Bukayo Saka finished Saturday wearing Arsenal’s captain armband as his side moved three points clear at the top of the Premier League, yet he admitted he was not satisfied with his own performance.

Arsenal were again ponderous in open play, with Saka repeatedly trying to free himself from Ryan Sessesgnon. The match’s decisive moment arrived on the cusp of the hour mark when Leandro Trossard kneed a scrappy opener over the line from a corner delivered by the club’s vice-captain.

After the game Saka was blunt about his contribution from set pieces. “We have some big guys in the box. At the start of the game, I took some rubbish corners,” Saka told Sky Sports postmatch. “I was quite disappointed. I kept going, and I think this [the one that Trossard scored] is the fourth one. I put it in, and it was a nice delivery. Gabriel got the touch, and Leo got the goal, so I’m very happy with that.”

Fulham’s manager Marco was especially unhappy with the manner of the goal, arguing his side had largely controlled the inside channels. “We wanted to block that strong run and power run from Gabriel most of the time. I really believe that path can’t be open,” the Portuguese boss moaned. “Most of the game we did control well the inside path for him to run in the direction of the goal.

“That moment Sessegnon opened out a bit more, he went in the way and you see how high that he [Gabriel] can jump. In that moment, the flick at the front post killed us a little bit on the far post with the touch from Trossard.”

The goal added to an ongoing trend: more than 60% of the Gunners’ goals this season have come from dead-ball scenarios, a proportion unmatched by any other Premier League team. Manager Mikel Arteta played down any suggestion of dependence and connected the numbers to Arsenal’s overall control. “We generate so many we have to understand [how to exploit them],” Arteta explained.

Victory extended Arsenal’s advantage at the summit, but Saka’s reaction underlined that personal standards remained high despite the result.

Top-flight management can be unforgiving. This piece revisits ten Premier League spells that ended almost as soon as they began, each outlined by the facts of their brief tenures.

Nathan Jones arrived at Southampton off the back of strong work at Luton Town but lasted just 95 days on the south coast. Supporters found it hard to get behind a manager who appeared reluctant to take responsibility; he responded with references to “xG” and the underlying numbers that had raised his profile at Luton.

Terry Connor took over at Wolves in February 2012 after a long spell as Mick McCarthy’s assistant. With the club sitting 18th, seven straight defeats followed and relegation was confirmed in April as Wolves finished the season on 25 points. Connor was not retained for the following season.

Quique Sánchez Flores enjoyed an impressive 2015–16 campaign with Watford but left at season’s end. He returned in 2019–20 after Javi Gracia’s dismissal and his comeback was a disaster: an early 8-0 defeat to Manchester City and just one win saw him depart in under three months.

Bob Bradley became the first American to manage in the Premier League when appointed by Swansea in 2016. Backing from the club’s owners was short-lived as Swansea conceded freely and earned eight points from the 11 games he led.

Frank de Boer’s spell at Crystal Palace lasted only 450 Premier League minutes; the side failed to score under his management. José Mourinho called him the “worst manager in the history of the Premier League.” De Boer later said the squad resisted his possession-based ideas.

Rene Meulensteen’s time at Fulham lasted 75 days. The former Manchester United assistant oversaw seven games, losing five, before the club moved on to Felix Magath.

Javi Gracia was drafted into Leeds United in February during the 2022–23 survival battle. He managed 11 league games over 71 days; six defeats and a run of heavy losses, including conceding at least four goals in four of his last seven matches, ended his brief spell. The man who replaced him? Stay tuned.

Les Reed returned to Charlton in 2006 and, after Iain Dowie’s sacking, was promoted to head coach. A six-week spell produced seven Premier League games with five defeats; he was tagged “Les Misérables” and “Santa Clueless” before leaving.

Nottingham Forest rose to seventh in 2024–25 under Nuno Espírito Santo, only for him to depart three games into the following season. Ange Postecoglou succeeded him but lasted eight matches without a win before being dismissed.

Craven Cottage — Arsenal scraped a 1-0 victory over Fulham on Saturday as Leandro Trossard converted from a corner in the 58th minute, continuing the club’s remarkable run from dead-ball situations. Trossard cushioned the ball over the line with his thigh after Gabriel nodded the corner on, the latest of Arsenal’s eighth goals from set pieces in as many Premier League games. Nicolas Jover’s influence on Arsenal’s set plays was again a clear factor.

Fulham offered sustained threat, particularly down their right flank where Josh King and Harry Wilson combined effectively. The hosts generated more shots in the first 26 minutes than Arsenal had managed in their previous Premier League outing. Still, Arsenal’s defensive solidity proved decisive; the side have conceded just three goals this season and held firm as Fulham sought an equaliser late.

Bukayo Saka grew into the game and provided Arsenal’s clearest menace. He forced the ball beyond Bernd Leno early in the second half before Timothy Castagne cleared off the line. A potential penalty incident involving Kevin and Saka was reviewed by VAR; the officials determined Kevin’s first touch had been on the ball and no spot-kick was awarded. The contest featured nine competitive minutes of stoppage time as Fulham pressed, but Arsenal held on.

Tactical caution and limited cutting edge in open play once again marked Arsenal’s performance, with large periods spent in measured possession and recycling between William Saliba and Martín Zubimendi. Riccardo Calafiori’s forward runs briefly threatened Fulham’s structure but an offside flag denied one of his efforts.

Player ratings (selected): David Raya 7.1; Jurriën Timber 7.5; William Saliba 7.4; Gabriel 7.8; Riccardo Calafiori 7.2; Martín Zubimendi 6.9; Declan Rice 7.4; Eberechi Eze 6.9; Bukayo Saka 8.5; Viktor Gyökeres 7.1; Leandro Trossard 7.6. Substitutes included Mikel Merino (63’, 6.6), Gabriel Martinelli (81’), and Christian Nørgaard (90+6’).

Fulham’s starting XI included Bernd Leno; Timothy Castagne; Joachim Andersen; Jorge Cuenca; Ryan Sessegnon; Sander Berge; Tom Cairney; Harry Wilson; Josh King; Alex Iwobi; Raúl Jiménez. Arsenal’s win extended their lead at the top by three points over Manchester City, with Liverpool a further four points back before their Sunday fixture.