Arsenal players celebrate Aubameyang's goal
The short wait is over as the English Premier League 2020/21 season commenced. It began with a lunchtime kickoff at Craven Cottage just 48 days after the curtain was lowered on 2019/20 season. It was an intriguing fixture that set London rivals Arsenal and Fulham up against each other in matchday 1.
It was Arsenal who began their campaign with a routine 3 nil win over their city rival Fulham. On target for The Gunners were Alexander Lacazette(8'), new centre-half signing Gabriel Magalhaes(49') and of course Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang(57', a carbon copy of his goal against Liverpool in the Community Shield a few days ago), I mean what would an Arsenal win be like without an Aubameyang goal!
Arsenal couldn't ask for a better start, 3 goals, a clean sheet, an away win already(having only recorded 4 away wins in the whole of last season) and most importantly the 3 vital points. With 4 of their next 6 league fixtures include champion Liverpool, runner-up Manchester City, 3rd place Manchester United and 5th place Leicester City, every point against a seemingly easy opponent such as Fulham is premium and priceless.
It was a disciplined team effort from Arsenal, however, kudos must be given to 2 of Arsenal new signings Willian and Magalhaes, the Brazilian duo was instrumental in Arsenal win. Lining up for their new club in attack(Willian) and defence(Magalhaes) respectively, both were directly involved in Arsenal goals, while Willian contributed 3 assists, Magalhaes took 49 minutes to open his Arsenal career with a headed goal(he's previously had 6 senior goals across his previous 4 clubs). A Man Of the Match performance by Magalhaes.
Reality Check for Fulham as they began their quest to avoid another immediate drop to the championship. Fulham had the initial majority of the possession against Arsenal but lack quality in the final 3rd, ergo, could only muster a single shot on target in the 1st half and 2 in the entire match, reminiscence of Fulham's play in the championship last season where they had the highest total pass in the league but ranked 4th from bottom in total chances created.
Arsenal's immediate concern is to maintain this newfound winning momentum, as they face an uphill task over the next couple of months. They spent a major part of last season playing catch up with top 4. It will do Arsenal no harm to start strongly and hope for other results to go their way this term.