Unai Emery hit the jackpot with his changes in the second half at Craven Cottage, with both men coming off the bench to star in a comfortable win
Arsenal duo Aaron Ramsey and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang changed the course of events at Craven Cottage on Saturday, and earned themselves a slice of Premier League history in the process.
The Gunners’ visit to Fulham was still very much in the balance when the pair were sent on by manager Unai Emery around the hour mark.
Alexandre Lacazette had hit either side of Andre Schurrle’s goal to give the away side a tenuous 2-1 lead, with Fulham still hopeful of getting something from the game.
But once the Wales and Gabon internationals entered the mix, the afternoon took a turn for the worse for the hosts.
Ramsey needed just a matter of seconds to put Arsenal 3-1 up with a fine goal, with Aubameyang on hand for the assist.
Then the midfielder, who is widely tipped to leave the Emirates Stadium at the end of the season, turned provider, teeing up Auba in stoppage time for the striker’s second of the game and Arsenal’s fifth.
The game marked the first time in Premier League history that two players coming off the bench had managed to rack up both a goal and assist in the same match.
A sixth consecutive win for the Gunners puts them back in contention for the Premier League title after back-to-back defeats at the start of the season.
Emery’s charges now lie fourth, level on points with Chelsea and one behind joint-leaders Liverpool and Manchester City, who face each other in Sunday’s later kick-off.
And if the former Paris Saint-Germain coach keeps hitting the mark with his substitutions Arsenal could well find themselves in the mix for the crown come the end of the season.