Fulham manager Mark Hughes was disappointed to see his side undone by the brilliance of Samir Nasri.
The Arsenal playmaker scored two goals in his side’s 2-1 victory at Craven Cottage as Arsene Wenger’s men returned to the top of the Premier League table.
But the scoreline did not tell the tale of the match at Emirates Stadium, where Fulham were unfortunate not to add to Diomansy Kamara’s goal after the striker made it 1-1.
As a result of the defeat, Hughes’ side only sit outside of the relegation zone on goal difference and so the Welshman was left to rue the individual skill of Nasri, who scored his 10th and 11th goal of the season.
The Fulham boss said: “Obviously, the boy Nasri has been playing at the top of his form in recent weeks.
“I think we probably edged it in terms of chances we created and pressure and momentum that we built during the game.
“But, as most top teams have, they have individuals who can win the game for their team when, possibly, the team isn’t functioning as well.
“Nasri is an excellent footballer, great feet, and once he gets in those positions in the area it’s very difficult to stop him.
“From our point of view, we’re happy with the performance. I thought we showed real belief in what we were trying to do today, took the game to Arsenal and caused them problems.
“At the end of the game, the crowd were asking for the final whistle.”
Fulham were forced to substitute full-back Matthew Briggs in the first half after the teenager sustained a “bang”.
But Hughes had positive news on the fitness of summer signing Moussa Dembele, who has been sidelined since September after being left with a leg injury following a challenge from Stoke’s Andy Wilkinson in the Carling Cup.
Asked if the striker could feature against Sunderland next weekend, Hughes told Sky Sports: “Possibly. He is going to start doing bits of work with the group and he might have an outside chance.” .