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Arsenal welcomed Everton to the Emirates Stadium in what was a widely anticipated game. The Gunners eventually won the game in the second half thanks to a wonder strike from Alexandre Lacazette and a somewhat controversial goal scored by Gabonese striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
It must be said that Everton looked like the better team for most of the first half, if not Petr Cech's heroics in goal for the Gunners, then Arsenal could have been at least a goal down in the first half, as Everton would have been pretty difficult to stop had they scored. However, there are some positives to be taken from the game. Here are a few.
#1 Arsenal's improved penetrative play
Under Arsene Wenger, the Gunners often frustrated Arsenal fans with their style of play when it came to breaking down the opposition. Passing the ball sideways, trying to pass the opposition to death so as to score the perfect goal was really frustrating. Teams came to the Emirates knowing that they can just sit back and wait for their moments to counter-attack.
Under Emery, there seems to be a paradigm shift on that front. The presence of Torreira and Xhaka in midfield has made it easier for the Gunners to look to thread more penetrative passes to break down the opposition.
Players are now encouraged to shoot on sight as opposed to Wenger's time at Arsenal where he played more emphasis on build-up play to score the perfect goal. This was evident with Lacazette's sublime finish. The team is now more inclined to counter-attack the opposition by playing a quick free-kick which at times catches the opposition napping.
#2 Alexandre Lacazette is becoming a true Premier League striker
When the Frenchman signed from Lyon, few had doubts about his ability to adapt to the physicality of the Premier League and to be fair, his first season at Arsenal showed he was trying to adapt to the pace and physicality of the PL. Although it must be said that he still finished as Arsenal's top marksman in the 2017/2018 season, scoring 14 goals in 32 appearances.
There is no doubt about the Frenchman's goal-scoring ability - he had a prolific scoring record in France before coming to England. However what the Frenchman has added to his game is the physical side.
In the first half against the Merseyside club, Lacazette held up three defenders before releasing Hector Bellerin on the right to play a first time ball into the opposition 18-yard box. In the second half, he was seen harrying defenders off the ball - exactly what the Frenchman has improved upon this season.
His pressure on a defender resulted in the second goal. He passed the ball to Mesut Ozil who squared the ball to Ramsey and the Welshman played in Aubameyang who scored Arsenal's second.
#3 Rob Holding brought calmness to the defence
The Englishman came in for the Greek centre-half and was a calming presence in the defence, which is one of the Englishman's assets. Shkodran Mustafi was in panic mode at times but Holding's presence snuffed that away and the Gunners were able to assert themselves properly when defending especially in the second half.
The severity of the Injury to Sokratis is yet unknown as he will be assessed by the team's medical staff today. However, the performance of Holding seems to fill Arsenal fans with confidence, even if Sokratis spends a considerable time on the sidelines.
#4 Discipline displayed by Torreira and his positive impact on Xhaka
The combative Uruguayan was shown a yellow card after a foul in the 15th minute and from then on, Arsenal fans had their hearts in their mouths anytime the Uruguayan tried to go into a tackle again. Especially considering the fact that referee Jonathan Moss has already issued 2 red cards this season.
However, Torreira was calm and composed in the middle of the park and did not fly into tackles needlessly showing his maturity and discipline. In fact, Unai Emery admitted during the game that he considered bringing out the Uruguayan for fear that he could pick up a second yellow card.
When asked about the midfielder’s display, the Spaniard told Sky Sports: "Torreira was on a yellow card and I was thinking how can he control the game in the last few minutes with this card against him? But I think he did very well without the risk of losing another."
Another thing of note is the improved performances of Granit Xhaka when he has played with Torreira in midfield. Xhaka had a good game against Newcastle last time out and was impressive again Everton as well.
This could be the midfield pairing that the Gunners have long waited for.
