As it happened: Fulham 0-3 Arsenal in Premier League

That’s it for VAVEL UK’s live text commentary on this Premier League match between Fulham and Arsenal — we hope you enjoyed it. Stay tuned on the site for more live text commentaries and further analysis and reaction to all top flight matches this weekend.

Possession: 45%-55%

Shots: 5-13

On target: 2-6

Corners: 2-3

Fouls: 12-12

The referee brings the action to a close at Craven Cottage, and it's been a delightful afternoon for Arteta and his players.

Lacazette was on hand to put the Gunners ahead with a scrappy goal in the first half, before the lead was extend by new signing Gabriel and skipper Aubameyang after the break in a very comfortable shift for Arsenal.

Fulham looked bright in the first half, but simply couldn't cope with the quality and intensity of their visitors. Still, there are 37 more games to come, and Parker and his squad will know that games will come easier with this one, particularly as the Cottagers won't have to face another of the traditional top six until December.

There will be three minutes of stoppage time at the end of this second half.

Reid spotted Leno off his line and attempted the spectacular from about 40 yards out, but the connection was all wrong and it trickled out for a goal kick.

The game's just petering towards its conclusion now.

The final change for the Gunners sees Lacazette, scorer of the game's first goal, replaced by Nketiah.

Arsenal are having lots of joy down their right flank, with first Ceballos and then Pepe weaving their way into the box, but on both occasions they failed to register a shot.

Arsenal are in cruise control here. There's no sign of a Fulham fight-back at the moment and the Gunners will doubtless be content to see out their three-goal advantage.

Xhaka, still limping a little, makes way for Ceballos.

Bellerin surges forward and feeds Aubameyang behind the Fulham defence. The forward rounds Rodak and shoots, but Hector heads the ball away on the line.

Reid comes on for Onomah in midfield for Fulham.

Willian is replaced by Pepe.

Xhaka looks to be in some pain following a heavy challenge from Hector. The Arsenal physio is on the pitch to offer treatment.

A free-kick for Arsenal on the left side of the box is rolled back to Xhaka about 20 yards out. The first-time shot from the Swiss international is blocked and cleared well by Fulham.

It's Aubameyang causing all the trouble again. The skipper bombs down the left and crosses for Lacazette, but it's a brilliant save from Rodak, and Bellerin is unable to turn home the loose ball.

With Mitrovic on the pitch now, you'd expect that Arsenal box to be peppered with crosses from either flank. His physical presence has already been noticeable since his introduction.

Parker shuffles his pack as Mitrovic and Anguissa are introduced for Kamara and Kebano respectively.

Fulham captain Cairney receives a caution for a nudge on Willian.

After quite a positive first half, it's worrying how easily Fulham are being unravelled.

They can't afford to get thumped today. They need to show that they've still got fight in them despite the obvious gap in quality today.

Superb from Arsenal. Willian clips the ball over to Aubameyang, who cuts onto his right foot and curls the ball past a helpless Rodak. Almost a carbon copy of the goal he scored in the Community Shield.

Arsenal are playing really, really well here.

The loose ball drops for Kamara just outside the area, and the Frenchman sees his powerful drive whistle just past the far post.

Bellerin wrestles Cavaleiro to the ground and receives a yellow for it.

Free-kick in a decent position for Fulham here, on the left edge of the box.

Fulham look deflated now, but they have to react. Parker cannot allow heads to drop, else it could get much worse than it currently is for the hosts.

It's a perfect debut for the central defender!

Willian's cross hits the penalty spot where Gabriel is lurking, and the Brazilian rises well above Hector to power past Rodak.

Arsenal are very comfortable indeed now.

Great skill from Holding sees him move towards the penalty area to feed Lacazette, and the ball eventually trickles out for an Arsenal corner.

Aubameyang effortlessly charges past several challenges and attempts to cross for Lacazette in the middle, but Ream gets in the way.

Arsenal get proceedings back underway.

The players are reemerging, with the second half just moments away.

Will Arsenal extend their lead, or can Fulham claw themselves back towards a result here? It'll be an intriguing 45 minutes.

Possession: 48%-52%

Shots: 2-7

On target: 1-3

Corners: 1-0

Fouls: 5-7

The referee's whistle brings this first-half to a close.

There haven't been a great deal of chances, with both sides pretty watertight in defence, but Lacazette was able to make the most of the one that counted for Arsenal.

If Fulham can improve their final ball, they'll still be very much in with a chance of getting something from this - it's certainly not been a disappointing first 45 minutes back in the Premier League.

There will be one minute of stoppage time at the end of this first half.

Kebano cleverly works his way down the right and draws the foul from Tierney.

A free-kick right by the corner flag for Fulham.

Maitland-Niles marauds down the left and clips a good cross towards Lacazette at the back post, but Ream does enough to usher the ball away.

39' Odoi, perhaps Fulham's brightest spark so far this afternoon, is taken out by Aubameyang, and the Arsenal skipper goes into the book for the challenge.

Xhaka supplies a fantastic ball into the box for Aubameyang, whose powerful left-footed strike is met well by Rodak.

Fulham bailed out by their goalkeeper there.

Maitland-Niles attempts a clever ball into Lacazette in the box, but it's got slightly too much weight on it. Fulham are looking harder to break down at the moment.

Another fabulous cross from the overlapping Odoi nearly meets the run of Kamara, but play is anyway brought back for a foul on Gabriel in the box.

Unorthodox from Willian, who aims for the side on which Rodak was standing, but he caught the Slovakian unawares and clips the post. A great effort, unlucky not to result in a goal.

Hector goes into the book for that foul on Lacazette.

Hector's conceded a free-kick in a really good position for Arsenal here. Just outside the box, centre of goal.

This is a great chance for the Gunners to double their lead, and Willian looks keen to take it.

Overplaying at the back, Fulham give possession away cheaply and the visitors work the ball into the feet of Lacazette who lays it off for Elneny, but Ream does well to get his body in the way of the shot.

Still, a bit of a let-off for the Cottagers. They must keep hold of possession better, or they'll be punished.

It's Odoi's turn to supply a great cross, but it was in vain with no one waiting in that six yard box.

The Belgian takes a knock from Maitland-Niles too, but looks fine to play on.

Bellerin moves into space on the right and whips in a sumptuous ball across goal, but it just evades the runs of the Arsenal forwards.

Bar that mishap in the opening moments, Fulham haven't been able to break Arsenal down here.

Gabriel is looking particularly imposing in defence.

Nearly an instant reply from Fulham as Cavaleiro clips a ball over to Kebano on the other side of the box; it's a vicious strike from the Frenchman, which Maitland-Niles blocks bravely.

Deadlock broken!

Aubameyang cuts the ball back for Xhaka on the edge of the box. The shot from the Swiss results in a scramble in the box, with Lacazette given the opportunity to power home.

A very, very soft goal for the hosts to concede.

An excellent move down the right sets Odoi free into space for the hosts. The defender cuts inside to shoot on his weaker foot, but it's a comfortable save for Leno.

Tierney attempts a ball in behind the Fulham defence for Aubameyang, but Rodak comes out quickly to clear.

It's been a very measured start to the game from Fulham. They're knocking the ball around nicely and look strong down the left flank, with Bryan and Cavaleiro linking up well.

We're yet to see much of note from Arsenal.

What happened there1? A poor ball from Maitland-Niles is compounded by miscommunication between Gabriel and Leno. Kamara nips in and attempts to round the goalkeeper, but the German does well to recover.

A nervy start from Arsenal.

Kamara gets the ball rolling for this 2020/21 Premier League season.

It's just 39 days since Fulham won that playoff final against Brentford. They go again, with another 38 league assignments to tackle over the next eight months, in a matter of moments.

The players are now emerging onto an immaculate Craven Cottage pitch.

Just over 10 minutes until kick-off and the beginning of the 2020/21 Premier League season.

Let's hope we're given a cracker of a curtain-raiser.

Arsenal fans will be delighted to see Arteta hand debuts to Gabriel and Willian at centre-back and right-wing respectively.

The Spaniard has once again opted for his favoured three-at-the-back formation, with skipper Aubameyang - edging ever closer to that new contract - coming in off the left.

An intriguing line-up from Fulham; each of those 11 starters was at the club last season, with Parker clearly retaining faith in the players that achieved promotion last term.

The big exclusion is Mitrovic - sorry FPL players...

Leno; Holding, Gabriel, Tierney; Bellerin, Elneny, Xhaka, Maitland-Niles; Willian, Lacazette, Aubameyang.

Subs: Macey, Kolasinac, Ceballos, Willock, Saka, Pepe, Nketiah.

Rodak; Odoi, Hector, Ream, Bryan; Cairney, Reed, Onomah; Kebano, Kamara, Cavaleiro.

Subs: Areola, Christie, Le Marchand, Anguissa, Knockeart, Reid, Mitrovic.

That’s it for now, but the live text commentary will rise around one hour before kick-off as we bring you the team news.

This fixture will be broadcast live to BT customers on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate, though you can of course follow the action here on VAVEL UK with minute-by-minute updates on all the goings on during the match.

You can also catch the highlights on BBC One’s Match of the Day, which will air at 22:20 BST this evening; alternatively, a short highlights package will become available on the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel once the game has finished.

“I just want to make this club more successful in this country as quickly as possible and in a sustainable way. That’s my ambition, it’s our ambition and we have to do it together.

“What I’ve seen from the players is that they want more, they are not satisfied. This is what we want to show, that we want to go another step forward. What we’ve done doesn’t count for anything.”

“The challenge now is that we’ve gone from being expected to win the majority of weeks and trying to get promoted, and we now go into a division where we understand it’s going to be a lot more difficult.

“It’s a challenge that we have to embrace and take on, and I feel we are in a good place to do that.”

Defender David Luiz will have to sit out six weeks of action having sustained a neck injury in the Community Shield victory over Liverpool.

Emile Smith Rowe (shoulder) and Sokratis (calf) are also unavailable for selection.

Parker did not report any injuries to his squad in his pre-match press conference.

New recruits Antonee Robinson, Alphonse Areola, Mario Lemina and Kenny Tete could all be in line for debuts.

Arsenal have triumphed over Fulham in all of the previous five meetings, scoring nine goals across the two encounters with the Cottagers in 2018/19.

Fulham’s only victory over the Gunners in the last 13 attempts came at Craven Cottage in January 2012.

The last time the two met on the opening day of the Premier League season was in 2007, with Arsenal winning 2-1.

The most recent encounter between the two sides took place on New Year’s Day in 2019, when a struggling Fulham travelled to the Emirates to face Arsenal, searching to close the gap on the top four heading into the second half of the season.

The Cottagers were behind to goals from Granit Xhaka and Alex Lacazette before Aboubakar Kamara pulled one back, but the Gunners compiled the misery of their visitors with two further strikes from Aaron Ramsey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

It was a season to forget for the Gunners, whose 8th-placed finish was their lowest in 25 years, but it was a significant campaign too, not least because it signalled the beginning of a new era at the club.

Following the departure of Unai Emery, Mikel Arteta now stands at the helm, and many in north London are excited about the direction in which Arsenal are now heading.

With a manager devoted to playing attractive football and a squad of players suited to that philosophy, 2020/21 should prove to be a more positive campaign at the Emirates.

The Cottagers wasted no time in hoisting themselves back up to the top flight following relegation to the Championship in 2018/19.

Under the measured guidance of head coach Scott Parker, Fulham cruised comfortably into a top six spot and went on to beat west London rivals Brentford in the playoff final to secure their return to the Premier League.

The challenge now will be staying there, and their performance in this fixture — against one of the stronger sides in the division — could be an early indication as to whether or not they have what it takes to survive.

We’ve not had long to wait, but it’s back. The 2020/21 season is upon us and it’s sure to be another captivating and enticing spectacle.

The new league campaign kicks off with the visit of Community Shield winners Arsenal to Craven Cottage, home of newly promoted Fulham.

Hello and welcome to VAVEL UK’s live text commentary of this matchday 1 fixture in the Premier League, Fulham vs Arsenal. Stay tuned for a comprehensive preview followed by live updates from when the match kicks off at 12:30 BST.