Murphy masterclass gives Wenger a headache as Cottagers beat Gunners

Pass and move, pass and move . . . passed Arsenal off the park.

You hear that, Arsene?

Brede Hangeland slots past Manuel Almunia to secure Fulham's 1-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday

Well, it seems the Arsenal manager heard it loud and clear.

‘Fulham were not especially physical,’ admitted Wenger.

‘They played well in midfield and they had the creativity to get around it.

'We were lacking our usual fluency.’

No kidding. There are imperfections everywhere, immaturity in important areas of the team and an imbalance that Wenger simply has to address in Wednesday’s Champions League tie against FC Twente.

He has no choice, not after this horror show.

‘We were just not good enough,’ added Wenger in an unusual admission.

Spot-on, all the same.

Pick a name or a number from this Arsenal team and there will be a tormented soul.

Bacary Sagna? Voted into the PFA team of the year last season, he was uncharacteristically caught in possession when he attempted a trademark raid down the right wing in the first half.

What of the No 14, then? Theo Walcott, the young man who has adopted the shirt of his idol Thierry Henry this season, needs the ball at his feet or he will soon become a forgotten man in this Arsenal team.

How about Emmanuel Adebayor? Oh, don’t go there. Not just yet.

Save the Rebel Without a Cause for another day.

‘We tried individual solutions when the collective solution was there,’ claimed Wenger. 

‘We were a little disjointed, but we had 60 minutes to come back and didn’t.

'In fairness, we didn’t create a lot in those 60 minutes.

Hangeland celebrates Fulham's opening victory of the Premier League season

'The mistake we made with the goal was not excusable. You cannot concede in the six-yard box.

'That is where we are guilty. We cannot make these mistakes.’

They are timid, far removed from the team who streaked ahead of the field last season with an impressive 21-game unbeaten run.

No such luck this time. The decision to play Kolo Toure in the centre of defence instead of Johan Djourou, who impressed against West Bromwich Albion last weekend, was another mistake.

So, too, was their failure to keep an eye on the attacking threat of Brede Hangeland.

He impressed in Fulham’s great escape last season and there is enough in Hangeland’s towering performances to suggest that the Norway captain can play for a team in the top four.

High praise, but he merits it after scoring Fulham’s winning goal.

William Gallas has plenty to say for himself, accusing his team-mates of lacking desire last season and losing respect in the Arsenal dressing room.

They have every right to remind him of those words after he flinched, allowing Hangeland to beat him to the ball inside the six-yard box to stab the result of a clever corner routine by Jimmy Bullard and Murphy beyond Manuel Almunia.

Hardly Captain Courageous.

‘Hangeland has had a good week because he captained Norway for the first time on Wednesday,’ said Hodgson.

‘We had a game-plan to attack at a high tempo, with one touch, two touches, pass and move and run off the ball.

'When we defend, we squeeze up and press the ball.’

If only it was that simple.

Fulham were first-class, hounding Arsenal into losing possession in front of 25,000 disbelieving, yet delirious, supporters.

They dream of days like this.

Murphy was loving it. Gerrard had scored a last- minute winner for Liverpool against Middlesbrough and Fulham did them a turn with this unexpected victory.

Fulham’s captain, stationed in the centre of midfield with Bullard, was full of running, snapping at the ankles of Denilson and Emmanuel Eboue before he ran out of steam eight minutes from the end.

The impressive Danny Murphy tussles with the Gunners' Brazilian midfielder Denilson

‘We did not give Arsenal time to settle,’ added Hodgson.

‘We worked hard all over the field, pressuring people and stealing the ball from them.

‘It was a team performance, but we are Fulham.

'If we are going to get points, it does not matter whether we are playing Arsenal or anyone else, this is the type of performance we have to give.

‘The moment we start thinking we can play with five or six defenders and let others stand in their way waiting for the ball to come to them, we are going to have a very bad season.’

With Hodgson at the helm and Murphy making all the running, there is little danger of that.

Fulham (4-4-2): Schwarzer 6; Pantsil 7, Hughes 7, Hangeland 8, Kallio 6 (Baird 74min, 6); Davies 7, Murphy 8 (Andranik 82), Bullard 7, Gera 7; Zamora 7, Ki-Hyeon (Dempsey 77).

Booked: Murphy.

Arsenal (4-4-2): Almunia 5; Sagna 5, Toure 5 (Song 77), Gallas 5, Clichy 6; Walcott 6 (Bendtner 65, 5), Denilson 5, Eboue 5, Nasri 5; Adebayor 4, Van Persie 5

Man of the match: Danny Murphy.

Referee: Martin Atkinson.