Arsenal's hopes of winning their first Premier League title for 20 years suffered another blow with a dismal defeat at Fulham on New Years' Eve.
The Gunners have now won just one of their last five top-flight games, but did open the scoring when Bukayo Saka crashing the ball home from close range after Bernd Leno saved Gabriel Martinelli's stinging shot. But the hosts fought back and got their reward for their sustained pressure when Raul Jimenez fired in at the back post to equalise.
Fulham took control after the break when the ball fell to Bobby Decordova-Reid after a scramble following a corner and the attacker fired past David Raya. Here, Mirror Football looks at the five biggest talking points from another damaging defeat for Mikel Arteta's side.
Title challenge at risk
Boss Arteta would have been hoping that a trip to a struggling Fulham side would have been a chance for his side to get their title bid back on track after the defeat to West Ham. But the Gunners were far from their best at Craven Cottage.
Their failure to break down the hosts proved to be costly, as did their awful defending for both Fulham's equaliser and their winner. Though they are only two points behind leaders Liverpool it is fair to say their title challenge is at serious risk.
The Gunners are 10 points worse off than after playing the same amount of games last season. Liverpool can extend their lead over Arteta's side to five points by beating Newcastle on Monday, while Tottenham's win over Bournemouth means they are just a point behind their bitter rivals.
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Saka hits back at critics
Bukayo Saka has faced increasing criticism in recent weeks as Arsenal's Premier League title challenge stalled. But the England international went some way to silencing his detractors with his first goal in six games.
There was an element of luck, with Bernd Lenos' save from Gabriel Martinelli's stinging shot falling straight to him. Saka was on hand to fire into an empty net, though he did come close to putting it over the bar.
Thankfully for Saka, the ball went in to put the Gunners ahead after just four minutes. It was a much-improved performance from the 22-year-old, who can take confidence from his goal-scoring display.
Attacking problems laid bare
Having missed a hatful of chances in the defeat to West Ham, Gabriel Jesus was dropped to the bench against Fulham, with Eddie Nketiah coming into the starting line-up. But Nketiah did nothing to dispel the feeling that Arsenal are crying out for a goalscoring striker.
The Englishman touched the ball just twice in Fulham's box and was barely able to make an impact on the game. He struggled badly against Fulham's central defensive duo of Calvin Bassey and Tosin, having just one shot on target.
With the January transfer window just around the corner, it now appears to be obvious that Arteta's priority has to be a new striker. Otherwise, it is highly doubtful that the Gunners will have the firepower to overhaul Liverpool.
Kiwior fails to deliver
With Oleksandr Zinchenko picking up a calf injury, Jakub Kiwior was named at left-back by Mikel Arteta. Though the Polish international started well, Fulham striker Raul Jiminez quickly marked him out as the Gunners' weak link.
The Mexican took advantage of Kiwior's poor positioning to get the Cottagers back on level terms. He then frequently took up a position near to the left-back, beating him several times.
Admittedly, Kiwior was playing out of position given he is a centre-back, though Arteta was clearly unhappy as he hauled him off at half-time. Kiwior is running out of chances to prove he can be an able deputy to Zinchenko.
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Fulham arrest their slide
After back to back 5-0 wins over Nottingham Forest and West Ham, Fulham had lost their last three games coming into this clash. But Marco Silva's side were able to arrest their slide in stunning fashion as they claimed a welcome win over the title challenges.
The Cottagers were good value for their win, having the better chances by far. While Arsenal had their fair share of possession, the hosts' defence were also mostly comfortable, with Bernd Leno barely challenged in goal.
Having slipped down the table, the win will be a boost that Silva will be delighted to have received. It comes at the perfect time with the January window ahead as Silva looks to boost his squad.
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