Arsenal v Fulham: Premier League – live!

9.25am EDT 09:25

“When I did my O Levels (bear with me) there were nine of them, most comprising two separate exams,” says Gary Naylor. “By the last couple, I was concentrating for ten minutes and staring out of the window for ten minutes – repeated for two hours. The brain had been pummelled enough and needed a break – I could do the stuff, but I also couldn’t do the stuff, not then anyway. That’s how too many teams are playing now.”

At least they’ll get a nice long break this su-oh.

9.22am EDT 09:22

“Spurs supporter here just adding to the VAR-is-daft contingent,” says Colum Farrelly. “A few millimetres out of line in a dynamic sport means nothing at all and cannot be a clear and obvious error. That was a decent goal.”

Saka gained no advantage at all having his big toe in front of the defender’s. I don’t know what the answer is, because it’s too late to put VAR back in its box, but it certainly isn’t this soul-crushing shambles.

9.19am EDT 09:19

Half time chitchat

“After these farcical decisions, I’m voting early with my feet and going out to walk the dog,” says Justin Kavanagh. “It’ll be more entertaining than watching these quantity surveyors in refs’ outfits playing with their computers. Enjoy the game.”

“Strange Arsenal line up today I thought,” says David Wagland. “Not a fan of Elneny and Ceballos as a midfield pairing. Soares or Bellerin should fill in a left back so Xhaka can play midfield if you want to rest Partey. Why is Ryan in goal if Leno is on the bench? Consistency has been a massive problem for us this season (a win today matches our longest winning streak this season of three) and I would like to have momentum coming into the Europa semi.”

9.18am EDT 09:18

Half time: Arsenal 0-0 Fulham

Let us never speak of that first half again.

9.17am EDT 09:17

45+1 min Arsenal have another goal disallowed, though this one was more straightforward. Smith Rowe, in an offside position, missed a good chance just before Xhaka’s low cross hit Andersen and went into the net.

9.15am EDT 09:15

44 min The game has been so crap that it’s easy to lose sight of how important this is for Fulham. The second half is their world entire; if they can pinch a win, with home games against Burnley and Newcastle to come, they will have renewed hope.

9.12am EDT 09:12

42 min “Look, Rob,” says Ian Copestake, “how many times have I got to tell you: Arsenal are a sophisticated team and the lack of energy and intent you perceive is ironic.”

‘Like ray-ay-ain on your wedding day’ ironic?

Updated at 9.13am EDT

9.12am EDT 09:12

NO GOAL! Arsenal 0-0 Fulham

Saka was offside by a whisker. Scott Parker hearts VAR again.

No goal! Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/Reuters

Updated at 9.13am EDT

9.11am EDT 09:11

Saka found Bellerin, whose deep cross was headed emphatically past Areola by Dani Ceballos. They’re checking the offside – it’s a matter of millimetres.

9.10am EDT 09:10

39 min The odd thing about this first half is that both teams have pressed vigorously, but then as soon as they get the ball everything slows down.

9.08am EDT 09:08

38 min “One, being on the pitch after the game – whether there is a ruling against that I have no idea, but he had no right to be there. Two, dressed in the manner in which he was dressed. Three, the pictures in the national papers verify the aggression he was showing towards ­players and staff after the game.”

Premier League: Hull City to fight on over ‘disgraceful’ Cesc Fábregas

9.06am EDT 09:06

35 min The pace of the game is so slow. I suppose Fulham are playing the long game, but I’ve been surprised by Arsenal’s lack of energy and intent.

Here’s a photo of the lovely blue sky above the Emirates. Photograph: Julian Finney/EPA

Updated at 9.10am EDT

9.04am EDT 09:04

34 min “In 20 years’ time, FIFA marketing types will have figured out a way to hold a one-minute vote on VAR offside calls,” says Justin Kavanagh. “Crowd-sourced refereeing: It won’t be fair; it won’t be football; but money talks.”

As if it’ll take 20 years.

9.02am EDT 09:02

32 min Not that Fulham will care if they get a mucky 1-0 win. And after a difficult start, they have had an even share of the game in the last 20 minutes or so.

9.01am EDT 09:01

30 min Saka zips past Decordova-Reid and then falls over on the edge of the area. Craig Pawson gives a goalkick. I don’t think it was a foul and it was probably outside the area anyway.

8.56am EDT 08:56

24 min “Is Scott Parker the worst dressed ‘well dressed’ manager in Premier League history?” asks Sean Orlowicz.

Come on now, show some respect.

Jean Cocteau once said, “Style is a simple way of saying complicated things”. Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/Reuters

Updated at 9.04am EDT

8.54am EDT 08:54

22 min At the other end, Smith Rowe thrashes over the bar from 22 yards. A decent effort.

8.53am EDT 08:53

22 min “Come on, then,” says Norrie Hernon. “Let’s fix VAR offsides. Any part is level is onside. This would both remove a lot of the fractional calls and restore a century-old cardinal rule that has somehow been lost in all of this: give the attacking team the advantage. With VAR I’d have something like tennis where each team has one or two chances to review. This would both restore agency to those on the pitch and, crucially, still ensure those egregious injustices didn’t occur.”

I like the principle of having one or two challenges – it works well in cricket – but I’m not sure you can do it in a game as unstructured as football. Who makes the decision? How do you stop somebody on the sideline cheating by looking at a replay?

8.52am EDT 08:52

21 min: Just wide from Maja! Fulham almost take the lead out of nothing. Decordova-Reid’s deflected long-range shot fell kindly for Maja, whose snapshot took another deflection and dribbled just past the near post. Ryan was wrongfooted and wouldn’t have saved it.

8.49am EDT 08:49

19 min Both teams are passing the ball far too slowly, and mostly in the middle third of the pitch.

8.46am EDT 08:46

15 min Fulham have had muych more of the ball in the last few minutes. I don’t know what else to tell you, because very little is happening the noo.

Photograph: Facundo Arrizabalaga/Reuters

Updated at 8.50am EDT

8.42am EDT 08:42

11 min Good pressing from Fulham, with Lemina stealing the ball just outside the Arsenal area and giving it to Lookman on the left. He wriggles through a couple of challenges but then overruns the ball.

Updated at 8.44am EDT

8.40am EDT 08:40

10 min This looks a bit ominous for Fulham, who have spent the first 10 minutes chasing leather.

8.38am EDT 08:38

7 min: Good save from Areola! Smith Rowe broke into the area from the right, got to the byline and cut the ball back towards the near post. Martinelli, running away from goal, screwed a shot on the turn that was pushed away to his left by the diving Areola.

Updated at 8.39am EDT

8.35am EDT 08:35

4 min Arsenal have made a confident, relaxed start. Fulham haven’t really got into the game yet.

8.33am EDT 08:33

1 min: Arsenal almost score after 30 seconds! Lacazette, 25 yards out, lobbed a lovely short pass over the defence towards Martinelli. He flicked it past Areola and just wide of the far post. He might have been offside, but we’ll never know because he didn’t score so the VAR geometry department weren’t called into action.

8.30am EDT 08:30

It’s a gorgeous, sunny afternoon in north London. The players on both sides have gathered round the centre circle to pay tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh.

8.21am EDT 08:21

“Hi Rob,” says Rick Harris. “While Charles Antaki is right to mention the Arsenal soap opera with a different plot line every week it seems, surely the imminent return of fans to stadiums begs the question ‘Will we see the return of Gunnersaurus?’”

I do hope so. He’s got a Covid passport and everything.

8.15am EDT 08:15

“Hi Rob,” says Richard Hirst. “Thanks to Charles Antaki for the consoling thought that we only have one thing to worry about, but for some strange reason I’d rather be in Arsenal’s position than ours!”

8.12am EDT 08:12

“Interesting piece on Arsenal being too reliant on Messers Saka and Smith-Rowe,” says Bill Hargreaves. “Of course this isn’t entirely desirable, but it might work in favour of the Woolwich yet, I think. As we know, the average age of the combat soldier in Vietnam was n-n-n-n-nineteen. This is because they have less perception of anxiety, and I suspect that Emile and Bukaya play with less fear than their colleagues. Now if this could take a little heat from the likes of Pepe and Laca, Partey and Ceballos, as well as putting the old farts to shame and thereby motivating them, then more power to their elbows. Mikel must be thinking to himself ‘It didn’t look as hard as this when Pep did it?’”

Inheriting Kevin De Bruyne, David Silva and Sergio Aguero probably helps. I doubt it’ll ever happen, but I’d love Guardiola to take over a limited squad. It’d be fascinating to see whether he could, for example, make a silk purse out of David Luiz and Granit Xhaka.

8.08am EDT 08:08

“This will hardly be any comfort to Fulham fans, but has any club this season been as prone to psychodrama as Arsenal?” says Charles Antaki. “Of course Fulham fans are worried about relegation, but at least that is a single, fixed, uncontentious issue they can all rally around. Whereas, barring two or three players, and not excluding the manager, the board, the goalkeeping coach and the mascot, Arsenal fans have had the great luxury of being able to worry themselves to death over pretty well anybody and anything they like.”

7.39am EDT 07:39

Team news

Arsenal (4-2-3-1) Ryan; Bellerin, Holding, Gabriel, Xhaka; Elneny, Ceballos; Saka, Smith Rowe, Martinelli; Lacazette.Substitutes: Leno, Cedric, Chambers, Pablo Mari, Partey, Willian, Pepe, Nelson, Nketiah.

Fulham (4-2-3-1) Areola; Aina, Andersen, Tosin, Robinson; Lemina, Anguissa; Decordova-Reid, Cavaleiro, Lookman; Maja.Substitutes: Fabri, Hector, Odoi, Ream, Bryan, Loftus-Cheek, Reed, Onomah, Mitrovic.

Referee Craig Pawson.

5.28am EDT 05:28

Preamble

Hello. Most of the time, the teams fighting relegation see games against the Big Six as a free hit, with any points an unexpected bonus. Fulham have exhausted that luxury. They are seven points off safety with six games to go, so it’s now or never if they want to produce a bit of the old escapology. Fulham’s run-in includes trips to Arsenal today, then Chelsea and Manchester United. If they are to have a realistic chance of staying up, they need to win four of those six matches.

It’s not entirely beyond the realms. Fulham have done well in the tougher away games this season – they won at Liverpool, Leicester and Everton and drew at Spurs. And this isn’t the worst time to play Arsenal, who are going nowhere in the league and might still be high on their spectacular win in Prague on Thursday.

That’s the positive spin. The negative view is that, if Fulham don’t win today, their London derbies next season will be against Brentford and Millwall.

Kick off 1.30pm.

Updated at 7.41am EDT