Fulham v Arsenal: Premier League – live | Premier League

10 min We see a replay of some proactive defending from Traore, who drags Slaliba out of play. He’ll need to be careful if that’s his plan, because not every official will tolerate that every time.

9 min …and this time it’s Saka who’ll take the kick, this time picking out Berge who heads away at the front post.

8 min Out to Saka and, with Robinson probably expecting him to come inside, he drags outside, crosses, and here comes another corner…

8 min The camera seems to have been stuck at the top of The Shard.

7 min “Not sure that being weak and slow are issues,” says David Penney of Jorginho; “he has a side of Rice.”

That’s definitely helpful, but it’s not enough I don’t think.

6 min Arsenal knock it about; Fulham have barely had a kick so far.

4 min On which point, I wonder if Rice, not good enough on the half-turn to be a top-level six and not good enough on the ball to be a top-level eight, has realised he needs to add value, so has made it his business to add set-piece delivery to his, er, arsenal. Good for him if so.

3 min And here we go, Iwobi concedes a corner and Rice is on it. The big men gather beyond the back post and the “Oooooh…!” begins in the away end. The delivery, of course, is exemplary and Saliba is up … but the ball glances off his head and wide of the far stick.

1 min Aaaand away we go!

Here come our teams…

No doubt breath and hooks are long since – respectively – bated and tentered, so let’s end the suspense: here my annual playlist of the year’s best Afrobeats and amapiano.

“Good to see Fulham getting decent coverage at last,” chunters Richard Hirst. “All the plaudits for ‘unexpected success’ are going to Forest, but Marco Silva has done and is doing a tremendous job in resurrecting the careers of several players. It would be wonderful to see Iwobi and Smith Rowe prosper this afternoon.”

Can’t argue with that, he’s doing a fantastic job. It’s almost as if Watford and Everton are competence hoovers and failure there tells us little about the competence of any manager.

Other things Fulham might try: getting Smith Rowe in and around Jorginho, who passes nicely but is weak and slow; stopping passes into Odegaard, without whom Arsenal do’t have much creativity in midfield.

Of course, this match isn’t all we’ve got for you:

Back to our preamble, how will Fulham defend Arsenal’s corners? Calvin Bassey looked a player at Rangers, has improved since then, and is exactly the kind of dominating presence likely to take responsibility for doing whatever is necessary to get the ball away. The height of Berge and Lukic will also be helpful, probably a further reason the latter has come into the side today.

Craven Cottage, by the way: what a football ground, and what a place in which to slake thirst prior to going in.

“Arsenal fans will feel at least a slight pull of the heartstrings to see the names of Emile Smith Rowe and Alex Iwobi on the opposition teamsheet,” writes Charles Antaki. “Lovely footballers and, seemingly, charming young men who didn’t quite make it; but, yes, the club was right to allow them to leave. Patchy form, injuries, and crucially, the emergence of reliably better players did for them. So may they prosper and flourish at Fulham, except between 2 o’clock and 3.30 today. Say 4 o’clock, just in case.”

Yes, agreed. Both good and fun players – had he stayed fit, perhaps things might’ve gone differently for Smith Rowe – and both capable of causing aggravation this afternoon.

Email! “Especially big shout out for Lukic amongst Fulham’s ex-Arsenal contingent,” chuckles Mammillaria Hahniana. “Respect.”

He just goes on and on.

Arsenal, meanwhile, will do a version of what they always do. Play will go through Martin Odegaard and they’ll aim to get Bukayo Saka on the ball as often as possible. His battle with the excellent Antonee Robinson should be a lot of fun to watch.

So where is the game for Fulham? My sense is they’ll try and block up the middle with Berge and Lukic, rely on their centre-backs to defend the box properly, and look to get the ball wide quickly when in possession.

Of course, that’s not the size of it with Arsenal. They’re already without Gabriel and Benjamin White, news which won’t have escaped Marco Silva. In midweek, Manchester United’s failure to target Zinchenko, not the world’s greatest defender, was odd in the extreme, but it seems inconceivable that whichever of Iwobi and Traoré plays on the left won’t be ordered to go after Partey, no kind of right-back. And it’s also likely that Jiménez will target Kiwior, with Lukic brought in to the stiffen the midfield, partly because of Arsneal’s attacking prowess but partly to allow their gamechangers the freedom to play.

As for Arsenal, they’re without the injured Zinchenko, so Thomas Partey moves to full-back with Jorginho coming into midfield, while in attack, it’s Leandro Trossard not Gabriel Martinelli.

Marco Silva makes four changes to the side which beat Brighton. Out go Castagne, Wilson and Muniz, who are on the bench, with Kenny Tete, Sasa lukic and Raúl Jiménez coming in; also missing is Reiss Nelson, injured, but unable to play against is parent club in any case, and his spot goes to Adam Traoré.

Ah, not quite yet – Artetz speaks. He says Zinchenko is injured but his players have to adapt as is necessary during a season and he’s sure they’ll be fine. He knows Fulham have good attackers, but he knows if you play in England there’ll be weather, you just have to make the most out whatever you’re served.

He’s sure his team will get closer to the leaders but they have to earn the right to win here, against a side with a good manager who are talented and consistent.

I’ll write these down, then we’ll have a think about what they mean.

Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Diop, Bassey, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Adama, Smith Rowe, Iwobi; Jiménez. Subs: Benda, Castagne, Cuenca, Sessegnon, Andreas, King, Godo, Wilson, Muniz.

Arsenal (4-3-3-): Raya; Partey, Saliba, Kiwior, Timber; Jorginho, Rice, Odegaard; Saka, Havertz, Trossard. Subs: Neto, Tierney, Heaven, Lewis-Skelly, Merino, Sterling, Jesus, Martinelli, Nwaneri.

Referee: Chris Kavanagh (Manchester)

We must’ve all sat there watching our teams, doing our nuts, as yet another corner hits the first man, then another sails beyond the back post. How hard can it be, we wonder, for professionals, especially those at the elite level, to practise hard enough to get good enough?

Well, Arsenal are the answer, and though we’ve no idea how much work has gone into honing their prowess, we’ve every idea that it was possible and has been for as long as this game has existed. Of course, it’s nothing new: George Graham’s champions in 1988-89 and 1990-91 were masters of the near-post delivery, almost impossible to defend when executed well. But Mikel Arteta’s side are a more versatile concoction such that corners for his side are now an occasion: everyone knows that something is coming, but no one save his players know exactly what– and even then…

Or, put another way, set-piece proficiency is not cheating, nor is it ugly, workmanlike or shameful. Every side should be great at them, those who aren’t are negligent, and to see things done properly and creatively, with physicality and intimidation, is a kind of beauty. It really is that simple.

Given that is not all Arsenal do and given the form they’re in, Fulham have a problem this afternoon. But save an accident at home to Wolves they’re in pretty decent nick too, eighth in the table with scope to go higher with their last five games featuring victories over Brentford, Palace and Brighton along with a draw at Spurs. They won’t be scared of Arsenal and, in Emile Smith Rowe, boast an enterprising young player desperate to show his former club what they’re missing. This is going to be good.

Kick-off: 2pm GMT