Arsenal is limping into 2024 after a damaging stretch that culminated in what coach Mikel Arteta called “the worst performance of the season” on the final day of the year. A toothless Arsenal side lost 1-2 at Fulham on Sunday despite taking the lead in the fifth minute, a second straight defeat that means the team stayed in fourth place in the Premier League, when a victory would have lifted it into first.
“It’s a really sad day because today we didn’t deserve to win the game,” Arteta said. “That was the worst performance of the season.”
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Mikel Arteta
It continued a worrying run that has seen Arsenal end 2023 with just one win in its last five league games, including its first home loss of the season to West Ham on Thursday.
Arsenal would have provisionally climbed above Liverpool atop the table with a win, but could find itself five points off the lead if Jurgen Klopp’s team beats Newcastle on Monday. Arsenal stayed in fourth, having been top of the table at Christmas, and is now just one point ahead of fifth-place Tottenham after its north London rival beat Bournemouth 3-1 at home.
This latest setback came despite Bukayo Saka putting Arsenal ahead after just five minutes as he turned in the rebound from a shot by Gabriel Martinelli, who had made a marauding run from inside his own area.
There was little in the way of attacking threat from the visitors after that, though, and bad defending helped Raul Jimenez equalize in the first half and Bobby De Cordova-Reid poke in the winner after a corner in the 59th.
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