Mikel Arteta says he is proud of the foundation Arsenal have built in recent weeks but has warned his players that tougher challenges are on the horizon.
The Gunners enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 win over West Ham ahead of the international break, with Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka finding the net to lift Arsenal to the Premier League summit.
Saka marked his 200th Premier League appearance with his 100th goal involvement, becoming the seventh-youngest player in the competition’s history to reach that milestone, and the youngest since Romelu Lukaku in February 2017 (23 years, 267 days).
Arteta also achieved a milestone of his own, taking charge of his 300th match as Arsenal manager and claiming his 177th win in the process.
Only Pep Guardiola at Manchester City (219), Jose Mourinho at Chelsea (196) and Kenny Dalglish at Liverpool (185) have recorded more wins as manager of an English team in their first 300 top-flight games.
“I am very proud, [300] is a big number for this football club. I would like to thank everyone, especially my technical staff who have been with me from day one,” said the Spaniard.
“I wanted to celebrate with a victory, which I have. Now we have to prepare well during the international break, because what comes before the next break will be very difficult again.”
“We have had to adjust a lot of things for a number of players who also suffered from serious injuries and operations in the first few weeks of the season.
“So it was a challenge, but the team, I think, was very convincing in performance and results and it is now a good platform to continue.”
300 for Mikel
Read more about the remarkable management achievement of the boss in red and white
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) October 5, 2025
Arsenal will look to extend that momentum when they face a struggling Fulham team on Saturday.
Marco Silva’s men looked set for victory against Bournemouth in their last outing but capitulated late, with Antoine Semenyo and Justin Kluivert ensuring a 3-1 comeback win for the Cherries.
It marked Fulham’s second defeat in five days, with Silva admitting his side are going through “a difficult moment”.
“This moment of the season is very difficult for us. It was difficult to lose it the way we lost it,” Silva admitted.
“To [Bournemouth] After the equalizer they had created zero chances. They found themselves in dangerous areas, but saw no clear opportunity.
“Two individual moments from two Bournemouth players decided the match. That is the reality. We have to be stronger in those moments, it’s that simple.”
“Organizationally we had everything completely under control, but the two moments decided the match and after that everything became more difficult.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Fulham – Alex Iwobi
Fulham’s Alex Iwobi has made eight breakthrough passes into the opposition’s penalty area this season, with only Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (nine) making more.
Iwobi has also created four chances from line-breaking passes in the division this season, with Fernandes again the only player to do so more (five).
Arsenal – Declan Rice
While the Gunners have spread their goal-scoring duties well across the squad, Rice has been productive in attack in recent games.
He has scored and assisted (one each) in each of Arsenal’s last two Premier League games, while also scoring six goals (two goals, four assists) in his last seven away games in London in the Premier League.
It’s competition week.
Arsenal (H) pic.twitter.com/kVPGIUtJnO
— Fulham Football Club (@FulhamFC) October 13, 2025
MATCH PREDICTION: ARSENAL WINS
Arsenal will position themselves as favorites ahead of Saturday’s match, with Fulham having won just one of their last fourteen Premier League games against Arsenal (D4 L9) – a 2-1 victory in December 2023.
The Cottagers have conceded to Arsenal in each of their last 20 league matches, highlighting the Gunners’ attacking dominance in this match.
Fulham have also suffered consecutive defeats in the league, conceding three goals in each competition. Another defeat on Saturday would mark the first run of three consecutive defeats since December 2023.
The last time they conceded three or more goals in three consecutive Premier League games was in September 2020, a period that included a 3-0 home defeat to Arsenal.
Although Arsenal have failed to win on their last two visits to Craven Cottage (D1 L1) following a run of five consecutive victories there between 2012/13 and 2022/23, they remain one of the most consistent sides in London derbies.
Arteta’s side have lost just one of their last 18 in the Premier League (W13 D4) in a 1-0 home defeat to West Ham last season, while the last time the Gunners failed to win in more consecutive league visits was to Fulham in April 1962 (six).
OPTA CHANCE OF WINNING
Fulham – 21.5%
Draw – 21.8%
Arsenal – 56.7%
#Arteta #calls #focus #Arsenal #test #window #looms #Soccer #News