for a couple of chances, Saka also won a penalty when being felled by Kevin (£6.0m) – only for the VAR to overturn it.
Saka himself nearly scored after another jink into the box.
The chance creation helped him to two bonus points but just as crucial was his off-the-ball work.
In fact, he was the only Arsenal player on show to hit the DefCon threshold:
He looks in fine form.
GYOKERES + EZE BLANK
Keeping Saka fit may be the difference between a successful title challenge and yet another failed one. No other attacker in this Gunners team is quite on his level.
Gyokeres blanked again. He battled gamely, slowly growing into the match after a very quiet start and twice firing straight at Bernd Leno (£5.0m). There’s certainly an argument that his presence is benefiting the wingers, with his occupying of the backline freeing up space for the previously doubly marked Saka.
But in terms of goals of his own, his confidence is clearly low – hence these sorts of comments below from Arteta.
Arteta to the BBC on Gyokeres: “He was very close today again, two or three times.
“We were all begging for him to score. The work rate he puts in for the team is phenomenal, so we try to give him support and love and it will come.”
— Simon Collings (@sr_collings) October 18, 2025
Eberechi Eze (£7.6m) was quieter than in previous games, too, barely making it to the 60-minute mark before coming off. There is some mitigation: the right-sided central midfield role, vacated by the injured Martin Odegaard (£7.9m), doesn’t seem to suit him as much.
“He’s more used to probably attacking open spaces and breaks and facing and carrying the ball with the space in front of him, but he’s so good and comfortable doing that. I think he had his moments today, he put Viktor, I think, once or twice through in really good spaces and maybe if that would have finished in a goal, it would have looked a little bit different. But I’m very happy with what he’s doing and we can use him in different positions, and today we used him on that one and we carry on trying to improve.” – Mikel Arteta on Eberechi Eze
CALAFIORI THREAT
Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.3m) grabbed a flicked headed assist for Leandro Trossard‘s (£6.9m) winner. That was Arsenal’s eighth goal from set plays already this season, which accounts for over half of their total.
Gabriel may have secured an attacking return, and offers such a threat from set plays, but Riccardo Calafiori (£5.7m) continues to be Arsenal’s most menacing defender outside of corners. He had another two (legitimate) shots on Saturday, with a goal also chalked off for offside. His positioning, like it was for that disallowed strike below, is absurd (and Alonso-esque) for a left-back:
Taking all three points back to N5 ✅
Enjoy the highlights of our win in west London 📺 pic.twitter.com/6CwKEd6WBv
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 18, 2025
Above: Calafiori is shooting at a faster rate than Saka this season!
PLENTY OF FULHAM EFFORT – BUT ARSENAL DEFENCE WINS OUT AGAIN
Fulham started the better of the two sides on Saturday night but for all their effort, they didn’t trouble David Raya (£5.7m) on a single occasion.
That’s two matches in a row Arsenal haven’t allowed one shot on target.
Harry Wilson (£5.3m) had four efforts from around the edge of the area but all were off-target and none were big chances (Fulham as a whole didn’t have any), with this excellent Gunners defence going from strength to strength.
Raul Jimenez (£6.2m) at least returned from injury after the Cottagers were strikerless in Gameweek 7, while breakout star Josh King (£4.5m) was yet again the pick of the Fulham attack.
