The 20th round of the English Premier League set off a fierce battle for the top on the evening of December 31, Beijing time, Arsenal suffered a counterattack from Fulham away, losing 1-2 to the opponent and losing two games in a row. After this game, Arsenal not only lost their status as the half-way champion, but also fell to fourth place in the Premier League, and fans exclaimed that the poor form continued.
As one of the Premier League's big six, Arsenal's excellent performance in the second half of last season has raised expectations for their title contention. However, this season's performance has been unexpected, after 20 rounds of fierce competition, Arsenal could have sealed the halfway title, but in the last four rounds of poor results, unexpectedly lost to Fulham, the halfway title dream came to naught.
Arsenal were once favored to be the favourites for the title this season, especially after Manchester City, Liverpool, Tottenham, Villa and other opponents have collectively dropped points. However, the record in the last 5 rounds is only 1 win, 1 draw and 3 losses, which made the team lose the halfway championship ahead of schedule and was overtaken by Tottenham, only 1 point ahead of Tottenham in 5th place. If Arsenal continue to be in such poor form, there is a good chance that they will fall out of the Champions League zone in the next round, and the team desperately needs to bounce back.
Fulham showed a strong counter-attacking ability in this game. Arsenal opened the first half with Bukayo Saka in a dream, but Fulham quickly equalised under Jimenez's sweep. In the second half, Reed's goal completely reversed the situation, helping Fulham to counterattack 2-1 and cause a major upset in the Premier League. Fulham is worth only 2600 million euros, compared to Arsenal's 11100 million euros, but they showed a spirit of hard work and teamwork to deliver a thrilling game for the fans.
At one point, Arsenal had more than 60 per cent possession, but only three of their 14 shots were on target, missing a number of good chances to open the scoring. On the contrary, Fulham scored two goals from four shots on target, and all of them took their chances. Arsenal was fiercely counterattacked by the opponent in the case of frequent mistakes, and the immaturity and hesitation shown by the team at critical moments became failures.
Tottenham, meanwhile, beat Bournemouth 3-1 in a match in the 20th round of the Premier League to move back to fifth place in the Premier League, just one point behind Arsenal and one step away from the Champions League places. Under Son Heung-min's brilliant performance, Tottenham showed strong competitiveness, and at the same time, it also made Arsenal's Champions League fate more worrying.
It is worth noting that Arsenal have become noticeably conservative in the game, especially after a dream start. The team, despite their excellent players and high prices, seemed to be overly cautious in the lead, giving Fulham a chance to fight back. Coach Mikel Arteta also made several changes to his squad during the game, but it didn't work out well, and fans questioned his tactical arrangement.
Arsenal will have to adjust quickly for future games, otherwise the Champions League places could be even more precarious. Coach Mikel Arteta faces a huge test as he needs to find a balance at the mentality and tactical level of the squad to cope with the fierce competition in the Premier League. Fans are expecting Arsenal to bounce back and rediscover the solid form they enjoyed in the second half of last season.
The match in the 20th round of the Premier League has become the focus of heated discussions among fans. It not only changed the pattern of the race for the fourth, but also made the fans applaud the team they support. Fulham's counterattack and Tottenham's strong performance make the Premier League full of suspense and highlights. This match not only made fans think deeply, but also injected more uncertainty into the future matches. Whether Arsenal can get out of the trough of consecutive defeats and regain their peak form has become one of the most concerned topics among fans.