Here’s David Hytner’s report from Craven Cottage.

The Arsenal captain, Martin Odegaard, spoke to Sky Sports about Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Jesus.

We did really well from the start. We controlled the game and scored some good goals in the first half. The second half was a bit different but very good.

[Leandro Trossard] has brought some amazing things to the team. I love playing with him. He’s good to find the right pass. We’re really happy to have him on the team. It was a good ball from Leo over the head of a defender. I kept my composure and put my shot in the corner.”

It’s a massive boost. [Jesus]’s been out for a while now. We know what he’ll give to the team. We’re excited to have him back.

Seen snappier.

Pithy.

There’s the Premier League table. Arsenal can go eight clear if they beat Crystal Palace next week. Fulham’s charge to the top four perhaps reached its end today. Manchester United’s 0-0 draw with battling Southampton, who have taken four points from their last two further heats up the relegation battle, too. As did West Ham drawing 1-1 with Aston Villa.

The performance of potential champions? Perhaps, but it was reminder that Arsenal on song have the quickest, speediest attack in the Premier League and if an opponent is as lax as Fulham then they will be taken apart. And Leandro Trossard, setting up all three goals, showed off the value of good January recruitment. Five wins in a row to follow that defeat by Manchester City, a run to silence the doubters. And Gabriel Jesus back in the ranks. That’s a good day for Arsenal.

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90+3 min: Jesus is back and chasing back in the dying seconds. That’s the spirit he brought to the team, and has lasted without him. What a player to welcome back.

90 min: Three minutes added on….

88 min: Nelson gets to the byline and from his pass inside, Odegaard wallops the ball behind and over. Arsenal have been able to create at will; they’ve had it far easier than City did at Palace last night.

87 min: Wilson flashes a shot wide. Fulham’s zest to follow Marco Silva throwing teacups at half-time has slowed. Arsenal have been able to see this one out easily.

85 min: Emptying stands at the Cottage. That lovely walk across Bishops Park ahead. Or up to Hammersmith...meanwhile, Vieira and Jesus link up, and the great man has a chance to shoot but fails to beat Leno from close in.

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83 min: Mikel Arteta continues to pace the sideline, urging and organising. That’s just his way. He’s no Carlo Ancelotti, implacable to the last. But it’s working for him, isn’t it?

81 min: More Kári Tulinius: “I think people underestimate how the signing of Gabriel Jesus ushered in an era of good feelings among Arsenal fans. It’s great to see him rejoin the team like he left them, at the top of the table.

80 min: Ben White off, on Tomiyasu on is the latest, rather less exciting Arsenal change.

78 min: A couple of early touches from Jesus receive huge cheers, too. The Jagger family have enjoyed this one, though the Arsenal fans are currently singing Do Wah Diddy Diddy, best known by Manfred Mann, not the Stones.

For the first time since the World Cup, on comes Jesus, for the excellent Trossard, Martinelli also coming off for Fabio Vieira. This is the day they had all been waiting for and Jesus coming on receives as loud a cheer as the goals.

75 min: Two Fulham changes. Off goes Manor Solomon, and this is the first time he has been mentioned. On goes Dan James and fellow Welshman Harry Wilson on for Pereira.

74 min: Nelson is into action quickly enough, but loses it in the corner, allowing Fulham to break, and then across comes Odegaard to commit one of those tactical fouls that will always get you a booking.

71 min: Two Arsenal changes, but not the one we’ve all been waiting for. Reiss Nelson is on, as is Kieran Tierney. Off go Saka and Zinchenko.

70 min: Arsenal attempt to cool things down with some slow passing, the “olé” chant following each interchange, and then boos when Arsenal lose the ball.

69 min: Fulham getting closer? A smart save from Ramsdale from Decordova-Reid, results in a corner from which Tosin’s header crashes against the bar.

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67 min: Admir’s back: “Re: 58th minute, Joe Pearson’s comment. As an Arsenal fan, I have to admit I’d like Trossard to be more of a Jose Antonio Reyes-signing. Late Reyes was a fresh addition in January 2004 that reinvigorated an already superb team, a player who scored vital goals that helped Arsenal 2003-04 to sign themselves into history books. Without Reyes, there would have been no Invincibles.”

And, as ever, Kári Tulinius: “After the last however many years of looking like a performance art piece called ‘The Anxiety of Nervousness’, it’s odd to see Arsenal racking up routine wins this season.”

65 min: Chris Lambert: “Could the contrast between Trossard and Pépé as Arsenal wing signings be any greater? Incredible the same organisation signed those two players to solve the same issue. Our transfer policy has come on miles.”

Pépé is on loan at Nice, as owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos. Could he show up at Manchester United one day?

64 min: Fulham have played far better this half. Which isn’t saying much, but there’s an obvious improvement on show. Arsenal have also lowered their risk-taking values.

62 min: Odegaard, in that graceful, casual fashion, slips in Saka in an inside-right position – the half-spaces as Jurgen Klopp and the stattos call them – but this time, Ream comes across and Saka can only slump to the floor as the ball is cleared.

59 min: Trossard hailed with a “Leo, Leo” chant for fighting back to retain possession. He’s been brilliant and after his Brighton performances who would have doubted he could augment Arsenal.

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58 min: Joe Pearson is on the premises: “Remember last year when Kulusevski joined Spurs during the winter window and he had an immediate impact? I think Trossard might be Kulusevski 2.0.”

Arsenal may hope for a more than half-season wonder. Jesus is warming up, meanwhile and with a smile on his face.

56 min: Martinelli almost sends Trossard away with a clipped, reverse pass. It’s intercepted this time but those two clearly have struck up an understanding. For a couple of months there’s been the idea floated that Martinelli has missed Jesus, but now he has a new partner in crime, just as the old one comes back.

54 min: A tussle between Saliba and Mitrovic and the Arsenal player prevails.

53 min: Odegaard sends away Saka, who was actually quiet in the first half, leaving Trossard and Martinelli to do the damage. This time he runs into traffic though might say his presence has pulled players away to leave his colleagues such gaps.

51 min: Trossard, who needs a goal to add to his assists tally, slaps a shot straight at Leno after he buzzes across the front line, more interchanging to the fore.

49 min: Fulham’s zest calmed by that break in play? Actually, there’s another one coming as Ramsdale smashes off Mitrovic and down to the floor. He’s soon enough back up.

47 min: From the corner, Lukic and Saliba clatter into each other, and audibly, though perhaps the noise is Ramsdale’s glove. It sounded nasty. Lukic went down with nobody near him and it looks like Ramsdale felled Saliba. Anyway, he gets back up. Concussion protocols, anyone?

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46 min: Back away we go at the Cottage….and Fulham almost score. Reed gets to the line, and then Pereira swings at the ball. Fulham want a handball, but it won’t be given. Tim Ream is told to calm down the protestations.

As January signings go, Trossard is beginning to look a real success.

Admir gets in touch: “Fulham have massively improved and it’s mainly down to great work by Marco Silva, as Aleksandar Mitrović has pointed out in his interview earlier this season.

“They could have been in even better position if they hadn’t dropped so many points against Top 4 contenders in the last five minutes of the game. In the reverse fixture, they were 1-0 up and lost 2-1 thanks to 87th minute winner by Gabriel (who has now scored three goals in four games against Fulham). They lost 2-1 at Etihad to Haaland’s injury-time penalty. They had a penalty at St James Park at 0-0 only to lose 1-0 to Isak’s 89th minute winner. Man United won at Craven Cottage thanks to Garnacho’s injury-time goal.

“Then again, they could have seen all that coming in their season opening against Liverpool as Salah saved the visitors from a defeat with an 80th minute equalizer. That’s roughly eight points dropped in the last ten minutes and injury-time which would have propelled them into a top-four battle.”

All good points, though they haven’t looked a top-four team at all today.

Arsenal have created enough chances to be many more goals ahead, as Fulham came apart at the seams as the league leaders’ interchanging attack came at them. Martinelli, Trossard and Odegaard, later in the half, have been brilliant, ably supported by Partey ruling the roost in midfield.

Odegaard comes to the party, after Trossard chips in from the left. Odegaard has time and space to bury the ball. That’s surely it.

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45 min: Two minutes added on...

44 min: End to end stuff as Martinelli goes close at the back post, only for Leno to save well. And Fulham saunter down the other end, only for Decordova-Reid to want too much time.

43 min: Martinelli fouled, and Arsenal can launch in another set piece, with Fulham struggling with those. Odegaard chips up, Leno all at sea but Tosin clears. It’s quiet at the Cottage, the Arsenal Quo crowd presumably the bar.

40 min: Fulham may be glad to get into the break at just two down. It’s been poor from them…their best hope is Arsenal going to sleep. Zinchenko gets in a muddle, and then Pereira has space to shoot, with Ramsdale out of his goal but he can’t keep his shot down.

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