Arsenal Vs. Fulham: Samir Nasri Brace Another Sign Of A Burgeoning Superstar

It was a player of the week performance, one that gave us a goal of the year candidate. Two goals from Samir Nasri lifted Arsenal past Fulham and into first place with a 2-1 win at the Emirates, one which looked destined for a draw must of the match.

Between Diomansy Kamara’s 30th minute goal and Samir Nasri’s second, the teams played nearly 50 minutes of football that left viewers thinking Arsenal was against set to disappoint, having been knocked back by Kamara’s goal after a dominating first half-hour. The Gunners came out flying, producing a goal from Nasri while they could have easily had two more. Their inability to covert a second left them shocked when Clint Dempsey helped Kamara to an equalizer, destroying Arsenal’s momentum.

Nasri took matters onto his own feet in the 76th minute, taking a Robin van Persie lay-off, dribbling through Fulham’s defense, poking a ball wide of Mark Schwarzer before pirouetting onto a sharp angle, right footed finish, winning the match for Arsenal. Were the score 5-0, the goal would have still be remarkable, but that it came after Arsenal had looked set to draw makes it a potential watershed moment in Nasri’s development.

Over the last two seasons Nasri has showed constant improvement. He long ago shed the “prospect” label. Today, though, was the first piece of proof that he can be “the guy” - somebody a team can build around. When Arsenal looked fated to give supporters another reason for woe, Nasri pushed them into first place. He also gave them a glimpse of another hero.