VAR took away Arsenal’s goal in the 90th minute, causing the Gunners to bitterly share points with Fulham in a 1-1 draw in the match of round 15 of the 2024-25 Premier League, which took place on the night of December 8.

Arsenal drew 1-1 with Fulham at Craven Cottage in the 2024-25 Premier League , extending their scoring streak in London derbies to 18 games since May 2022. However, the result was disappointing as a point did not help the Gunners close the gap on leaders Liverpool. The gap between the two teams is now 6 points, while Liverpool have a game in hand.

Arsenal disappointed when they could not beat Fulham (Photo: Getty).

Arsenal are making a big splash with their ability to score from set-pieces, so it was no surprise that the first goal of the game came from a corner kick just three minutes into the game. Declan Rice crossed the ball into the box, and William Saliba jumped high and headed it wide.

Although playing at home, Fulham knew that they were the underdogs and that their chances of scoring against Arsenal would be limited. To cause a surprise, they needed to capitalize on the smallest opportunities. Marco Silva’s team absorbed that philosophy and applied it successfully. In the 11th minute, Raul Jimenez made a beautiful shot into the corner of the goal after a through pass, putting the home team 1-0 up.

Undeterred, Arsenal continued to dominate and pressure the home team, Fulham comfortably using their entire defensive formation. The home team’s tight play made it difficult for Arsenal to get the ball into a good position to finish. The visitors did not create many scoring opportunities during the first half, Rice’s volley went wide after a pass from Leandro Trossard, while Bukayo Saka’s shot was blocked by Bernd Leno, this was Arsenal’s only shot on target in the first 45 minutes.

After the break, Arsenal continued to fight back. Just eight minutes into the second half, the visitors equalized 1-1. From a corner kick, Rice passed the ball to Kai Havertz at the far post, the German midfielder headed the ball for Saliba to score the equalizer.

Saliba celebrates after equalizing for Arsenal (Photo: EPL).

Bringing the match back to the starting line is only the initial goal of Arsenal, Mikel Arteta’s team understands that they need to win this match to breathe heat into the position of the top team Liverpool, the team that could not play round 15 due to the influence of the storm.

Arsenal continued to attack and create good chances. Trossard forced a save from Leno, Thomas Partey missed a golden chance from another Rice corner, the Ghanaian headed the ball wide unmarked just metres from the home side’s goal.

Fulham were unable to counter-attack much, the home team’s attacks often cut off from far away from Arsenal’s goal, making it difficult for them to finish. Just like the first half, Fulham only had one shot in the second half, but Andreas Pereira’s shot was blocked by David Raya.

As time ticked down, Arsenal became more pressing. The visitors had several chances to score in the closing stages. However, Rice’s long-range shot was saved by Leno. Then Saka headed home Gabriel Martinelli’s pass in the 89th minute. It seemed the visitors had found victory, but VAR intervened and Saka’s goal was ruled out for offside.

VAR disallows Arsenal’s goal (Photo: Getty).

Unable to score more goals, Arsenal had to share points with Fulham. One point is considered a success for Silva’s team, they have 23 points this season and are currently in 10th place, 14 points above the relegation zone. Perhaps, Fulham will pursue higher goals this season when the goal of staying in the league will soon be completed.