Arsenal’s dismal end to 2023 was epitomised by their 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage against Fulham.

Despite taking an early lead, the Gunners’ performance was awful, leaving them in fourth place in the Premier League and just a point ahead of Tottenham.

There are poor performances and then there is whatever Arsenal produced against Fulham to end 2023 in spectacularly disappointing fashion.

The result means Arsenal, who were top at Christmas just two games ago, now go into 2024 in fourth place with Tottenham just a point behind them.

In fact, Arsenal were so bad, they completely overshadowed yet another refereeing performance where we got to watch two completely different standards of officiating on display.

Despite dominating with 61% possession, Arsenal were slow, laboured and devoid of ideas. They took an early lead, Bukayo Saka finding the net after just five minutes and that was to be the high point of Arsenal’s afternoon.

Somehow, Arsenal managed 13 shots, although it feels like at least 11 of those were blocked as soon as they left the shooting boot.

A paltry three shots on target, two of which offered Bernd Leno no trouble, was all they could muster.

This game will leave Mikel Arteta with many questions to answer. Has he overcorrected too much after last season’s title failure? At times, it feels like Arsenal have reverted to a couple of years ago when caution was his calling card, the football too rigid and controlled to offer any real threat.

Going into this game, Fulham had failed to score in their last three matches, yet Arsenal managed to let them score two.

This win also marks a return to form for Fulham, ending their losing streak and allowing them to celebrate New Year’s Eve with a significant victory.

In contrast, Arsenal, now sitting fourth in the Premier League table, missed the chance to top the table at the year’s end.

This match also ended Arsenal’s impressive run of not losing a top-flight match after scoring first, a streak that had lasted since January 2022 and spanned 48 games.

Mikel Arteta’s side must now reflect on a disappointing December as they prepare to host Liverpool in the FA Cup third round next week.

Arsenal player ratings

In Arsenal’s disappointing 2-1 defeat against Fulham, the players showed a mix of poor performances. Saka’s performance was the brightest spot for Arsenal, earning a rating of 7.4. He managed to find the net early on, providing a glimmer of hope for the Gunners.

Close behind him was Declan Rice, who put in a solid shift in the midfield with a 7.3 rating, showcasing his usual consistency and control.

Eddie Nketiah struggled with a 6.6 while Gabriel Martinelli in particular showed glimpses, but only picked up a 6.8. Martinelli was active on the wing but couldn’t turn his efforts into goals.

Martin Odegaard, with a 6.9 rating, tried to orchestrate play but struggled to break down Fulham’s defence.

The defensive line had a mixed day. William Saliba and Gabriel both scored 6.5 and 6.9, showing resilience despite the team’s overall defensive shortcomings. Only against Luton, with a 6.4, has Saliba performed worse than against Fulham.

Ben White, with a 6.0 rating, had a challenging game, and Jakub Kiwior, who was substituted at halftime, somehow ended with a 6.6. I guess he went off before things got even worse.

The substitutes made varied but limited impact.

Takehiro Tomiyasu, coming on at halftime, made a noticeable difference and earned a 6.9 rating.

Gabriel Jesus and Leandro Trossard, who came on in the 67th minute, scored 6.2 and 5.9, respectively. Jesus tried, and failed, to inject energy into the attack, while Trossard struggled to make a significant impact.

Reiss Nelson, a late substitution, earned a 6.2, but had limited time to influence the game.