Arsenal mirror classic Gunners side with throwback display to end Everton hoodoo
This was a throwback to the days of 1-0 to the Arsenal.
It was a hard fought and a pretty dull affair at Goodison Park - and yet Mikel Arteta ’s men thoroughly deserved all three points. And that is all that will matter to Arteta because Arsenal showed their title mettle, dug deep and Leandro Trossard ’s lovely goal decided a game lacking in entertainment and quality.
Incredibly, this was Arsenal’s first win at Goodison since 2017 and the days of Arsene Wenger but this was a performance straight out of the George Graham handbook. No wonder the away end were singing “1-0 to the Arsenal” at the final whistle which was the theme tune to Graham’s success in the late 1980s and 90s.
We have come to expect more from Arteta’s Arsenal but title-winning teams must be able to do the dirty work and Arsenal showed they can mix it. They kept Everton at arm’s length throughout and it turned out to be a dream debut for on-loan keeper David Raya - who started ahead of Aaron Ramsdale - and was never really tested.
Instead, Raya looked very comfortable, sat and dictated the play out from the back which might leave poor old Ramsdale fearing that it will be a long way back. Whatever he says publicly, Arteta has been waiting to bring Raya in from the day he signed him.
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Trossard has also had to be a patient substitute at times but, as January signings go, he has been an inspired one for Arsenal because he is always bright, hard working and ready. Sure enough, Trossard had to bide his time again, he came on after Gabriel Martinelli went off injured and lit up a game with a goal completely out of keeping with the rest of it.
James Tarkowski argues with Simon Hooper (Getty Images)Who was your man-of-the-match in Arsenal's win against Everton? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Everton worked hard enough, they restricted Arsenal but even a potential takeover could not lift the mood enough at Goodison Park to make you think this will be anything other than a long, hard fight against relegation. Arsenal were always on top and thought they had gone ahead after 19 minutes. Everton striker Beto closed down Arsenal defender Gabriel, the ball deflected and Gabriel Martinelli raced away to score.
But it was disallowed for offside against Eddie Nketiah after a VAR check because Beto’s intervention was not deemed to be deliberate. If he had meant to play the ball then it would have been onside. But surely Beto’s block was deliberate. It seemed the wrong call.
Martinelli went off injured, was replaced by Trossard and Arsenal only began to create chances after the restart as Martin Odegaard was denied by Jordan Pickford, Fabio Vieira blazed over and James Tarkowski blocked from Nketiah.
Eventually the breakthrough came after 69 minutes. Arsenal kept on taking short corners with little reward but they got this one right as Odegaard, Vieira and Oleksandr Zinchenko were involved before Bukayo Saka ’s assist set up Trossard. Trossard then steered a shot in off the far post for his first Premier League goal since February - a run which had lasted 219 days - and that was enough to win it.
Arsenal were unlucky not to get a second. But you can bet they were relieved when referee Simon Hooper only put up four minutes of injury time. There were eight substitutions and lots of stoppages. Arsenal wasted most of the added time but the official blew the whistle very sharply.
Where is the consistency? That is the thing which frustrates fans and managers alike. Just apply the laws evenly - especially the new guidelines on added time. Mind you, maybe the referee had seen enough, too.
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