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Everton dominated the first half and gave Arsenal a taste of their own medicine
Everton came out in the first half like a house on fire. Right from the very first moment, in which they pressed forward and stole the ball and almost created a chance, they pressed the Arsenal players that were on the ball and didn’t give them an inch. They gave Arsenal a taste of their own medicine, as they kept hold of the ball, for large chunks of the half and by the end of it, they had 62% possession, the most enjoyed by any away team at the Emirates.
The result on Wednesday against Manchester United seemed to boost their confidence as the Toffees came out and played this game as if they were the home team. They controlled possession and dominated Arsenal’s midfield trio of Ozil, Ramsey and Cazorla, who were barely in the game. The only problem for them, was that for all their possession, they were unable to carve out a clear cut chance in the opening period.
Arsenal came back strongly in the second half, but failed to do enough
After a first 40 minutes, that saw them have none of the ball, Arsenal finished the first half strongly forcing Howard to make two good saves right at the end of the half and go into the break with the upper hand. And once they came back, they capitalized on their advantage and started playing like the Arsenal of the previous dozen games, and started creating chances.
In the second half, Arsenal’s midfield finally came into the game, with Ozil, in particular impressing with his array of skills and his ability to get out of a tight spot. It was fitting that it was the German who got the first goal, that looked like it might be enough to seal all three points for Arsenal, but it wasn’t to be as a momentary lapse in concentration by the Arsenal defense, which had thus far held fort, led to Everton scoring the equalizer merely a few minutes later. Giroud almost clinched it at the end, with a shot that rattled the post in the final minute of injury time, but it wasn’t meant to be, as Arsenal failed to do enough to claim all three points.
Did we witness the birth of another future English Star?
A little over a decade ago, when Everton played Arsenal in the League, all the talk was about a prodigiously gifted local lad, who had been making all the news. That teenage prodigy was a certain Wayne Rooney, who scored a goal and announced himself to the World. Everton came into this game with another such player in Ross Barkley, who was keen to make an impact.
Although Barkley didn’t have the same impact as Rooney, in terms of the goal, he was arguably Everton’s biggest threat going forward, playing as a free man in midfield. The man from Merseyside was full of running and his ability on the ball, was there for all to see. And even the goal that Everton scored, came from Barkley running at Arsenal’s defenders before passing the ball out to Oviedo, who provided the cross that led to the goal. The Englishman was calm and composed on the ball and like a slalom skier went past defenders at will in a display that is sure to have caught the England manager’s eye.
Laurent Koscielny had a fine game keeping Romelu Lukaku in check
Koscielny shines in yet another spirited defensive display from Arsenal
For far too often in the past, Arsenal have been criticized for having a soft under belly and conceding cheap goals from set-pieces. For all the pretty football that they play, defensive mistakes have meant that they have never really been challenging for the title over the past few years. But, this year, all of that, seems to have changed. From it being a side known for conceding goals, Arsenal have transformed themselves into a side, that doesn’t concede an awful lot, in fact, they have the best defence in the League.
One of the main reasons for that, has been the central defensive pairing of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny. The duo have developed a strong understanding and have become one of the finest pairings in the League so far this season. Against Everton, both of them, were on song, yet again, with the Frenchman having one of his finest games of the season yet, finishing with 2 tackles, 8 interceptions and 9 clearances. The Frenchman didn’t give Lukaku an inch all afternoon and had him in his pocket, which was no mean feat in itself.
Finally, a big game lives up to all the hype
Before the start of the game, there were plenty of neutrals who had earmarked this as the game of the weekend, simply because both teams were riding on a high, after victories in midweek. Whilst Arsenal tinkered and still beat Hull, Everton went to Old Trafford and beat Manchester United for the first time in over two decades and were looking to bring that form to the game, right from the outset.
And although there were only two goals in the game and it finished as a draw, it was a compelling contest from the first minute till the very last. It was billed as the battle of two defences and although both defences came out on top in the end, there were certainly plenty of action and entertainment at either ends, with both goalkeepers being called into action on numerous occasions. The result means that Arsenal don’t run away with the League, but, more than that, the performance of both sides, were thoroughly enjoyable and one that exemplified what the Premier League was all about.
