Saka’s fairytale return shows his miracle-making potential for Arsenal

Arsenal 2-1 Fulham: Saka scored what turned out to be the decisive goal on his long-awaited return from injury

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Sometimes the blatantly predictable is best in football.

A night built around Bukayo Saka’s long-awaited return from injury, Arsenal’s superstar winger marked his comeback with a goal as the Gunners ran out 2-1 winners over Fulham. A win that nibbled away at Liverpool’s hefty margin at the top of the Premier League table, Saka’s moment did far more than secure the points for Mikel Arteta’s side.

Arsenal started the day 12 points adrift of leaders Liverpool, but you really wouldn’t have been able to tell that going off the Emirates atmosphere. No matter what you think of the anthem, a rousing rendition of North London Forever preceded the contest, with the Gunners faithful remaining in full voice for the opening stages. He was only on the bench, but the impact of Saka’s long-awaited return to the fold was evident from the outset.

However, Arsenal’s high spirits were quickly dealt a dampener, reminded that the injury gods show no mercy. Within the quarter-hour, Gabriel found himself on the deck, shaking his head and clearly unable to continue. He limped off, with Jakub Kiwior coming on in his stead. Just when Arsenal’s treatment table looked to be lightening up, Arteta experienced yet another injury setback – exacerbating a crisis that has defined the Gunners’s flailing title charge this term.

Gabriel limped off early into Arsenal's visit of Fulham (Getty Images )

Arteta had quite a simple solution to the temporarily deflated feeling inside the Emirates in light of the Gabriel development. On 25 minutes, Saka stepped off the bench to engage in his first touchline warm-up of the night. Such a regular matchday occurrence for a player, it evoked a spine-tingling ovation that rippled around the ground. So stirring was the reception that Fulham duo Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi couldn’t help but put an arm around their opposing player on the night and encourage him to properly soak up the adulation.

Saying that, the first half of the contest reminded us that even with stretched options, Arsenal’s right-wing berth hasn’t sat empty for the past three months, desperate for an injection of venom in Saka’s absence. The 23-year-old’s Hale End understudy, teenager Ethan Nwaneri, has in recent weeks proven himself as a threat to be reckoned with amidst an attacking injury crisis, and he started the Fulham clash in a similar vein. Latching onto a Gabriel Martinelli cross, he caught a sweet volley to call Bernd Leno into action for the first time of the night.

And after chipping away at Fulham’s so-far sturdy defence, Nwaneri was at the heart of Arsenal’s breakthrough, dancing into the box before pulling the ball back to makeshift number nine Mikel Merino. The Spaniard initially seemed to have taken too long with the ball, but as he stabbed an effort goalwards, his shot took a crucial deflection off Jorge Cuenca, taking it out of Leno’s reach and into the bottom-left corner. Arsenal had lift-off.

After the break, the Gunners sought to extend their one-goal lead, an ever-precarious advantage despite their first-half domination. A glorious chance fell Martin Odegaard’s way soon into the second period, receiving the ball near the penalty spot on the pull-back from Martinelli. He could only get under the ball, though, skying it high over the crossbar. Jurrien Timber then had a low effort from inside the box well-saved by Leno.

That said, Arsenal had to be wary of the Fulham break. They were not immune to the counter, with Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore both firing efforts goalwards following quick breaks. The former managed to test David Raya with a drilled effort, whose save was nowhere near as comprehensive as it should have been – parrying straight back into the danger area where, fortunately for the Spaniard, no Fulham shirt was waiting to tap in.

Then, in the 66th minute, came what we assumed would be the biggest cheer of the night. Saka graced a Premier League pitch for the first time in 2025, and was welcomed by a monumental roar. Three months had been spent on the sidelines, a period which has seen a title charge all but disintegrate. But in this moment, none of that really mattered. Arsenal’s starboy was back.

Bukayo Saka made his return from injury to a spine-tingling roar (Getty Images )

What followed just seven minutes later will only fuel the agenda of tin-foil hat wearers that football is indeed scripted. Saka hadn’t really had a touch of the ball yet, but as Merino broke down the left wing, there he was at the back-post. Merino fired a ball towards Martinelli, who produced an outrageous backheel flick to divert the delivery into the path of the returning winger, on a plate to nod into a gaping net from a couple yards out. Any other day, that assist would steal the headlines, but not tonight. Saka had marked his hero’s return with a goal in what felt like the most obvious payoff in sporting cinematic history.

Arsenal had daylight from here on in and looked comfortable for much of the remainder of the contest. That was until, three minutes into stoppage time, Rodrigo Muniz halved Fulham’s deficit. His deflected strike somewhat made up for missing an absolute sitter minutes earlier, where he headed wide of a near-open goal while unmarked. But in the end, it was too little too late for the Cottagers – a consolation goal that only amplified the cheer that came at full-time.

Saka basked in the glory of scoring on his comeback, a goal that would prove decisive on the night (PA Wire)

As Saka enjoyed a half-lap of honour, there was a feeling of optimism among the departing fans – that after a turbulent few months, things are finally on the up again. Whether it be the pipedream of a miraculous Premier League recovery or the push for a first ever Champions League title, Arsenal still have a lot to play for this season.

Saka’s imminent return had already provided Arsenal with a major boost to morale coming into the Fulham’s visit, but by notching a goal - and a decisive one at that – he made tonight’s win that much sweeter. A fairytale moment, one Arteta hopes will not be the last from his starboy this term.

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