By Melody Gross 
The festive period is the test for the cotton of the Premier League. Between the Christmas trees and New Year's wishes, a mini-marathon takes place in the English Championship, a test of football endurance that separates the wheat from the chaff and determines who will return to the next sun in the best conditions to achieve their goals.
If we talk about soccer And tradition, Craven Cottage is a must see. Opened in 1896, the stadium is half country house, half football field, half football theatre, half museum to preserve the essence of the game, and half football nature reserve. In this cultural mix, Fulham were an end-of-year nightmare for Arsenal.
In one of the many London derbies in the English Premier League, Marco Silva's team beat Arsenal (2-1). In the cotton test for Christmas and New Year, Gunners They have failed: they have won only one of the last five rounds, a period in which they have won by just four points. They arrived on December 25 in top spot, but are now in fourth place with 40 points in 20 rounds. City also has 40 points, but in 19 matches played. Liverpool leads the standings with 42 points from 19 matches, while surprising Aston Villa also has 42 points, but in 20 matches.
Joao Baleña started midfielder Marco Silva, while Cedric Soares did not leave the Arsenal bench and Fabio Vieira was injured. And even the beginning smiled at her Gunners. In the 5th minute, Saka took advantage of incomplete defending from Leno to open the scoring.
But Fulham's Marco Silva is used to small miracles. After promotion two seasons ago and maintenance last season, they are competing in the Premier League's Sharks pool with a squad that is far from exuberant. Without Mitrovic, the attack is entrusted to Raul Jimenez, who is trying to return to the good old days after the serious head injury he suffered against Arsenal.
It was the Mexican, a former Benfica player, who scored the equaliser. In the 29th minute he responded in the best way to a cross from Carney.
Arsenal was nowhere to be found, lost amid the suspicions of unhappy sides. Taking advantage of their opponent's doubts, the locals made it 2-1 in the 60th minute through Cordova-Reid. With fans complaining about the lack of investment in the team, Fulham remain in 13th place with 24 points from 20 matches, which is a big cushion in the struggle for maintenance.
As for Arteta's men, the feeling is that they do not have enough speed to reach the title. Last season, scoring 50 points in the first 20 rounds was not enough for Arsenal to become champions. now, Gunners They have 40 points in these opening 20 rounds.