Arsenal came from 1-0 down to beat London rivals and newly-promoted Fulham on Saturday evening, through goals from club captain Martin Odegaard and centre back Gabriel Magalhaes.
It was not easy for the Gunners at times, with Aleksandar Mitrovic's opener seeming to put a spanner in the works of Mikel Arteta' well-oiled machine, but they got the job done in the end, to the delight of the home crowd at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal's newly found resilience
Yesterday was the first time that the Gunners went behind in this Premier League campaign, due to a mistake that could've easily been avoided by both Bukayo Saka's lofted pass and Gabriel spending too long on the ball. But Gabriel was resilient and so was Saka, which was rewarded with a goal for the Brazilian and an assist for the English star.
Last time Arsenal played Fulham, Mikel Arteta was outraged at his team for celebrating their last-minute equaliser from Eddie Nketiah. People are now seeing the change that the Spaniard has installed, and how a mistake could've dampened the mood and easily put the game out of sight was rectified by both the players and the spirit of the crowd.
A real catalyst in this change has been captain Martin Ødegaard, who has been a breath of fresh air in the wonderful start to the season, scoring 3 goals in his last 2 games. Not only his intelligent passing but his sheer motivation makes him a fan-favourite at the Emirates Stadium.
A bench is there to be used
Arteta has been slated in the past for his lack of substitutes. Whether it was that there were no suitable options to call upon, or whether it is a tactical decision despite when players are not having the best of games, we will never know why he pursues this route. One substitution that was very successful was bringing on Eddie Nketiah after Arsenal conceded.
Although the striker didn't manage to get onto the scoresheet, it was clear to the majority of the home fans that he gave it his all, with sharp turns and quick runs into the box, penetrating through Fulham's low-block that they maintained so effectively throughout the game.
But more could be done. Arsenal boast a huge amount of talent even with Nicolas Pepe being loaned to OGC Nice this week. New signing Fabio Vieira is yet to make his Premier League debut and Emile Smith Rowe is also waiting in the wings after never making it back into the starting eleven since his injury last season.
When the games are demanding physical and fast-coming, especially with the round of midweek fixtures right at the doorstep, it's crucial that Arteta alternates to ensure that the right players are able to recover and the substitutes are also able to get some minutes to improve their match fitness. Something for a mysterious reason, the Spaniard doesn't do until the last five minutes.
Allowing too much space
There's nobody that would say that Fulham didn't play well. They capitalised on opportunities and were defensively, for the majority of the game, tight and kept a good shape. But it's in the midfield that the game was lost.
With Mohamed Elneny coming in for Arsenal, Granit Xhaka is given the license to become more attacking and roam. It puzzled the Cottagers who were forced to put a man onto the Swiss international, leaving the in-form Ødegaard to work his magic in more space than Marco Silva would have wanted.
Arsenal's equaliser was worked from a tight space and was very unlucky, but not undeserved. The Gunners were given space by Harrison Reed and Joao Palhinha, and it was Tim Ream and Tosin Adarabioyo that were the real heroes saving the Cottagers from a large-deficit defeat countless times with crucial tackles to deny Gabriel Jesus and Saka.
Allowing space in the Championship is forgivable, but in the Premier League it definitely is punishable and Arsenal made sure to latch on to the odd loose ball and create areas of spaces that the midfield failed to pick up on. That was one way Fulham lost the game.
Win every duel
In Arsenal's All or Nothing documentary, Mikel Arteta states numerous amounts of times the importance of his side winning every battle, both in the air and on the floor. In the first half of every game this season, they have implemented this and they make every side look lost and overwhelmed. Fulham were slightly different. Aleksandar Mitrovic won his duels, pressuring the Arsenal defence and eventually being rewarded with a 1-on-1 which he neatly put away.
But the whole team needs to be like Mitrovic. The Serbian's goal should've sparked some momentum. There was no desire to win their aerial duels or take advantage of the opposition's heavy touch. One other player that stood out despite his shaky start was Tosin Adarabioyo.
The 24-year-old made sure he was first to every ball that was inside the box and that his tackles were clean and got rid of any lurking danger. The centre-back is no stranger after all to Arteta's gameplan, having grown up in the Manchester City ranks before being loaned out to Fulham, who signed him permanently. He was crucial for the Cottagers, and without him or Mitrovic's efforts, it may have been a landslide.