Arsenal moved back up to third in the Barclays Premier League table as they edged past Fulham 1-0 at Craven Cottage with both sides finishing with 10 men.
Fulham could count themselves unfortunate not to have taken at least a point having battled gamely following the early sending off of midfielder Steve Sidwell - just back from a three-match suspension - for a late sliding tackle on Mikel Arteta. Arsenal, though, failed to make the most of their man advantage after going ahead just before half-time through a close-range header from Per Mertesacker.
Referee Andre Marriner then brandished the red card again on 90 minutes when he sent off Olivier Giroud for jumping into a challenge on Stanislav Manolev, although replays showed the France striker did get a foot on the ball first.
Source: PA
