Saka Shatters 500-Day Drought to Rescue Arsenal in Thrilling Fulham Clash

LONDON — Bukayo Saka led Arsenal to a convincing 3–0 victory over Fulham at home on Saturday afternoon.

After setting up Viktor Gyökeres's early opener, Saka fired in a second in the 40th minute, recording a goal and assist in the same match for the first time in nearly 17 months—507 days to be exact. Gyökeres wrapped up the contest by completing his brace just before the halftime whistle.

The Gunners were able to cruise through the second half with Tuesday's Champions League semifinal second leg against Atlético Madrid in the back of their minds. In the league, the gap to Manchester City, who now hold two games in hand, sits at six points, while Arsenal's goal difference received a welcome boost should it come down to those tight margins.

One Thing We Can't Ignore

The last time Saka delivered a performance as impactful as Saturday's was during a Champions League group stage match against Monaco back in December 2024. After contributing two goals and an assist in that European fixture, Arteta urged his winger to "go to the next step," setting a target of scoring "30 or 40" goals in a season. Since then, it has been two steps back for Saka.

Injuries—stemming in no small part from Arteta's reliance on his constant availability—have taken their toll on the overworked attacker. The Fulham fixture was Saka's first start in any competition since the March international break, and it lasted just 45 minutes.

Nevertheless, that was more than enough time for Saka to leave his mark.

"Penetration is one of the words we use the most," Arteta noted before the game, "players taking initiative and making things happen ... It's extremely difficult against a team that is so organized, so we need to find other ways." One solution was simply to put the ball at Saka's feet.

The returning winger had already shown he could glide past USMNT's Antonee Robinson during a dominant opening nine minutes. When a short free kick left him facing Raúl Jiménez with the ball at his feet, his eyes lit up with intent.

Fulham's striker showed all the defensive authority you'd expect from a forward. A body feint from Arsenal's captain left Jiménez sprawled on the turf, both feet planted while his torso was horizontal, like a dad regretting his decision to show off his breakdancing at a wedding. Saka exploited the space, drove to the byline and rolled the ball into an area even Gyökeres couldn't miss.

The Swedish striker then turned provider for Saka's second, a brilliantly disguised effort curled inside Bernd Leno's near post, as the crowd celebrated the return of their hero. The only concern from an otherwise smooth afternoon was Saka's absence for the second half.

Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Fulham (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

GK: David Raya—7.7: Not heavily tested but sharp whenever called upon.

RB: Ben White—7.1: The assurance and decisiveness that marked his early contributions were undone by a single error. White spent the rest of the match battling his own balance as much as his direct opponent, Samu Chukwueze, who fortunately offered little going forward.

CB: William Saliba—7.0: The only dampness on Saliba's brow came from the light spring rain that arrived midway through the first half. He barely broke a sweat.

CB: Gabriel—7.3: The Brazilian acted as Jiménez's personal shadow, keeping Fulham's No. 7 under wraps for the entire match.

LB: Riccardo Calafiori—7.5: Denied a fine header by a tight offside call, Calafiori's attacking drive cut through Fulham's passive defensive shape.

CM: Declan Rice—7.4: With both Martins, Ødegaard and Zubimendi unavailable, Rice was tasked with orchestrating play single-handedly from deep midfield.

CM: Myles Lewis-Skelly—7.3: Kept possession ticking in midfield, occasionally threading incisive passes through the lines, while throwing himself into every challenge that came his way.

AM: Eberechi Eze—6.5: There is a new sense of ease to Eze's game that was noticeably absent during the first half of his debut season.

RW: Bukayo Saka—8.7: On his first start since the ill-fated Carabao Cup final, Saka looked as though he had never been away. Every corner of the stadium rose to applaud their talisman as he walked over to take a set piece—a reception built on reputation and fully backed up by his display.

ST: Viktor Gyökeres—9.1: All of his trademark movement finally had real purpose. On either side of his first-half double, Gyökeres was perfectly placed to tee up Saka after a well-timed run into the channel.

LW: Leandro Trossard—8.6: It has been a difficult 2026 for Trossard, who last found the net in December 2025, but this was a far improved showing, lifted by his assist for Gyökeres's second goal.

SUB: Noni Madueke (46' for Saka)—6.3: Buzzed around with considerably less effect than Saka.

SUB: Martín Zubimendi (64' for Rice)—6.9

SUB: Gabriel Jesus (64' for Gyökeres)—6.1

SUB: Max Dowman (78' for Eze)—6.1

SUB: Cristhian Mosquera (83' for White)—N/A

Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Piero Hincapié, Gabriel Martinelli, Christian Nørgaard.

What These Ratings Tell Us

Lethal. pic.twitter.com/GV3jBdj5Cb

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