Everton 2-1 Arsenal
Arsenal suffered their first defeat since the opening day of the season at the hands of a resurgent Everton side, giving Chelsea the opportunity to go six points clear at the top of the Premier League tonight against Sunderland.
It would not be unfair to say that this was a very bad day at the office for Arsenal, who were lethargic, listless and made far too many errors. Whilst they dominated the ball and created some decent chances, they were nowhere near playing their best football, with Ozil and Walcott singled out for criticism by Arsenal fans. In truth, their entire front four was pretty abject, with their goal coming from a Sanchez free kick that took a hugely unfortunate deflection off Ashley Williams on its way through to wrong-foot Stekelenburg.
And they deserved to be in front. Everton were awful in the opening twenty minutes, turning in a display with no energy, no fight and no desire. The crowd were vocal in their displeasure, but after Arsenal scored the Toffees seemed to wake up. There was more bite in the challenges, more energy in midfield and more tenacity.
Despite Arsenal having 60% of the ball overall, Everton pressed hard and probably just about deserved to equalise before half time, which they did through a Seamus Coleman header, after an excellent cross from Baines on the left. From Arsenal's perspective though, it was pretty poor defending, as Walcott did nothing to prevent the cross, as Monreal completely lost track of Coleman as he charged into the box.
And poor marking was at fault for the second goal as well, as Williams thundered in a header off a corner. It was a terrific header, but he was totally unmarked, with Ozil, who sadly was the worst player on the pitch, failing abysmally to do anything close to challenging him.
Williams' late winner summed up a pretty terrible second half from Arsenal, in which they completely dominated possession and yet failed to create much in the way of clear chances, with Ozil blazing their best effort over the bar after a good low cross from Sanchez.
Arsenal did turn the screw after Everton scored, but it was to no avail, with Petr Cech of all people throwing himself at a cross, only for Stekelenburg to somehow claw it away, only for Monreal and Iwobi to be denied on the line in the aftermath, as Arsenal screamed for a penalty on Sanchez which in truth probably should have been given. With Cech scrambling to get back, Everton should have killed the match, as the final frantic seconds ticked by. It turned out that they didn't need to, but it was a hectic final five minutes or so that weren't justified by the lethargic nature of the previous 85.
It would be harsh to call this an Arsenal bottle job, but certainly they were off the pace. They took their foot off the accelerator as soon as they scored, and let Everton back into the game far too easily. And to give one of Everton's best headers of the ball a free header off a set piece with the game deadlocked and five minutes to go is simply inexcusable. Everton on the other hand, seemed very much up for the task, and what they lacked in quality, they made up for in tenacity. Although their front four were unable to make a lasting impact on the game, as Arsenal defended well for long spells, Laurent Koscielny turning in yet another fantastic display, Everton nevertheless deserved to win the match as they created more on the night.
For Arsenal this is a wake up call. Many people expected them to roll over Everton and move on to roll over Man City at the weekend. And justifiably so given the goals that they've been scoring recently. But they cruised in this game and cruised to a defeat. They're going to need all of their skills to knock City well and truly out of the title race on Sunday, as they try to rescue what remains of their own bid.
And for Everton, this was a much needed pick me up as they surged back into contention for the Europa spots. They're now back up into 7th, ahead of Watford who play Man City tonight, and are just one point behind a United side that face a tough trip to Crystal Palace. Whilst the top four or five may still be out of reach, Everton have some good form to take into the hotly anticipated Merseyside derby on Monday.
The Hard and Fast Section
- Gary Rowett sacked. A decision that disgraces football.
- Leicester lost 1-0 at Bournemouth. Abysmal away form.
- England and Australia rugby go again in 2017. Rivalry.
- Khan vs Brook 2017. Awesome.
- Chennai test in real doubt now. Weather.
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