Fulham 0 Arsenal 1

He strode across the pitch at Craven Cottage wearing a scowl that summed up his emotions on a day of deep frustration. Clearly, Arsene Wenger is a man with much on his mind.

The Frenchman knows he must act, and act quickly, if his Arsenal team are to challenge for what he regards as the ultimate prize - the Premier League.

True, only two games have been played, but he would not have anticipated the loss of a full three-point haul to a team who only survived in the top flight on the last day of last season, courtesy of giant defender Brede Hangeland's 21st minute strike.

And fresh in his mind would have been the easy 3-0 win recorded in the corresponding fixture last spring when he was not even forced to make a substitution in what was a London derby in name only.

Different season, different Fulham and no Cesc Fabregas.

The combination was too much for Arsenal to handle, and now Wenger will have to give serious thought to adding an experienced and established midfielder to supplement his young guns.

The names of Gareth Barry and Xabi Alonso must be uppermost in his thoughts over his coffee and croissants this morning.

The harsh reality is that without Fabregas Arsenal lacked the craft and guile to open up a stubborn Fulham defence.

Without an old head, there is no-one to channel the undoubted abilities of his youngsters to bring a tangible reward. And Wenger was as accurate as he was honest in his assessment of Arsenal's performance.

"What we delivered today was just not good enough," he said.

There was a whole list of problems that confronted him during a defeat that, in the final reckoning, could cost Arsenal dear in the title race.

"Their goal came from a corner we did not defend...we lacked quality in our passing...we were too nervous...Fulham started stronger than us...if you are focused you can stop them scoring ..."

Wenger can be forgiven for feeling let down by the youngsters who have been begging for a chance to parade their talents as star attractions but in the end succumbed to stage fright.

Denilson looked tense, Emmanuel Eboue ran ceaselessly but without direction and Theo Walcott was anonymous.

"We may have had possession in the second half but it is what you make of it that is important."

And Arsenal made nothing of it.

Unlike Fulham. Their chances were few and far between, but they capitalised on the momentary lapse of concentration in the Arsenal defence within minutes of Robin van Persie shooting wide from 12 yards.

Danny Murphy and Jimmy Bullard - a central midfield axis that was too strong for their Arsenal counterparts - worked a short corner and when Bullard delivered the cross Hangeland was unmarked to stab home the winner.

Not a red shirt in sight and Wenger was palpably livid.

For Fulham manager Roy Hodgson, the delight was in direct contrast to Wenger's depression as he reaped the rewards for a shrewd summer's dealings in the transfer market.

In Bobby Zamora he has an honest and willing front man. In Mark Schwarzer, he has a goalkeeper with presence who breeds confidence. And in John Pantsil he has a defender who just loves to defend.

"We played well for 70 minutes," said Hodgson. "But in the last 20 minutes we were guilty of trying too hard to hold on to the lead. But maybe that was understandable.

For Wenger, the immediate solution was easy. "We must respond with good performances in our next two games," he said.

That would be against FC Twente in a Champions League qualifier on Wednesday and a resurgent Newcastle at The Emirates next Saturday.

Maybe easier said than done when your team have just lost to one who were defeated by newcomers Hull eight days ago.

But he will have Fabregas. And that could well be the difference - in the short term.

DID YOU KNOW?

Fulham beat Arsenal 1-0 in the top tier on New Year's Day 1966, but they had to wait until 2006 to repeat the feat with a 2-1 win.

HOW THEY RATED

FULHAM

Schwarzer 6, Pantsil 6, Hangeland 6, Hughes 6, Kallio 6 (Baird 5), Murphy 6 (Teymourian 5), BULLARD 7, Gera 6, Davies 6, Seol 5 (Dempsey 5), Zamora 6.

Manager Hodgson 7

ARSENAL

Almunia 6, Sagna 6, Toure 6 (Song 5), Gallas 6, Clichy 6, Eboue 5, Denilson 5, Walcott 5 (Bendtner 5), Nasri 5, Adebayor 6, Van Persie 6.

Manager Wenger 6

STORY OF THE GAME

FULHAM ARSENAL

43% POSSESSION 57%

2 SHOTS ON TARGET 1

4 SHOTS OFF TARGET 11

1 CORNERS 5

16 FOULS CONCEDED 6

8 OFFSIDES 2

2 YELLOW CARDS 0

0 RED CARDS 0

Referee M Atkinson 7

MAN OF THE MATCH

JIMMY BULLARD

All energy and enthusiasm. It was his dynamic contribution that encapsulated the Fulham performance. He was everywhere he was needed - collecting the ball from defence and a great ally to Danny Murphy and Simon Davies.

NEXT FOUR IN THE PREM

FULHAM

BOLTON (H)

BLACKBURN (A)

W HAM (H)

W BROM (A)

ARSENAL

NEWCASTLE (H)

BLACKBURN (A)

BOLTON (A)

HULL (H)