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Arsenal secured a hard-fought 1-0 win against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday, September 17.
The Toffees have endured a challenging start to the campaign, failing to win a single game so far this season. Their last outing was a thrilling 2-2 draw against newly-promoted Sheffield United. Manager Sean Dyche turned to his trusted XI as he continued his search for the first win of the season.
The Gunners, on the other hand, have won three and drawn one of their four games so far. Their last outing was a spirited 3-1 win over eternal rivals Manchester United in which record signing Declan Rice grabbed his first goal for the club. Mikel Arteta made two changes to his lineup for this game.
Arsenal dominated possession in the first half but were met with a resilient Everton side who were unwilling to budge easily. Both teams attempted one shot on target apiece in the first period but the visitors had the better chances.
Gabriel Martinelli appeared to have given his side a 1-0 lead after 21 minutes but the goal was disallowed for an offside in the build-up. Shortly after, the Brazilian was forced off with an injury and was replaced by Leandro Trossard.
Neither Everton nor Arsenal managed to trouble the scorer as the first half ended 0-0.
Both Dyche and Arteta made periodic changes to their team at regular intervals in the second period as they looked to grab the lead. However, it was the Gunners who struck first as substitute Trossard scored a lovely goal following a silky move by the team.
Everton tried to fight to get back into the game but were met with a well-organized Arsenal defensive unit late in the game.
The visitors held onto their lead to secure a 1-0 win. On that note, here are the five talking points from the game.
#5. Arsenal grabbed the lead but the goal was disallowed
The Gunners made a dominant start to the game and kept the ball for nearly 80% of the first period. Both teams attempted just one shot on target in the first period, though.
Following a failed attack, Arsenal looked to retreat into their own half but won the ball near the halfway line. Edward Nketiah dropped back to keep the play going and passed it to Fabio Vieira, who played a lovely through ball to put Martinelli through on goal. The Brazilian applied a lovely finishing touch to make it 1-0 but the goal was ruled out as Nketiah was offside in the build-up.
#4. Worry for the Gunners as Gabriel Martinelli hobbles off
Shortly after the darting run for his disallowed goal, Gabriel Martinelli pulled up with apparent discomfort in his hamstring. He hobbled around for a bit before being replaced with Leandro Trossard after 24 minutes.
The Brazilian was a key player for Arsenal last season, scoring 15 and providing six assists in 46 games across competitions last season. His teammates and Arteta will be hoping the injury is not very serious and he returns soon.
#3. Everton maintained their shape and discipline until minute 70
Sean Dyche is renowned for setting his teams up in a way that negates a possession-dominant style of play deployed by most top teams. This prevents sides like Arsenal from playing their preferred free-flowing style and forces them into trying long balls or complex passing combinations.
Everton held their shape and played hard and combative football until the 70th minute but finally had their resistance broken. Bukayo Saka passed the ball to Leandro Trossard following a sharp move by the Gunners inside the hosts' 18-yard box. The Belgian's glancing effort hit the left post and bounced into the goal as Arsenal led 1-0 after 69 minutes.
#2. Arsenal win at Goodison Park for the first time since 2017
With four defeats and one goalless draw in their last five league visit to Goodison Park, Arsenal were up against it as they looked to end their poor run against Everton. Their last positive result away from home against them was a 5-2 win back in October 2017.
Considering Mikel Arteta played and starred for Everton for so long before moving to Arsenal, this result would be a big relief for the manager and his staff.
#1. Mikel Arteta's team selection and tactics worked well against Everton
Having picked Kai Havertz to start in the left central midfield role for four games, Arteta was under pressure following subpar showings by the German. In most of those games, Fabio Vieira usually replaced Havertz off the bench and finally took his spot in the starting XI today after a big performance last week against United.
Another significant change to the XI was the inclusion of goalkeeper David Raya, as Aaron Ramsdale dropped to the bench. While no reason was shared by the manager, it could be a blessing for both players as they have quality competition in each other to fight for the starting spot.
Fortunately for the Gunners, everyone in the squad is on board with the rotation policy and the reasons behind it.
