Manager Marco Silva singled out one Arsenal player as “unstoppable” as Fulham lost 1-0 to the Gunners in the Premier League on Saturday.
Leandro Trossard scored the only goal of the game and the Gunners added another goal from a set-piece to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League, but Liverpool will move back to one point if they beat Manchester United on Sunday.
The only goal of the match came in the 58th minute when Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães flicked a corner from Leandro Trossard into the back post.
And Fulham manager Silva admitted that Gabriel is “impossible to stop” and “very difficult to control” when taking corners and free-kicks.
“It’s always disappointing when you lose a game, they were at a very good level,” Silva told BBC’s Match of the Day.
“We created scoring chances before Arsenal. They were more focused on that than on themselves. We knew the game wasn’t going to be easy and they were a difficult team to play against, but I think we kept them from big chances in the game.”
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“After the goal, we certainly responded and started playing more our way again.
“Gabriel jumps so high that it’s impossible to stop him. It’s very difficult to control.”
“The way we tried to block his runs for most of the game was very successful. We were too open and left the path for Gabriel. We didn’t want him to run in that part. Any flick is very difficult to control at the back post.”
In the post-match press conference, Silva added: “It’s frustrating, well, it’s hard to stop. Offensive set-pieces are not just a problem of one, two or three players, it’s a problem of takers. They’re lucky because they also have very good takers.”
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“It’s a difficult challenge for you. When Arsenal play another team, it’s a difficult challenge for them. I think it’s not just the team you’re playing against, but both situations.
“I think they scored 60 per cent of their goals from set pieces, which shows their strength in the moment.
“The frustrating thing for us is that we showed throughout the game that we were well prepared for that moment, but this is the type of game where you have to stay focused for 90, 95 minutes. He did a very good job. He let him (Gabriel) out in one moment. The way he jumped was very difficult to control. Even if the flick went into the front post, it was much more difficult to control.”