Mikel Arteta singles out Arsenal star as 'massive weapon' after Fulham heroics

Mikel Arteta has praised "magical" Leandro Trossard as a "massive weapon" for Arsenal after his goal propelled the team to the top of the Premier League.

Trossard managed to convert Bukayo Saka's 58th-minute corner at Fulham into a goal, securing a 1-0 victory for the Gunners and ensuring they finish this round of fixtures at the top of the league.

Despite only scoring eight times in the league last season, and with Arsenal bringing in eight new players over the summer, the Belgian international might have been concerned about his place in Arteta's squad.

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However, the 30 year old has started all of Arsenal's last five matches, both domestically and in Europe. Arteta said: "Leo has this quality to create these magic moments when the team needs it the most, and that intuition that he's in the right place at the right moment is a huge quality for the team and a massive weapon for us.

"He's been very, very good in recent weeks and now we have a lot of players in a really high emotional state and performance level, which is really good to see."

The victory at Fulham marks the start of a busy period for Arteta's men, with seven fixtures in 21 days, including a Champions League home match against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

The north London side will be aiming to build on their strong start to their European campaign, following consecutive 2-0 wins against Athletic Bilbao and Olympiacos.

The demanding fixture list will examine the strength of Arsenal's revamped squad, with skipper Martin Odegaard, Noni Madueke and Kai Havertz already sidelined through injury.

However, Arteta added: "We know the schedule and the load is what it is, and the games now and the context demands a bigger squad.

"All the top teams are in the same boat, and we're going to have to manage that really well, to look after them, and especially to get the best out of them."