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By HARRY BAMFORTH and SAMI MOKBEL AT CRAVEN COTTAGE and ISAAN KHAN AT CRAVEN COTTAGE and TOM COLLOMOSSE AT THE KING POWER STADIUM and WILL PICKWORTH AT PORTMAN ROAD Published: 23: 30 AEDT, 8 December 2024 | Updated: 03: 04 AEDT, 9 December 2024 218 View comments Follow Mail Sport's live blog for the latest scores, team news and updates as Fulham host Arsenal, Brighton travel to Leicester and Ipswich take on Bournemouth in the Premier League.   By Tom Collomosse At The King Power Stadium By Harry Bamforth Devastation for Ipswich. Portman Road is deafly silent, the fans can't believe what they have just witnessed. Two late goals from Bournemouth have stolen a victory from their grasp. Quite incredible. By Harry Bamforth What a result for Leicester! I'm not sure how they did it, but the Foxes staged a dramatic comeback right at the end to earn a valuable point. The looked dead and buried with 10 minutes to go, but Jamie Vardy was the hero for them once again. As they say, Foexes never quit. By Harry Bamforth Fulham hold on! It's two more points dropped for Arsenal as they fail to capitalise on the postponement of Liverpool's game. Bukayo Saka thought he had done enough to win them the game at the death but VAR had other ideas. Another monster blow for their title hopes. By Harry Bamforth OH MY WORD! Bournemouth truly shatter Ipswich hearts and their players fall to their knees as Dangto Ouattara fires home a last-gasp winner. I really can't believe it, the Tractor Boys just can't buy a win. By Harry Bamforth WHAT A COMEBACK! The King Power goes absolutely mental as Leicester score their second goal in four minutes to surely earn a point. Jamie Vardy turns from scorer to provider as he squares the ball to Bobby De Cordova Reird to tap into an empty net. Simply incredible. By Harry Bamforth It's a sickener for Ipswich. .. Just as the hosts look like they were finally going to get a home win, their dreams are crushed. Enes Unal bundles into an empty net and it looks like Bournemouth have rescued a point. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal's hearts are broken. .. Three stands of Craven Cottage cheer as VAR chalks off the Arsenal winner as Gabriel Martinelli is offside. That is brutal, but that's football. By Harry Bamforth Wait a minute. .. It looks as though Gabriel Martinelli is offside in the build-up here and VAR is checking this. I have a feeling this is going to be ruled out. By Harry Bamforth Oh, hello. .. Jamie Vardy pulls a goal back for Leicester late on with a brilliant first-time finish. Maybe this game is not over yet. .. By Harry Bamforth BUKAYO SAKA WINS IT FOR ARSENAL! Just when Arsenal needed a hero, Saka has come up trumps for them to save the day. It's winger to winger as Gabriel Martinelli sends a stunning cross to the back post which Saka finishes off. How big will that goal be? By Harry Bamforth That might just be Declan Rice's first poor delivery of the afternoon. The midfielder is usually so reliable from setpieces but he overhits this one hugely and Fulham have a bit of respite. Time is starting to run out for the Gunners, you feel as though they have to get a winner here. By Harry Bamforth Chris Kavanagh is getting happy clappy with the cards now. This time he shows one in the direction of Antonee Robinson for a foul on Bukayo Saka. Arsenal now have a chance to swing a free-kick into the box. .. By Harry Bamforth You can see the frustration growing within the Arsenal camp. Gabriel Martinelli displays a little too much of it and the referee gives him a yellow card. He really doesn't look like a happy bunny. By Harry Bamforth What a lovely solo goal that is! Yankuba Minteh wins Brighton the game all on his own as he races away on the counter, twists and turns in the area, and then bends the ball into the bottom corner. It seems like Ruud van Nistelrooy's honeymoon has lasted just one game. Surely that's game over? By Harry Bamforth Time for some more substitutions, hooray. .. Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard's afternoon is now over as he is replaced by youngster Ethan Nwaneri. Meanwhile, Fulham's goalscorer Raul Jimenez comes off to a standing ovation with Rodrigo Muniz coming on for him. By Harry Bamforth I have a feeling that these last 12 minutes or so will feel like forever for Fulham. Arsenal have all the ball and have the hosts pinned back in their own penalty area. Crosses are flying in with regularity and the latest bounces out invitingly to Declan Rice outside the area. The midfielder obliges by arrowing the effort low toward goal, but Bernd Leno keeps hold of it. By Harry Bamforth What happened there? Gabriel Jesus is not a man in form and he has just shown why as he hesitates when the ball comes his way. Declan Rice clips a lovely ball over to him and the Brazilian is favourite to meet it over Bernd Leno. But it's as if he pulls out of taking the shot in fear of being wiped out by the keeper. Weird. By Harry Bamforth Mikel Arteta turns to the bench again. He makes a double substitution as Mikel Merino and Gabriel Jesus come on as Arsenal search for a winner. Jorginho and Kai Havertz both make way. By Harry Bamforth Amid the chaos of the last few minutes, Calvin Bassey has been booked for a tug on William Saliba. This game is so action-packed I can barely keep up - a very entertaining watch. By Harry Bamforth Things are really heating up in west London, even if it is still freezing. Fulham have a rare foray forward and Andreas Pereira goes along down the left. He makes his way into the box and forces David Raya into a good save form a tight angle. That's a warning for Arsenal. By Harry Bamforth How are Arsenal not ahead? Declan Rice sends in yet another pearler of a corner and it lands perfectly on the head of Thomas Partey. The midfielder is unmarked and has the goal at his mercy but he somehow sends the ball wide. I'm in disbelief, that looked like a certain goal. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal's pressing is brilliant. They are hunting Fulham in packs like dogs and Raul Jimenez has just been forced to run all the way back into his own half and pass to Bernd Leno. It's causing the hosts so many problems. By Harry Bamforth What is Jurrien Timber thinking there? Arsenal have Fulham on the ropes and the defender decides he is going to have a pop from distance for some reason. It is a terrible effort and wastes a really good move. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal are playing champagne football now, they really are. Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard combine before the latter plays a lovely disguised pass into Kaio Havertz in the area. The German turns on the ball and tries to arrow it into the bottom corner, but his strike dribbles just wide. The pressure is mounting. By Harry Bamforth Now this is interesting. .. Leandro Trossard has been brilliant in this second half but Mikel Arteta obviously doesn't agree as he replaces him with Gabriel Martinelli. Meanwhile, Emile Smith-Rowe's first match against his boyhood club has come to an end. He is replaced by Andreas Pereira while Harry Wilson is on for Adama Traore. By Isaan Khan At Craven Cottage By Harry Bamforth Arsenal are all over Fulham now. They have taken things up a gear and it's wave after wave of attacks for the Gunners now. Leandro Trossard drives into the area down the left and cuts inside before firing a sizzling effort at goal. But Bernd Leno does well to get low and hold onto the strike. By Harry Bamforth No, he is not! The goal stands after a lengthy check as Antonee Robinson's boot is just keeping William Saliba on. A massive goal for the Gunners. By Harry Bamforth Is he offside? VAR are having a look at this as it looks as though William Saliba may have just strayed offside. But my word is it tight. .. By Harry Bamforth You'll never guess what? There was only ever one way Arsenal were going to level this and of course, it's from a corner. Kai Havertz nods the set-piece back across the box and William Saliba prods it in from close range. That's two in two for the defender. By Harry Bamforth Sasa Lukic loves a yellow card, doesn't he? The midfielder has just returned from a suspension for picking up too many this season. And well, he has now picked up the first of the game here. By Harry Bamforth Antonee Robinson really does have wheels, my word. He zooms past Thomas Partey down the right-hand side as if he is not even there. He then fires the ball low into the mixer but David Raya rushes out to smother the ball. By Harry Bamforth Ipswich are now 45 minutes away from getting their first win at Portman Road this season. Bournemouth are looking to spoil the party as we get back underway in Suffolk. By Harry Bamforth Right, the ball is rolling again at the King Power Stadium. Ruud van Nistelrooy is not used to losing in English football as a manager, so can his Leicester side turn this around? By Harry Bamforth Whoever is controlling the music at Craven Cottage deserves a raise. They play The Clash's 'London Calling' as the two teams come back out. There have been no changes from either manager and we are now back underway in west London. Can Arsenal come back? By Harry Bamforth Paul Merson, former Arsenal midfielder, on Sky Sports: By Will Pickworth At Portman Road By Harry Bamforth Arsenal's defence just hasn't been the same this season. The Gunners were known for their brilliant backline in their title challenge last campaign, but not these days. They haven’t kept a clean sheet in any of their last six Premier League away games; their joint-longest run without one during Mikel Arteta’s time in charge. I guess they are missing some key defenders, but they haven't been for all of that run. By Harry Bamforth Sometimes one chance is all it takes, eh? Fulham had been on the back foot for the first 10 minutes until they just sprung to life. It's a lovely move and then a brilliant finish from Raul Jimenez across David Raya. They haven't really had any other chances since. By Tom Collomosse At The King Power Stadium By Harry Bamforth So far, so good for Ipswich. The Tractor Boys are just 45 minutes away from winning their first home match of the season. Conor Chaplin scored the only goal of the half, but I'm unsure how there have not been more. An enthralling watch. By Harry Bamforth Brighton lead in the East Midlands. It has not been a classic by any stretch, but my word was Tariq Lamptey's opener a moment of brilliance. Leicester were standing strong until that went int, but there was nothing they could do to stop it. Thre is still plenty to play for at the King Power Stadium. By Harry Bamforth There goes the whistle. Mikel Arteta will be a frustrated man at the break as his Arsenal side are a goal behind. They have dominated much of the play but have created very little to show for it. The Cottagers just needed one chance and Raul Jimenez took it. By Harry Bamforth Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Nope, is the ball that has just flown off the boot of Issa Diop at Craven Cottage. That was such a bad miss I think the ball has landed in the River Thames. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal fans, it looks like Martin Odegaard is going to be OK. He is back on his feet just after it's revealed there will be one minute of stoppage time. By Harry Bamforth Oh no, this does not look good. Sande Berge makes up for giving the ball away and wins the ball from Martin Odegaard. But the Arsenal captain is now down holding his ankle and looks in a lot of pain. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal are struggling here. They simply don't look like breaking Fulham down and are only threatening from set-pieces. Bernd Leno's only really had to worry about the Bukayo Saka effort and that's it. Maybe they really are like Stoke. By Tom Collomosse At The King Power Stadium By Harry Bamforth It's a stunner from Tariq Lamptey! You simply don't stop those as Tariq Lamptey scores his first Premier League goal in four years. The full-back is 25 years out on the left-hand side, cuts inside, and loops a bending effort over Mads Hermansen and into the top corner. A strike worthy of winning any match. By Harry Bamforth Adama Traore is having an absolute stinker. Fulham do brilliantly to beat the Arsenal press and start a break until Traore gives the ball away yet again. Arsenal try to take advantage and Bukayo Saka gets into the area, but Bernd Leno beats his strike away from a tight angle. Now it's an Arsenal corner. .. By Harry Bamforth Oh, Emile Smith-Rowe ruins a wonderful move for Fulham. The former Arsenal man times his run perfectly and looks set to be in one-on-one when the ball is clipped over to him. But his touch is absolutely terrible and the ball cannons back in the wrong direction. Huge missed opportunity. By Harry Bamforth Fulham are really content at just sitting deep and letting Arsenal have all the ball. The Gunners are really struggling to break them down and Martin Odegaard has just overcooked a pass. The Gunners will just need to be patient, you feel. By Harry Bamforth By Harry Bamforth What is that, Adama Traore? The winger gets fans off their seats as he finally gets the chance to drive at Arsenal down the left. But he then decides to try and switch the play and gets his pass all wrong and it floats into no-mans land before rolling out of play. The wind really took it, my word. By Harry Bamforth Fulham really do love their ironic cheers. They come out again as Leandro Trossard's peach of a cross is completely miskicked by Bukayo Saka. The winger then turns into Mike Tyson and starts biting his glove in frustration. A bit odd. By Harry Bamforth Declan Rice must have a nosebleed now. .. The midfielder is clipped through over the top and he runs onto the ball like he is the striker. But then he displays why he is not the Gunners' number nine as he drags a half-volley wide of the post. If he got a better connection, that could have been 1-1. By Will Pickworth At Portman Road By Harry Bamforth Portman Road goes berserk! Conor Chaplin fires Ipswich into the lead with a bending strike into the bottom corner. The ball is pulled back to him following a throw-in and he is so clam as he strokes the ball home. A massive goal for the hosts. By Tom Collomosse At The King Power Stadium By Harry Bamforth Maybe I was a bit harsh saying Fulham's goal was out of nothing as there were 23 passes in the build-up to it. I mean, they had barely even had 10 touches of the ball before that move, but my word did they kick into gear. This is a real test for Arsenal now. By Will Pickworth At Portman Road By Sami Mokbel At Craven Cottage By Harry Bamforth Guess what? Arsenal have a set-piece again. The Gunners look to respond almost instantly but Bernd leno manages to punch the free-kick away. It falls to Declan Rice but he rushes his shot and blasts miles over the bar. Not his best effort. By Harry Bamforth Out of absolutely nothing! One attack is all it takes. Raul Jiminez fires Fulham in front with their very first foray forward. It's a lovely finish from the forward who is slid through down the right and he fires the ball across David Raya. Now that is what you call clinical. By Harry Bamforth What is that? Bukayo Saka has just had a corner cleared by the first man, that's unlike him. There are ironic cheers from the home fans following the set-piece, which is the worst I have seen Arsenal deliver in some time. It shows just how good at them they are. By Harry Bamforth Arsenal have started really well here. The visitors are having all of the ball, Fulham simply can't get out of their own half. But remember, they have Adama Traore for when the counter-attacking opportunities come. Arsenal need to be wary of that. By Harry Bamforth Every single time. .. Arsenal's first chance of the afternoon of course comes from a corner as William Saliba flicks a header just wide. Corners are like penalties for Arsenal these days, they look like they will score with every single one. It's pretty mental. By Harry Bamforth Right, I am going to have an early moan. Arsenal are wearing their light blue away kit for some reason, and not their red. I know it's got a bit of white on it, but surely the Gunners can wear their home kit in this fixture, no? I think it's a bit silly, personally. By Harry Bamforth Once again, Fulham deliver with the tunes as techno music blasts out as the two teams get ready. I am pumped up, they look pumped up, are you pumped up? In their wavy blue away kit, Arsenal get the game underway at Craven Cottage. By Harry Bamforth Right, the ball is rolling at Portman Road. Ipswich are desperate to finally secure their first home win of the season. But can they turnover high-flying Bournemouth? We are about to find out. .. By Harry Bamforth My word, the weather is horrible here. The action has got going at the King Power Stadium but the atmosphere is not exactly bouncing due to all the rain and wind. Let's hope the action changes that. By Harry Bamforth I must say, I love the music choice at Craven Cottage. The teams come out to a tune that I don't know, but that has been dancing in my seat. Sadly, it's ruined by the Premier League anthem, which you all know I have a strong distaste for. It's rubbish. Thankfully, it's only a 30-second track, so my ears don't have to endure it for very long. By Harry Bamforth Fulham are having one hell of a season, so far. The Cottagers could go within three points of Arsenal with a victory over the Gunners today. Also, if Brighton drop points at Leicester, Marcio Silva's side could find themselves in fifth place and one point behind Manchester City. It could be a monumental day in both team's seasons. By Harry Bamforth Jamie Redknapp, former Tottenham midfielder, speaking on Sky Sports: By Harry Bamforth I feel like I haven't done a predictions post in an age. I'm not entirely sure why I stopped doing them, but who cares because they are starting again. So, what do you think the score will be? With the way Arsenal have been playing, I simply can't look past them today. My prediction is 3-1 to the Gunners. Will I be right? By Will Pickworth At Portman Road By Harry Bamforth Marco Silva, Fulham manager, speaking to Sky Sports: By Harry Bamforth That's right, it's stat pack time! Our good friends over at Squawka have given us the goods once again as kick-off closes in at Craven Cottage. The stat that stands out to me today is that Fulham and Arsenal create the same amount of chances per game practically. However, the Gunners have scored seven more goals. Clinical. By Sami Mokbel At Craven Cottage By Harry Bamforth I love it when teams are close to breaking records, don't you? Usually, it's teams such as Liverpool and Manchester City who close in on making history, but not today. If Fulham manage to beat Arsenal today, it will be the first time in their history they have beaten them in consecutive matches. They have been somewhat of a bogey team for Mike Arteta's side of late, having won four points off them last campaign. And I bet the Cottagers will want to make this meeting a historic one. By Isaan Khan At Craven Cottage By Harry Bamforth In football, there are always times when you come across old friends. By travelling to Fulham, Arsenal come across three of their former flames Emile Smith-Rowe, Alex Iwobi, and Bernd Leno. The trio adorned the red of the Gunners on multiple occasions but since swapped north London for west. While Leno and Iwobi are used to facing Arsenal these days, it will be a first for Smith-Rowe, who left his boyhood club in the summer. I imagine he will be putting all emotion aside when he crosses the white line, though. Can he inflict some serious damage on his old side's title hopes? By Harry Bamforth Alex Iwobi, Fulham attacker, speaking to Sky Sports: By Harry Bamforth Fulham awoke a beast in Arsenal when they beat them last December. Since the Gunners lost here at Craven Cottage on New Year's Eve, they are unbeaten in eight London Derbies. They have won seven of those, with the only draw coming against Chelsea last month. Arsenal love to paint London red when they can. By Harry Bamforth Alan Shearer, former Newcastle striker, speaking to Betfair: By Harry Bamforth Most people call Arsenal the 'Corner Kings' due to their ridiculous prowess from set-pieces this season. Not everyone does, though. Dimitar Berbatov likened the Gunners to Tony Pulis' Stoke City of the late 2000s, and people have taken it and run. I mean, they do love lumping the ball in the mixture and wreaking havoc, so I can see the comparison. Arsenal have scored 22 goals from corners this year, more than any other side in European football's top five leagues. But overall, I'm pretty sure this Arsenal side are a lot better with the ball on the deck than Stoke were back in the day. In my book, it doesn't matter how you score, but that you do. By Harry Bamforth Last but not least. .. Ruud van Nistelrooy would have kept with the same team that beat est Ham, but he can't. Facundo Buonanotte is not eligible to face his parent side so Joran Ayew comes in for him. Other than that, it's as was for the Foxes. By Tom Collomosse At The King Power Stadium By Harry Bamforth Evan Ferguson gets his moment! The striker is one of four changes to the Brighton side who were beaten at Fulham in midweek. Tariq Lamptey, Yasin Ayari, and Georginio Rutter all come back into the starting line-up. Also, Fabian Hurzeler will actually be in the dugout today. By Harry Bamforth I was about to say 'Why change a winning formula? ' but then noticed Andoni Iraola had made one change. Lewis Cook is the only player who did not start in the win against Tottenham to come into the side. Tyler Adams drops out. By Harry Bamforth Kieran Mc Kenna rings the changes today. he has made five from the side that were beaten by Crystal palace at Portman Road in midweek. Sammie Szmodics returns into the forward line and is joined by Conor Chaplin, while Jack Taylor comes into the midfield. Ben Johnson and Cameron Burgess return to the defence. By Harry Bamforth Are we sure this isn't just another Arsenal line-up? Marco Silva names three former Gunner stars in his side with Emile Smith-Rowe, Alex Iwobi, and Bernd Leno all starting. Raul Jimenez is back in from the start after being benched for the Brighton win, while Adama Traore is trusted on the wing. Happy with this team, Fulham fans? By Harry Bamforth Well, we have our answer. For the second game running both Gabriel and Riccardo Calafirori are not in the squad. Mikel Arteta makes just two changes from the side who beat Manchester United, one of them enforced. Oleksandr Zinchenko misses out through injury and is replaced by Jorginho while Leandro Trossard comes in for Gabriel Martinelli. Still, a very strong side. By Harry Bamforth This is a question I know everybody is dying to have an answer to. The problem is, we don't have it yet. Gabriel missed Arsenal's win over Manchester United in the week and has reportedly been assessed whether he can play today. Riccardo Calafiori was also unavailable in midweek and we are yet to know whether he will be involved. We just have a few minutes until we find out, though. By Harry Bamforth Mikel Arteta, Arsenal manager, speaking on Friday: By Harry Bamforth Arsenal fans, I apologise, I am about to bring up some past wounds. .. The last time the Gunners rocked up at Craven Cottage it ended up being a pretty rubbish day for them. They closed out 2023 with a 2-1 loss away at Fulham, which left them in a sticky spot in the title race last season. And as we all know, they went on to be the bridesmaid once again. This time around, they are just fighting to stay in the conversation with runaway leaders Liverpool. If they win today, they will close the gap to four points after the Reds match with Everton was postponed yesterday. And although Liverpool would have a game in hand over the Gunners, the psychological benefit of closing the gap at the top from nine points to four in the space of the week would be huge. But as they found out last year, facing Fulham away from home is no easy task. They are in for a real battle today. It's going to be a cracking match, I can feel it. By Harry Bamforth Before we gets stuck in, I reckon we should have a look at today's schedule, don't you? Our main focus will be on proceedings at Craven Cottage in this blog, but we will provide key updates from around the grounds. So, here it is: By Harry Bamforth More football? Don't mind if I do. It's not often that you have the same number of fixtures played on Sundays as you do on Saturdays, is it? Well, that is the case today and it shows just how stacked of an afternoon we have in store. Our main focus turns to west London, Craven Cottage specifically, as Arsenal look to close the gap at the top as they take on Fulham. Elsewhere, Ipswich host high-flying Bournemouth while Brighton travel to Leicester. It all serves as a lovely appetiser for the big on in north London later. .. Anyway, I think that's enough of an introduction, let's get this show on the road! 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