Best atmosphere since Highbury – Mikel Arteta pays tribute to Emirates crowd as Arsenal fight back to beat Fulham

Mikel Arteta paid tribute to the Emirates crowd as Arsenal maintained their 100 per cent start to the season with a 2-1 win over Fulham.

The Gunners were 1-0 down after Aleksandar Mitrovic capitalised on a Gabriel mistake inside the hour mark to sweep Fulham into the lead.

But, with roaring support, Arsenal bounced back thanks to goals from Martin Odegaard and a redeemed Gabriel late on.

And with four wins from four and top of the table, Arteta praised the belief and confidence of his players as well as the brilliant support.

“It comes down to having more belief and confidence,” Arteta said.

“I saw someone here today at the stadium that I love. They haven’t been here for two years until today. They said it was the best they’ve seen the atmosphere here since Arsenal played at Highbury.

“The support we’re receiving in the stadium at the moment makes things much easier.”

Odegaard, appointed club captain in the summer, scored Arsenal’s equaliser with his third goal of the season.

And he was thrilled with his side’s response to going down and taking all three points.

“It was brilliant,” he said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. We fought, showed great team spirit and it’s an amazing feeling.

“We played really well in the first half, we just missed the goal but that happens. He showed great character to come back and score the winning goal. It shows the character of the team. When someone makes a mistake, we lift them back up.

“We have to stay calm, take it game by game, work hard and win the next game. That’s the mindset.”

It was Gabriel who, after giving the ball away to Mitrovic for Fulham’s shock opener, hit the late winner to grab all three points for the Gunners.

And he admitted that his team mates helped him rally after such a costly mistake.

“After I lost the ball my head was down, but my brothers kept saying ‘let’s go’,” he said.

“I lifted my head up – my team-mates were a big help to me.”