Arsenal managed a 1-0 win over Fulham during the weekend, which propelled them back into the top three of the table. Arsenal were extremely fortunate to not only come out with a victory, but with a clean sheet. Fulham had several chances over the course of the match despite playing with 10 men for much of the 90 min. Midfielder Steve Sidwell was sent off following a straight red card in the 12 min after his tackle on midfielder Mikel Arteta. The red card was extremely debatable because Sidwell did not have two feet off the ground.
Arsenal managed to take the lead in the match through a set piece goal from defender Per Mertesacker. Despite this victory, Arsenal will have reasons to be concerned in the remainder of the season. They played against 10 men for most of the match, but they were able to create any clear-cut opportunities. As in every other match, Arsenal dominated the possession, but they were not able to convert them into chances. Arsenal also had a man sent off late in the match when Oliver Giroud was given a straight red card.
After the match, Wenger said that the referee was right in giving the red card to Steve Sidwell.
“I think the referee could only give a red card [to Sidwell]. We will see [if Arteta is okay]. He played the second-half. I don’t know how much damage is done. It is a kick, a bad kick. I don’t know if he has twisted his ankle or not. In these kind of things it is a question of a fraction of a second. If you are fully on your foot at the moment you get it you break your leg. If you ease a bit off maybe that is why he got away with it,” said Wenger.