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Mikel Arteta can toast his sixth anniversary as Arsenal manager from the Premier League summit after his team responded to Manchester City’s challenge with a slender yet merited win at Everton. The Christmas No 1 spot is secure, though Arteta will know more convincing performances are required to hold on until the final reckoning.
Viktor Gyökeres’ emphatic first half penalty sealed a valuable away victory against an Everton team that was missing several important components. Arsenal’s display was more efficient than impressive, more resolute than domineering, but this was a test of character after three away games without a win in the league and having lost top spot for the first time since mid-October shortly before kick off. Arteta’s side ensured City’s stay in first place would be brief.
There was nothing to report from a tedious opening to the game aside from the pathetic and frequent poverty chanting by the Arsenal away support. Fair play to whoever decided to display an advertisement for ‘Fans Supporting Foodbanks’ on the giant stadium screens in response.
Finally, and inexplicably, Jake O’Brien enlivened proceedings with a chaotic cameo. The Everton defender nudged Gyökeres over when the Arsenal striker appeared certain to convert a deflected Jurriën Timber cross almost on the goalline. Gyökeres immediately appealed for a penalty that the video assistant referee checked and rejected on the basis there was no foul. The striker had to be stronger when challenging for the cross.
But no matter. From the corner that resulted from Vitalii Mykolenko getting the final touch on Timber’s delivery O’Brien clearly handled under pressure from Riccardo Calafiori and Piero Hincapie. The referee, Sam Barrott, having missed the offence, was sent to the pitch-side monitor where the sight of the Republic of Ireland international raising both hands to the ball gave him no alternative but to award a spot-kick. Gyökeres blasted it beyond Jordan Pickford. The power and pace of the penalty gave the Everton goalkeeper no chance despite diving the right way.
The remainder of the first half reverted to type. Dull. With Declan Rice and Martín Zubimendi controlling proceedings in midfield Arsenal performed with greater composure although the visitors, and Everton, created little. William Saliba slipped in Gyökeres shortly before the interval but the forward shot over under pressure from James Tarkowski.
Everton’s lack of threat came as no surprise. Without Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Nidiaye, injured and away at the Africa Cup of Nations respectively, Moyes was missing two of his best and most creative talents of the season. The drop in quality from the absent duo to their replacements, Carlos Alcaraz and Dwight McNeil, was steep and inevitably felt by the home side.
A more open and intense second half brought welcome improvement. Arsenal were close to doubling their advantage minutes after the restart when Bukayo Saka and Timber combined brilliantly down the Everton left. Having released his over-lapping full-back inside the box, Saka followed in for a perfectly weighted return ball. Saka’s low shot beat England colleague Pickford but was blocked in front of the line by Tarkowski.
The visitors also struck the woodwork twice in the space of four minutes. Leandro Trossard curled a first time shot around Pickford and against the far post after Rice had unselfishly laid the ball into his path instead of taking the shot himself. Trossard should have scored. Zubimendi then swept an effort against the base of the same post from Martin Ødegaard’s fine cut-back from the byline.
Everton’s performance improved too although their best hopes of an equaliser centred on penalty claims. The first was optimistic and ignored when Thierno Barry tumbled under a challenge from Zubimendi after a careless pass out of defence by Saliba. The hosts’ second shout looked stronger when Saliba and Barry challenged for a loose ball inside the box and the Arsenal defender kicked the Everton striker’s foot after the latter had played the ball. VAR deemed there was insufficient contact to award a penalty.
