Arsenal player ratings vs Fulham: Bukayo Saka is back! Gunners' starboy returns in style - but Gabriel Magalhaes injury a massive blow with Real Madrid on the horizon

The England winger came back with a bang as his goal confirmed victory for Mikel Arteta's men at the Emirates Stadium

Bukayo Saka made an instant impact on his return from injury as he helped Arsenal to a 2-1 win against Fulham on Tuesday. The 23-year-old came off the bench for his first Premier League appearance since December and had the ball in the net just seven minutes later to secure the points after Mikel Merino gave the Gunners a first-half lead.

Arsenal were dealt an early blow as Gabriel Magalhaes went off injured and Jurrien Timber had a scare not long after, but Mikel Arteta's men were able to shake it off and steal the lead late in the half. Ethan Nwaneri was found down the right wing and the teenager cut back to Merino in the box. The midfielder-turned-striker prodded towards goal and it beat Bernd Leno with the help of a deflection for his sixth league goal of the season.

The Gunners kept up the pressure in the second half, with Gabriel Martinelli running the Fulham defence ragged, but it was Saka who made sure the three points stayed in north London shortly after he came on. Martinelli kicked the attack into life, playing the ball wide to Merino, who carried it forward before lobbing it into the box for the Brazilian to flick on to the substitute for a fine finish.

Fulham should have given Arsenal something to worry about for the last 10 minutes when Adama Traore's excellent cross found Rodrigo Muniz unmarked, but he was left in utter shock as he realised his header had missed the target. The Brazilian redeemed himself in stoppage time when he his shot deflected past David Raya, and the visitors even pushed for an equaliser, but it did not come.

GOAL rates Arsenal's players from the Emirates Stadium...

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Goalkeeper & Defence
David Raya (6/10):
Fulham had trouble hitting the target, but he dealt with all that came at him until Muniz's late consolation.
Jurrien Timber (6/10):
Survived an early injury scare and put in a decent defensive display.
William Saliba (6/10):
Won a few headers and had a few troublesome moments.
Gabriel Magalhaes (N/A):
Went off injured early on.
Myles Lewis-Skelly (6/10):
Very lively down the wing with some promising runs.

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Midfield
Martin Odegaard (6/10):
Got into some good positions and had a couple of shots, but not involved enough.
Thomas Partey (7/10):
Made some strong tackles and patrolled the midfield to keep Fulham quiet.
Declan Rice (6/10):
Excellent with his passing at times and helped break down Fulham's attacks.
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Attack
Ethan Nwaneri (7/10):
Perfect pass to Merino for the opener in a bright performance down the right.
Mikel Merino (8/10):
Showed composure as he opened the scoring with a bit of luck, pressed well and had a few dangerous runs.
Gabriel Martinelli (8/10):
Caused a lot of problems for Fulham but lacked an end product to his good work until his wonderful assist for Saka. Thought he had a deserved goal of his own late on, but it was offside.

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Subs & Manager
Jakub Kiwior (5/10):
Lost the ball to Traore in a worrying moment.
Bukayo Saka (7/10):
Made his long-awaited return and what an impact he made. Scored quickly and was looking to create more danger.
Leandro Trossard (6/10):
On for over 10 minutes but did not get up to much.
Mikel Arteta (7/10):
Will be happy with the prodigal son's return and the way his team kept Fulham quiet for much of the game, but that Gabriel injury will have him worried ahead of the Real Madrid clash next week.

Goalkeeper & Defence

Midfield

Attack

Subs & Manager