Arsenal 3 – 0 Fulham

Arsenal moved six points clear of Manchester City and boosted their goal difference with a dominant 3-0 win over Fulham.

The Gunners scored all three goals during a rampant first-half display with Viktor Gyokeres scoring twice and the fit-again Bukayo Saka also on target on his first start since the Carabao Cup final.

Arsenal came into the game on the back of their gruelling 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg but Saka’s introduction inspired a slick attacking performance.

The winger set up Gyokeres’s close-range opener with a low cross after beating Raul Jimenez, then finished superbly at Bernd Leno’s near-post from the striker’s pass for the second

Gyokeres, scorer of Arsenal’s penalty against Atletico, added his second goal, and 21st of the season in all competitions, when he guided home a header from Leandro Trossard’s cross.

The half-time scoreline allowed Mikel Arteta to withdraw Saka with Tuesday’s second leg against Atletico in mind, while Gyokeres was also given a rest after being denied a hat-trick when Leno saved his one-on-one chance shortly before the hour-mark.

Arsenal had chances to add to their lead against the lacklustre visitors, whose preparations for the game were impacted by a virus, with Gabriel seeing a close-range effort blocked on the line, Riccardo Calafiori hitting the bar, and substitute Max Dowman firing wide.

But a three-goal margin of victory represents a potentially crucial boost to their goal difference nonetheless, putting them four goals ahead of second-placed Manchester City, who are now six points behind them, albeit with two games in hand.

An excellent performance from academy graduate Myles Lewis-Skelly, on his first senior start in his natural midfield berth, added another positive for Arteta.

More to follow…

WATCH: All the goals

Story of the match in stats

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