The final whistle goes and Fulham have the victory!
90+3: Backs to the wall for the hosts as they get everyone behind the ball. Arsenal struggle to find a way through the bodies so Song tries one from about 35 yards out which flies well wide of the target. Fulham are almost there.
90+2: Another dangerous free-kick for Arsenal as a Fulham defender uses his hand. It’s on the right wing just outside the penalty area, but for the third successive time van Persie hits the wall.
90: Last-ditch defending from Fulham as the fourth official raises his board. There will be four minutes of added time, and four minutes of anguish for the home fans.
89: The free-kick is straight into the wall and Fulham break down the other end. They have a numerical advantage but Dempsey tries to cut inside and is robbed as Arsenal’s defence get back into position.
88: Teymourian’s first major contribution to the game is to go into the book for a rash challenge. Van Persie has another great chance from a free-kick.
87: Corner for Arsenal, but it’s poorly taken and Schwarzer rise to claim the ball.
86: The Fulham fans can see the finishing line now and they’re doing their best to cheer their team over it. The referee stops play to have a word with a bickering Sagna and a calm Gera.
85: Adebayor finds a bit of space 20 yards from goal and attempts to curl one in, but it’s more or less straight at Schwarzer and the Australian snatches it out of the air.
84: Acres of space on the left for Nasri who cuts inside and shoots with his weaker right foot, but the Fulham defenders close the shot down.
83: Eboue is sent tumbling after nicking the ball off Bullard. Arsenal attempt to take the free-kick quickly but don’t take it from the correct position and the referee calls them back.
82: Murphy hands the captain’s armband to Hughes as he makes way for debutant Andranik Teymourian.
81: Fulham are dropping deeper as they look to see out the final ten minutes of the game. Dangerous stuff.
79: Dempsey’s run down the left is spotted by Bullard, but the American was just offside. Fulham are still passing the ball around with great confidence but Arsenal are seeing the majority of the ball at the moment.
78: Interesting change for Arsenal, which seems to reveal that Toure is still not up for a full 90 minutes after his recent bout of malaria.
77: Two substitutions - Toure is replaced by Alexandre Song for Arsenal, while Clint Dempsey comes on for Ki-Hyeon for the home side.
75: Fulham have found themselves increasingly under the cosh in the last ten minutes, so now they just look to hang onto the ball and knock it about. They’re now just 15 minutes away from a famous victory.
74: Chris Baird replaces Kallio, who had a good full debut for his new club.
73: The corner is swung in and bounces around at the far post before being hacked clear by the Fulham defence.
72: Van Persie’s free kick clips the top of the wall and goes behind for an Arsenal corner.
71: Eboue skips past Murphy and bears down on the Fulham defence, only for the Englishman to hack him down from behind and grab himself a deserved yellow card. Filthy challenge, and van Persie will really fancy this - it’s slightly to the right and about four yards outside the penalty area.
70: Two pointless crosses by Arsenal - one from Nasri and the other by Sagna - as the ball sails harmlessly backwards and forwards across the Fulham penalty area.
69: Almost an equaliser for Arsenal as space opens up for van Persie on his left foot and the Dutchman shoots just wide from the edge of the penalty area.
68: Zamora gets past Eboue but not past Sagna as he leads a Fulham counter-attack. Sagna ends up winning the free-kick and Arsenal come forward.
66: Another wonderful, flowing move from Fulham as the ball is played in to Zamora on the edge of the six-yard box. With his back to goal he decides to set up Davies on the edge of the penalty box, but the Welshman’s shot is over the crossbar.
65: Nicklas Bendtner is introduced by Wenger as Walcott makes way. Walcott had a good first half but hasn’t made much impact since the break.
64: Ki-Hyeon finds himself charging in on goal, but the flag is raised and the whistle blown for offside.
63: Arsenal are increasingly taking to the air as they search for an equaliser, but Hangeland and Hughes have the height advantage and are standing steady.
62: Toure drives forward and decides to have a go from 30 yards out, but he drags his shot harmlessly wide.
61: Space opens up for Adebayor just outside the Fulham area, but he blazes well wide of the target after failing to set himself properly for the shot.
59: Lovely counter-attack by Fulham as Murphy puts the ball through for Ki-Hyeon on the left, and his low cross into the centre is turned just over the bar by Zamora.
58: Pantsil puts in a crucial header at the far post with van Persie looking to profit from Sagna’s cross in from the right.
57: Van Persie pulls Hangeland’s shirt and concedes a foul, though his little tug seemed to have little effect on the big man. Hangeland catches the striker with his hand as he shields the ball and van Persie throws himself to the ground, but the free kick still goes to Fulham.
56: While Arsenal’s passing has not been up to scratch, Fulham are having a field day passing the ball around in the centre. The experience of Murphy, Bullard and Gera is still proving too much Denilson.
54: For the second time in a couple of minutes, Arsenal begin to work the ball forward but then pass the ball straight out of touch. Denilson was the guilty man the first time and now it’s van Persie.
53: Walcott forces Kallio into a rushed pass forward which Ki-Hyeon fails to read, and the ball dribbles out for an Arsenal goalkick.
52: Wonderful running from Nasri, who shows great skill to get past Pantsil but Murphy gets back to help his defender out.
51: Schwarzer takes a goalkick short to Pantsil, such is Fulham’s confidence in their side’s ball skills. They end up earning a free kick just inside Arsenal’s half.
50: Sagna tries to cross the ball in from the right, but the ball had already gone out of play for a goalkick.
48: Arsenal’s frustration is evident on Arsene Wenger’s face. His side just haven’t been able to get going in this match but now they bring the ball forward through Clichy. He sends in a low cross for Adebayor who smashes it first time, only for Hangeland to make the block.
47: Encouraging build-up from Fulham, full of one-touch passes, but it ends with a poor attempted through ball which runs out for a goalkick.
46: No changes during the break as Fulham get the game back up and running.
Half-time at Craven Cottage, and it’s the hosts who have a deserved lead over their London rivals. Fulham have bossed the game in this first 45 minutes and not allowed Arsenal to settle, and are certainly good value for their 1-0 lead at the break.
45+1: Corner to Arsenal, but Nasri and van Persie take it short and stuff it up completely. Fortunately for them Murphy dives in and concedes a free-kick, but Nasri’s delivery is poor and Schwarzer comes out to claim it.
45: There will be two minutes of stoppage time, and Fulham look quite content to knock the ball around in a relaxed manner as they look to head into the break with their lead intact.
44: The Dutchman strikes the ball well, but it’s always rising and doesn’t threaten Schwarzer’s goal.
43: Kallio concedes a free-kick 30 yards out, and this is a good opportunity for van Persie.
41: There’s more than a hint of frustration about Arsenal at the moment. Their young central midfielders are coming out second-best to the wiles of Murphy, Gera and Bullard and most of their limited success has come down the flank fo Walcott. Denilson, Eboue and Nasri have plenty to do in the middle of the park for the visitors if they’re to come back into this game.
40: Sagna’s touch is just a little bit too loose, and Toni Kallio dives in to make a good tackle and come away with the ball.
38: Now van Persie has a go from outside the area, but Hangeland dives in to block the shot.
37: The Fulham fans are right behind their side here, creating a great atmosphere and cheering every Fulham success and every Arsenal mistake.
36: Walcott finds a bit of space outside the Fulham area and takes a pop, but it’s just over the bar from the young Arsenal player.
34: The ball drops for Zoltan Gera on the edge of the penalty box, but he doesn’t make decent contact. Arsenal are under a lot of pressure at the moment but there’s a Fulham man down and play comes to a halt.
33: Bullard chips a free-kick into Arsenal’s penalty area and Walcott heads the ball to the sideline for a throw-in. The Gunners are certainly not being allowed to have their own way here.
31: A long ball over the top finds Zamora surprisingly onside, but Gallas gets back quickly to put in a challenge as the striker’s weak shot from just outside the box is picked up by Manuel Almunia.
30: All the stop-starting hasn’t allowed Arsenal to find their rhythm since conceding the goal, and Bullard is running the midfield brilliantly for the Cottagers. So much so that the Fulham faithful begin to ‘Ole!’ every pass by the home side.
29: Arsenal fans weren’t happy about Ki-Hyeon holding the game up, so of course the home fans give Sagna plenty of stick as he requires some attention from the physio.
27: Ki-Kyeon collides with two Arsenal players and requires some treatment, but he looks like he’ll be alright to continue. There’s a disbelieving ecstacy around the ground as everyone pauses to take stock of what they’ve seen so far.
26: Threatening ball in from Clichy, but Walcott was never going to be favourite to win it at the back stick and Fulham bring the ball clear.
25: Fulham look to slow the game down now that they’ve got a goal. Denilson sends a searching ball over the top towards Adebayor but it finds the striker offside.
23: Arsenal respond well, building an attack patiently for Sagna to swing another cross in from the right which Adebayor heads against Schwarzer’s left-hand post. So nearly an instand reply from the Gunners!
21: Arsenal clear for a corner which Bullard swings in. There are two defenders waiting to clear it but Brede Hangeland nips in to toe a volley into the back of the net and give Fulham the lead. The visitors look absolutely stunned.
20: Great chance for Arsenal, as Sagna’s through ball allows Walcott to cross from the right. He finds Samir Nasri at the far post and the Frenchman brings the ball back perfectly with his first touch, only for van Persie to fire wide.
18: Both sides have attacks break down, before Bullard tries to feed Zamora but Sagna gets back to clear the danger.
17: Kolo Toure puts in a challenge from behind on Zamora, and Fulham have a free-kick just outside the centre circle.
16: An even start at Craven Cottage - both sides have had their share of possessions and both have had a few shots put just wide of the target.
14: Chance for Murphy on the edge of the box as the ball drops onto his right foot, but the Englishman piles it over the crossbar.
13: Nasty challenge from Pantsil on Eboue, raking his studs down the front of Eboue’s shin as he protects the ball from the Arsenal man. The free-kick goes to Fulham.
12: Robin van Persie runs at the Fulham defence before feeding Adebayor, whose first touch gives him space to shoot from the edge of the box with his preferred right foot. Unfortunately he puts it just wide of Mark Schwarzer’s left-hand post.
11: Zamora is through on goal, but the linesman correctly raises his flag for offside.
10: Zamora receives the ball with his back to goal and almost feeds Davies, but Gael Clichy gets back to nip in and steal the ball away.
9: A crucial clearance from Aaron Hughes as Theo Walcott’s cross threatened to find Emmanuel Adebayor in the centre. Arsenal end up with a corner, which William Gallas heads straight at the keeper from beyond the back post.
7: Simon Davies works a ball through to Bobby Zamora on the left, but his cross is well over the bar with Seol Ki-Hyeon waiting in the middle.
6: The Gunners work the ball forward and eventually get a cross into the box from the right through Bacary Sagna, but it’s overhit and Fulham bring it clear.
5: A late tackle from Danny Murphy on Emmanuel Eboue gives Arsenal a free-kick just inside Fulham’s half.
3: Encouraging play from Fulham who come forward through Jimmy Bullard, but loss of control and a foul on Theo Walcott bring the attack to a premature end.
2: John Pantsil makes an early clearance into the stands as Arsenal look to make a foray down their left-hand side.
1: There’s a lively atmosphere around the ground as Craven Cottage’s first Premier League game of the 2008/09 season gets underway. It’s Arsenal who kick off in their traditional red shirts, with the hosts Fulham in their white home kit.
Fulham, looking for only their second win over the Gunners in eight previous meetings at Craven Cottage, are still without new ?0.5million striker Andrew Johnson because of a thigh injury so South Korean Seol Ki-Hyeon keeps his place. Toni Kallio makes his full debut in place of Paul Konchesky in an otherwise unchanged side from the opening-day defeat at Hull.
