Adama Traore vs William Saliba: Who won in a footrace between Arsenal & Fulham stars? | OneFootball

Arsenal defender William Saliba has received plenty of plaudits so far this season, with some being so bold as to brand him one of the best centre-backs in world football at present. The Frenchman is renowned for being one of the fastest defenders going and has made a number of rapid forwards look slow with his effortless ability to cover the pitch.

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But Adama Traore is no ordinary footballer – at least in terms of pace anyway. Indeed, the former Wolves and Barcelona winger is one of the most unique footballers on the planet in the sense that he's built like Arnold Schwarzenegger but could also be an Olympic sprinter.

The Spaniard, who signed for Fulham this season, was introduced in the 70th minute of Fulham's Premier League fixture vs Arsenal and it's fair to say he gave Saliba something to think about.

Did Traore beat Saliba in a footrace?

The short answer is yes, yes he did. Quite comfortably as well. In fact, Traore showed such ridiculous pace that Saliba was made to look like Per Mertesecker.

Traore's battle with Saliba came in the 97th minute of the game. The match was level at 2-2 and full-back Antonee Robinson decided to take a free-kick quickly from his own half. Seeing Traore in space, he sprayed the ball out to the winger, who proceeded to charge forwards with the ball. Saliba, spotting the run of Traore, attempted to cover but was completely burned for pace by the Spaniard. The Fulham star powered on into the box, but his shot was ultimately tame and he failed to score what would have been a stunning winner.

Arsenal drop first points of the season

The Gunners had started the season with two wins but were held to a 2-2 draw against the Cottagers at the Emirates. Andreas Pereira put Fulham ahead early on after catching Aaron Ramsdale off-guard, only for Bukayo Saka to equalise from the penalty spot. Substitute Eddie Nketiah then fired the Gunners in front with 20 minutes to play and at this point, the Gunners looked on course for a third straight win. However, Fulham had other ideas. As the game neared the 90-minute mark, the Cottagers won a corner and Joao Palhinha fired home a late leveller.

While the Gunners remain unbeaten, Mikel Arteta will know deep down that this was two points dropped, especially given how good Manchester City have been in recent times. The Arsenal manager may also be concerned about new signing Kai Havertz failing to hit the ground running. The German international was signed for £65 million from Chelsea in the summer but is yet to register a goal or an assist. Granted, Arteta has been utilising the 24-year-old in a deeper role, but the Gunners boss will no doubt be hoping Havertz finds his feet sooner rather than later.

Speaking after the game, Arteta said: "We go 2-1 up and you have to defend for your life, you cannot concede the goal after everything we have done. We should have scored five, six, seven (goals). If I compare the game this season to last season, we were 10 times better than last season. At least 10."