Arsenal have been put in a tough spot by the Premier League and could reap the rewards of a rule change in time for next season. The north Londoners are still fighting on two fronts despite seeing their quadruple dreams go up in smoke earlier in the campaign. They could still reach the Champions League final as well as being in the driving seat in the Premier League title race, having moved six points clear of Manchester City by beating Fulham on Saturday.
Viktor Gyokeres opened the scoring after just nine minutes to calm the nerves at the Emirates Stadium, with the Gunners having little room for error given that City are playing Everton on Monday night. Bukayo Saka had a goal disallowed before succeeding with his second attempt five minutes before the break. A few minutes later, Gyokeres doubled his tally to put Arsenal beyond reach.
After the interval, they managed to see out a goalless second half to register maximum points and avoid slipping up with only three Premier League games left to play.
However, their job could have been made easier if the domestic fixture schedule had been kinder to them. Arsenal took on Fulham just three days after facing Atletico Madrid in a crucial first leg of their Champions League semi-final.
Given that the north Londoners are still fighting for the Premier League title as well as battling in Europe, it would have made more sense for them to play on Sunday or even Monday night.
Such a move would have allowed their key players more time to rest and recuperate, rather than being thrown straight back in against Fulham.
Monday’s fixture will see City face Everton, nine days after Pep Guardiola’s side last took to the pitch in their FA Cup semi-final victory over Southampton.
Arsenal, meanwhile, were given less than 72 hours to travel back from Spain, go through recovery and undertake their pre-match preparations before facing Fulham.
They are lucky that they managed to sweep Fulham aside, otherwise serious questions would have been asked of the Premier League’s fixture schedule.
But the outcome of the match is beside the point, really. Why weren’t they given more time between games, seeing as they are the only English club still fighting in the Champions League?
A rule change to give clubs in Europe the maximum possible time between continental and domestic fixtures would help English teams to shine on both fronts, rather than being forced to prioritise between the two.
However, bringing that in for next season would rely on the Premier League actually applying some common sense, so don’t hold your breath.
