LONDON — The “Starboy” is back on center stage. Arsenal<\/a> have needed a spark to revitalize their attack as the pressure of turning points into prizes grows exponentially, and Bukayo Saka<\/a> was there to answer the call against Fulham<\/a> on Saturday.<\/p>\n Saka’s scintillating link-up with Viktor Gy\u00f6keres<\/a> was at the heart of a 3-0 win that broke the mold of recent weeks, arguably months in home fixtures. Gone was the perpetual existential angst and the accompanying caution, replaced instead by pace, purpose and precision.<\/p>\n Fulham, who arrived at Emirates Stadium chasing their highest-ever Premier League<\/a> finish, simply had no answer to Arsenal’s renewed dynamism. Manager Marco Silva confirmed post-match that the squad had been battling a virus all week, which could explain their inability to keep up with a renewed Gunners attack.<\/p>\n It could have been another nervous 90 minutes for manager Mikel Arteta & Co, but Saka got the job done in half the time. On his first start since the Carabao Cup<\/a> Final due to a persistent Achilles issue, the 24-year-old followed a brilliant assist for Gyokeres’ ninth-minute opener — dumping Ra\u00fal Jim\u00e9nez<\/a> on the turf with a change of pace — with a superb 40th-minute strike of his own, arrowed inside Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno<\/a>‘s near post and by the time Gyokeres headed in a third in first-half stoppage time, Mikel Arteta had seen enough.<\/p>\n – How sixth in PL could still win Champions League spot<\/a> Goal difference may become a factor in the title race — they now boast a six-point and four-goal advantage over City, who have two games in hand — but more immediate in view is Tuesday’s Champions League semifinal, second leg against Atletico Madrid. As a result, Saka was replaced at the interval by Noni Madueke<\/a>.<\/p>\n It is no exaggeration to say that that opening half was right up there with Arsenal’s best football of the season.<\/p>\n “It certainly was one of the best, and there was a certain connection in the team that I had a feeling that it was going to provoke that,” said Mikel Arteta after the match. “We had some fresh legs from a few players, you could notice that big time, because the individual performance increased, and then the team flowed in a different way.”<\/p>\n Maybe they do hate April after all — a month in which their win percentage habitually dips — and on the second day of May, they scored three goals in a single game for the first time since February. Only Bournemouth against Chelsea<\/a> in December (2.77) and Manchester City<\/a> against Leeds in November (2.67) registered a higher non-penalty expected goals figure in the first half of a Premier League game than Arsenal’s 2.39 here. Their pass accuracy into the final third (87%) was Arsenal’s best in a first half this season, their 70% pass completion of long passes their second best (per ESPN Global Soccer Research).<\/p>\n A total of 30 progressive passes was only slightly above their average, but the combination felt to the naked eye as though the Gunners had rediscovered their fluidity in a manner of the team they’ve been battling to become all season.<\/p>\n 1:37<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Can Man City catch Arsenal to win the Premier League title?<\/p>\n ESPN FC’s Shaka Hislop believes Arsenal are now the clear favourites to win the Premier League title after their 3-0 victory over Fulham.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n ESPN has reported previously that Arsenal’s aim with Gyokeres in the side was to transition their style to become more direct, but a combination of injury, indifferent form and perhaps a belief that their old approach could still work has led to stodgy displays and an over-reliance on set-pieces combined with defensive resilience. Saturday was not far short of a complete transformation, and it is no surprise, therefore, that Gyokeres suddenly came to life.<\/p>\n The Sweden forward was denied a hat trick when sent through by Leandro Trossard<\/a> shortly before the double change that saw Gyokeres and Declan Rice<\/a> withdrawn, again with Tuesday in mind. From there, the second half was a stroll. Rather than watch every action in fear, Arsenal supporters could rattle through their repertoire in comfort, soundtracking a serene Saturday night.<\/p>\n Arsenal’s record in these specific matches hasn’t been great. Only once had they won a league game sandwiched between a Champions League knockout tie spread across a seven or eight-day period, and that was March’s 2-0 win over Everton<\/a> when they needed goals in the 89th and 90th minutes.<\/p>\n
– VAR Review: Should Arsenal have had another penalty vs. Atletico?<\/a>
– Darke: Expect more twists in PL title race<\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<\/source><\/source><\/picture>play<\/span>