Paul Merson makes bold Arsenal dressing room prediction after ‘criminal’ moment vs Fulham

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Arsenal suffered a nightmare result in west London as Fulham drew 1-1 with the Gunners.

There was hope that Arsenal would attempt to limit the gap between themselves and Liverpool after the league leaders’ fixture was postponed.

Instead, Mikel Arteta watched his side make the same mistakes they have before against Fulham, who made it difficult for the visitors. 

William Saliba got his second goal of the week but several Arsenal players struggled at Craven Cottage in what was so nearly a memorable day for the North Londoners.

• READ MORE: Five things you may have missed in Fulham vs Arsenal, including Martin Odegaard injury warning

Paul Merson criticises Gabriel Martinelli 

In the dying embers, Arsenal went ahead through Bukayo Saka, who got on the end of a perfect ball from Gabriel Martinelli.

The two wingers combined to send the away end into pandemonium however, celebrations were cut short due to VAR.

On reflection, it became clear that Martinelli was offside before playing the ball in, an error from the Brazilian that enraged pundit Paul Merson. 

“In football terms it’s criminal what Martinelli has done,” Merson said on Sky Sports’ coverage of the draw. 

“You cannot be offside, he’s got pace, he’s electric, he can give someone a yard or two. I’ll be surprised if he’s not on the end of one in the dressing room.”

The former Gunner predicted that Arteta will be having some words with the winger in the dressing room for his denial of Arsenal’s match-winner.

Costly blunder from Martinelli

What’s unfortunate for Martinelli is that it was so nearly the perfect cameo for the 23-year-old, who added a lively spark from the bench.

Arteta boldly dropped the Brazilian in favour of Leandro Trossard, calling on the winger early into the second half to add a different dimension. 

Martinelli did just that, as his numbers portray however, his performance simmered down to his inability to remain cautious of his positioning along the line.

Instead of being Arsenal’s hero at Craven Cottage, the Brazil international was the subject of a late nightmare, denying his side of all three points in a difficult game.