Arsenal and Everton played out a classic with the Gunners emerging with all three points.
The game started off at a frantic pace, we were not even one minute into the game when the first goal went in from Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
It was a well-taken goal though Everton was helped through some flapping defence from David Luiz who was all over the place.
Arsenal lost Sead Kolasinac to what looked like a nasty injury and Bukayo Saka was introduced into the game on the 18th minute and it did not take the teenager long to make an impact.
Arsenal equalised on the 27th minute thanks to a beautifully taken goal from Eddie Nketiah.
Mikel Arteta was once again vindicated selecting Nketiah who connected on to a fantastic whipped in cross from 18-year-old Saka.
Arsenal then took the lead, this time through Luiz feeding a wonderful through ball to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang who ran into the area and he simply does not miss when in that position.
That was 2-1 but the goals did not stop there. Everton equalised almost five minutes into first-half injury time through Richarlison and yet again, it was bad defending from Arsenal.
Phew, four games in a frantic first half and some questions will be need to be asked about some of the defending we witnessed in that first 45 mins.
The second half started almost as a carbon copy of the first but this time it was Arsenal that scored straight after kick-off.
The Everton defence was hardly effective there and It was Nicolas Pepe this time assisting Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and bang, Arsenal is 3-2 up.
Chances kept on coming at both ends of the pitch and it really looked like it was going to be just a matter of time before another goal went in.
Andre Gomes came on for Everton on the 60th minute and it was good to see him back in action following the horrific injury he suffered earlier on in the season.
Bernd Leno was doing his usual shot-stopping and even Aubameyang was helping out in defence as Carlo Ancelotti’s men started to press for the equaliser.
Calvert Lewin came close to the equaliser in the 78th minute and Arsenal was starting to look a little jittery, however, it was certainly not all one-way traffic and Arsenal looked dangerous on the counter-attack.
It has to be said that Arsenal was defending well as the game neared a conclusion, they may have been ragged at times but they were playing as a well-organised unit when under pressure.
With just a few minutes to go Leno made a brilliant clearance a good ten yards outside of his area, if he got that wrong who knows what will have happened, a goal, red card? But it was well-judged and again, the German came to the rescue.
The game ended 3-2 and on balance I would say Arsenal deserved it. There were some good performances, Nketiah, Aubameyang, Mustafi and of course, Saka but there were others as well.
That is an invaluable three points and top four or five is now within reach.
Calvert-Lewin’s goal shows exactly why a tall CB like Mari or Saliba is needed, because Arsenal always have problems with long balls as what they faced in Burnley. Luckily Luiz redeemed himself with his great vision to assist Aubameyang with an incisive through ball:
– Nketiah: Showed big improvement and this is why our youngsters have to be given several chances. He is not as combative as Lacazette, but he is definitely faster and his goal showed that he has the potential to be a great striker
– Ozil: Was the connector all over the field. I rarely see him so spirited like this and it must be the home supporters that lifted his motivation up
– Aubameyang: His first goal is his trademark, a great striker goal. He was unchallenged on the second one, but good instinct
– Pepe: Almost no penetration as usual, but produced a great cross for Aubameyang and his physicality troubled Baines/ Richarlison as well
– Xhaka: Good vision on creating a through ball for Saka. Excellent game by the ex-captain
– Ceballos: Luckily his high risk playing style was not punished by Everton players, but he showed good playmaking ability again. He is not as tenacious as Torreira, but his interceptions and tackles were perfect to stop Everton’s attacks
– Saka: Produced accurate cross again. Fortunately Everton players couldn’t capitalize on his overconfidence in the second half, so he still needs to learn the art of defending
– Bellerin: Played safe and did his job well
– Luiz and Mustafi: Defended well, except Luiz’s mistake on Everton’s first goal
– Leno: Not as solid as in the previous two matches. I hope he can maintain his concentration at the next game
The great Pierre goal was assisted by Luiz not Ozil.
That’s what I wrote in the first paragraph. I just said Ozil is highly spirited today, which is very unusual
Baines pocketed Pepe for most part though he did allow Pepe to get in a great cross from which Aubameyang scored from. Ozil was better than last week and hopefully he keeps improving because Arteta will keep on picking him regardless.
If Ozil can always make himself available as a simple connector all over the pitch like what he did today, he will be useful to the team
Kev, at this moment what is your assessment of MA, I know of your various theoretical assessment of the team at the eve of his appointment, how you guys prefer experience such as Anceloti to him and all
Then you’ve not be reading my comments. I never preferred a more experienced coach. I even wanted us to continue with Ljungberg but was also happy when Arteta came in
Your Leno comment is surely a joke! HE WAS SUPERB TODAY. WHATEVER GAME WERE YOU WATCHING?
Second goal was his mistake
true that Jon
I fully agree with you Jon. Perhaps his subjective attitude affected his sight!
@gotanidea, what is with you and Auba being unchallenged?you made the same comment last week against Newcastle,Auba scoring because he was unchallenged,this is becoming ludicrous man!
True. He was unchallenged when scoring his second goal, as what he did against Newcastle
His positioning and instinct are top-notch though
so why say unchallenged if he is good at evading his markers, almost all and ill guess 50% of all goals are as a result of a player evading their markers. Its like you want him not to evade his markers to make it hard for him to score wtf is wrong with you.
@gotanidea,
Watch again!
Auba stepped about a yard away from Sidibe to connect with the cross. Despite that, Sidibe made contact with him as he was trying to place his header. Would you rather he hang on a defender’s neck before trying to score?
I will be glad if he scores 12-15 more goals for us this season in EPL “unchallenged”
Once again, Arteta knew what he was doing with the line-up.
All the moaners had to be kept quiet.
I really pity Saka, the boy needed the rest and he can’t get it.
It’s so disgraceful the comments you read about him before the game ended.
He wasn’t his usual energetic self after the first half.
It’s the reason Arteta benched him in the first place, now I’m really worried, is he going to be the one to play on Thursday again?
Everyone did well including Nketiah.
If we can get Ceballos for a decent fee I’ll say let’s get him.
He has what we miss in midfield since Cazorla.
He makes the job easier for Ozil, and he’s making Ozil play well.
Big ups to Leno!!
PEA did a great job sciring two but Mustafi is my MOTM. I don’t have time to argue with anyone who can’t take away dislike and see the truth.
Argue with your keypad.
Great job everyone!!
Solid job from everyone.
It was tough but I’m really really impressed. Absolutely impressed, turnaround from what we used to know.
Let’s keep getting those wins.
Waiting for the usual suspects that’ll come blaming certain players this evening
Ceballos is dreaming if he thinks he could get a starting position in Real Madrid’s midfield, since they already have many talented central midfielders
I hope Arteta can convince him to stay
I’d like to have him.
I hope we try to keep him, not many midfielders can use the ball with both legs the way he does.
I think he’ll reconsider leaving if Arteta wants him, plus he said he’s in love with the fans as Arsenal fans are the only ones to have a song about him and he’s the fourth player to ever get a sing from the fans I think
Yeah it was a massive win. I like Ceballos but if Arteta can get us a player(CM) who can do what Andre Gomes was doing when he came on it would be immense for us. We need that kind of CM who can control the central midfield with authority. I was amazed by his performance today even though he wasn’t our player. A player similar to what he did today would be great for us
Comes did really well but tbh he had it easy also.
Almost the whole players were tired and had themselves to work.
I’m worried about Fatigue handling Saka, it’s why his game dropped after 50 mins.
That boy needs some rest
True but with the way he was playing no-one could get near him. This is even a player who had a serious injury some months ago. He looked so press resistant and he unlocked our defense on numerous occasions. We need a midfielder who can consistently do the same thing he was doing today.
Im happy for Saka but at the same time feel sorry for him. Playing LB consistently means he has to not only be attack but must be in position to defend. It’s a shame but he’ll get through it
As usual Reggie speaks a lot of sense and make very good points difficult to argue with!👍very good 3pts,well done,COYG!!
Thanks Siamois, your cheque is in the post. Lol
Massive win today. These three points earned today could prove a lot in the future. Leno made up for his mistake with some important saves and blocks. MOTM is Aubameyang for taking his two goals very well and bring in the right place at the right time. I’m impressed with Nketiah’s showing and I believe with more games hell be better. Good assist from Pepe too but I still don’t know why his overall game is still poor. Had nothing for Baines today.
I want Arteta to look at Andre Gomes’ showing and get us a midfielder who does what he did today. We need someone like that in the centre. He was absolutely fantastic and was the best player on the pitch when he came on.
Andre Gomes is a dominant playmaker, due to his ball control and stature. But he is not a high risk taker like Ceballos and tends to play safe throughout the match
I saw him play for Enrique at Barcelona and he was the player Barcelona fans loathed the most at that time, similar to the Gooners’ sentiment on Xhaka previously. This happened because Gomes was not as energetic as the other Barcelona midfielders and his creativity was almost non-existent
I’d prefer Arsenal to get an adventurous playmaker like Ceballos, rather than getting a central midfielder who can only produce merry-go-round passes like Gomes and Arthur
I see your point but I’m not necessarily asking for a Andre Gomes though. I’m asking for a CM who can do what he was doing today when he came on. He was press resistant and was constantly unlocking our defense with wonderful through balls. I’m limiting it to his showing today s an example of the kind of CM we need. If you look at that then he had adventure and all you stated. At Barca and his early Everton showing his issue was mentality. Now he’s showing why Barca bought him in the first place
Tonali of Brescia is a wonderful CM
Don’t you think Ancelotti would have started him if he’s that much of an awesome midfielder…. I’m not trying to detract from his performance, but our players were apparently already tired before he came on. It was a good win, a much needed one at that….. I’d love for us to get a brilliant CM to partner Torreira though, on that note, we agree. We’re going to need a CAM to compete with, and/or (eventually) replace Özil….. long live the winning streak!…… COYG!!
I see your point but I’m not necessarily asking for a Andre Gomes though. I’m asking for a CM who can do what he was doing today when he came on. He was press resistant and was constantly unlocking our defense with wonderful through balls. I’m limiting it to his showing today as an example to the kind of CM we need
Very tough game. 3 points. Well done Arteta and players
👍
ALWAYS Happy with a win. Any WIN.
We’ve had so many bad matches, we should be happy when we win.
Well done lads
👍
Arsenal survives Everton scare with a deserved 3 poins. Yes deserved because a team without heart cannot survive conceding as early as one minute.
Then we still got our cleansheet in a manner.
Forward and upward we go one match at a time.
COYG😍😍
At Eddie
Thank you for standing up for Arteta. One thing I noticed today is our players are very unfit.
Anytime mate!!
I trust what he’s doing.
The whole rotation thing is good seeing how his game requires energy, so he’s constantly rotating players and everyone keeps doing well, so he has no reason to stop rotating.
I’m just tired and sick of reading fans moan after every lineup as tho Martinelli needs to play every game, as though Saka, Torreira needs to play every game.
Even Pepe gets the bench.
Fans moan too much, I’m surprise they moan about his selections yet they don’t understand a single thing about his game management
More able to rotate with an almost fully fit squad; Arsenal has suffered previously due to injury problems.
It is possible that arriving back into London very late on Friday night would have had an effect on them. They probably wouldn’t have got to bed before 5am Not ideal when playing only a couple of days later. I thought Ozil looked fresh – he didn’t travel
I expected us to lose comfortably and I was nearly proven right. Arteta’s vision is starting to gel. The great Pierre Aubemayang, where would we be without him?
You were nearly right in thinking we would lose comfortably. HAD WE NOT WON INSTEAD AND SCORED THREE GOALS YOU MIGHT WELL HAVE BEEN RIGHT. IN THE SAME WAY THAT I WAS NEARLY BORN A FEMALE . had I not been male instead I would have been female. Damned inconvenient when out of a choice of two things you chose the wrong thing to say but apparently “were nearly right” . Hilarious thought process.
What kind of appalling statement is this. “You expected us to lose and you are almost prove right. Doesn’t anybody tell you “almost” doesn’t count. You lose in your prediction and you still have no shame to tell us all.
My man of the match is Arteta. He really has install discipline in this guys. Under Wenger in his last years, or Emery in all the time he spent as a arsenal manager. We would have been lucky to come out with a draw.
Nketiah is giving me what I missed in arsenal. He has good holdup play and his is also first. He just needed to build up his physicality and he will be a great striker.
Mustafi is the most improved player under Arteta and I dont see anyone displacing him for now.
Good game…
Tensed last 15mins..
Remember we played 3 games in a week. We played on thursday hence the tired legs at the end.
Delighted with the 3 points. For obvious reasons, I want Arteta to excel. Unbeaten in 2020…..
Oh Yeah…………
How much better is a Mustafi? All you could hear was the commentator saying another header out, another great tackle, another block. He was immense today.
A well needed win but probably the most disjointed performance under Arteta. The midfield were so out of touch with the game, the pressing was terrible and the balls just given away was terrible. Auba MOM by a mile, worked his socks off, Leno was just behind him with some very good saves. Xhaka and Ozil looked way off the pace and were totally ineffective. Bellerin was skinned alive down the left and produced what can only be described as dross. It was a win, well needed and happy with that. Saka was our saviour again, coming on and immediately getting us back into the game. But Auba was the leader in more ways than one.
Mesut has always been my most loved arsenal player in recent years. I really miss this new mesut. Even though he isnt at his best yet. He has shown some glimpse of what we have missed. He made the transition from the back to the front very easy.
Best creator in England for the past 6 years. ARGUE WITH UR KEYPAD.
One of the funniest comments I have seen on here in a very long time.
Planet Earth is a lovely place to live. Why not try visisting it sometime!
Give me slme of that crack you are on, its crazy man!
yes level with burnley!!!!!! big win … shaky performance … move on … saka is talented … ceballos adds to midfield and improves ozil … aube is a goal scorer par excellence … rest leaves much to be desired … hoping tierney will be back shortly and marin can be drafted in but until arteta understands that xhaka is a lower division footballer who has no vision limited skills and endlessly puts team mates in danger we will struggle to dominate games …
Xhaka is not the most talented midfielder in the world, but he made a good through ball today and we need his ability to play as a makeshift LB/ left CB
I predict he would leave at the end of this season though. Then Arsenal might get another left-footed DM like Pape Gueye or Eduardo Camavinga
A lot of people crucified the board for choosing Arteta over Ancelloti. Today Arteta showed that he is actually the better coach experience notwithstanding.
Now that MA has gotten one over Carlo Ancelotti, all doubters will bury their heads in shame.
All those moaning about us always looking to penny-pinch and get the cheapest options can now look for something else to say. The so-called experienced coach has just lost to the greenhorn.
Out-thought and out-fought. It was Mikel Arteta and his boys all the way today. Aside from the usual defensive baggage, I think we did a good job today to earn the three points.
Top-four? Why not? Let the doubters keep doubting…
The doubters will always keep doubting.Its funny that they also call themselves realists.
COYG
I always say Leno is up there with the very best. We have ourselves a very good GK. A win is a win, it’s all that matters. Mustafi is a new born along side Luiz. Well done to the boys.COYG.
Defensive errors aside, I thought today’s performance was more encouraging than last week. Good win.
I got very nervous when Andre Gomez entered the pitch. That man is different. I think Arsenal should try to buy him. He is exactly the kind of player needed in premier league.
Reggie. Are u talking about arsenal vs Watford under Arteta. Which of the Ozil are u talking about.?
Ozil was like a 14 year old playing in a mans game, totally ineffective, the longer this guy stays in the team, with xhaka and Bellerin, the less we will achieve. What does Ozil do! Flits around and not influencing the play at all. Its sad to see how far he has dropped off from his pomp. Arsenal will suffer carrying him, mark my words. I said that reliance on xhaka would be Emerys downfall and it ultimately was. Arteta relying on Ozil and Xhaka will be his. The sooner that those frauds depart our team the better. They bring nothing. Look im the first to admit his first touch and ability to control the ball is sublime but that isn’t enough for us as a team, he has to contribute by actually shooting and forcing the game forward, which he seems reluctant or unable to do anymore. Im an Arsenal fan and want the best, for me he is not giving anywhere near enough to our team.
Should arsenal buy every player that plays well against us?
The game was tight but i think apart from the opening minutes and the closing minutes we were dominant.Everton tried to counter specially from the right hand side(the space left by bellerin as he played the inverted role).They had some good moments but leno,”OMG”.He is so much underrated.And we had some good moments which we should have buried as well…..
Ozil was superb today.He brought so much to the flow and when control was needed he did that very well too.
Ceballos showed why he should be picked over torreira.He made some superb interceptions and tackles apart from the creativity and control he offers.
Auba is probably the MOTM today if not for some superb saves from leno.Those line breaking runs is second to none.
Mustafi did very well today.
Luiz’s defending was OK today but not good,its his positioning and tackles that needs improvement but boy what a pass that was for auba.
Saka,apart from the assist and the brilliant plays from the 1st half he was sloppy in the 2nd half.He didnt play it safe when needed as what a natural LB would do but thats understandable.What a cross for nketiah.
Nketiah,what a finish and his work rate is superb.Should have had another one.
Pepe was a bit silent but he delivered when needed.What a cross!! for the 3rd goal.
That comment about Ozil is true since he has arrived at Arsenal no player create more chance than him nor have more assist than him in the premier league thats the fact.so for that felow Arsenal fan to call him best chance creator in england i think he’s right
How many assists has he this season, im interested in you informing me, or are we living on the past.
I’ll take the 3 points undoubtedly. Performance not great at all. Showed guts and fight but also defending frailties. Take the points and move on to the next game.
Auba is climbing..gunning for the golden boot
A highly entertaining game with a number of mistakes on both sidre but soem more definite progrees for us, esp considering we had a hard game three days ago but Everton had a rest. We ran short of legs late on but sheer spirit kept us going. Onwards andupwards. Even I, who am the most realistic of fans, am beginning to feel we have a distinct chance of making top six or seven and thus poss qual for next years Europa. I STILL DISMISS TOP FOUR AS ALMOST ZERO CHANCE, and top five is very unlikely too, if City are banned, which is far from certain as yet, IMO. I do give us a better than even chance of finishing above Spuds though.
Mustafi perform the best on the pitch. 3points all the way. We move.
Performs*
Dear admins…please bring back the thumbs up and thumbs down from the old days. It was easy to point a general view of an article or comment without getting too much involved.
Dimitar Berbatov on point with the scoreline..predicted exactly
The midweek game and the travel to and from Greece took its toll on the last 20 mins when some players were out on their feet.Auba was very good today .Apart from his goals he worked tirelessly for the team.I must confess to finding it hard to fathom the praise for Ceballos who to me is painfully one paced and poor defensively.Indeed the lack of pace at centre back and in our three midfielders is a real cause for concern and is something which Arteta will no doubt try to rectify during the close season. Three wins in the space of a week is however very heartening and should help the players confidence for the battles ahead. Our first and second goals were things of beauty.
Agree Grandad and your opinion on Ceballos is interesting, not knocking your opinion of him but i did think he did ok today but i dont see him staying, im not sure he is strong enough to play all season in the prem. I do think he tries hard though.
What a game!! To come back was brilliant!!
Another Saka assist! Auba level with Vardy now… we’re closing the gap! Eddie scored!! Only downer for me was Kolasinac… that looked like a dislocation 😢 won’t see him for ages… how will I cope??
All in all a great day… happy gooner on the train home 👍
Some people just hate Ozil. He was immense today. Auba, Mustafi and Ozil were the best three players on the pitch today.
@admin…… my reply in the last article has gone missing, I would like to know why…… I’m still feeling happy we won… now if Westham could do to Liverpool, what their women’s team did to Liverpool women…. I’ll be celebrating all week 😈😂
All your replies seem to be here, nothing has been deleted
Im not sure people hate him, they wonder what people see in him and what he actually does for the team as far as pushing it on and driving and influencing the game, which he hasn’t done for years now. I think he needs replacing for us to get more exiting in attack and stronger out of possession. I also think that the opposition let him have the ball now and know he personally isnt going to hurt them. Passive player that is not producing the goods for us anymore. He should be dominating games and dictating our attack from number 10 and he isn’t. I also think Arteta is accommodating him and compromising our attack, playing 4231 when our best formation with 4 at the back is 433 which would not accommodate Ozil. I think we would be more aggressive in attack and stronger in defending with 3 midfielders but sadly i think Arteta will stick with him until the end of the season, hopefully not to our detriment.
I think Arteta is proving he knows what he is doing. I wasn’t at the game today but was last week and Ozil has more freedom under Arteta and his performances have been good. He wouldn’t be in my 11 away from home currently but at the Emirates where we want to dominate he is key to us playing through the lines. I think ceballos will stay and his composure is starting to look like carzola or dare I say cesc in their day. Queue the abuse 😂 but I respect it and I am a happy goner after the last week
Ceballos is staying for the simple reason that he won’t play while ZiZu is managing Real. And, he knows that. What many don’t realize is the reason Xhaxa plays nearly every game is down to his left foot and diagonal passing ability over the opposing minefield ..he tucks in when Saks bombs forward and covers left FB. Hello !!! Ceballos can do the same with time ..because he can use both left and right foot with equal skill.
He is a more intelligent footballer than Xhaxa by leaps and bounds to boot and he can set tempo from deep. These are VERY RARE SKILLS in a modern footballer. VERY. Arteta is Spanish just like Ceballos and I think he understands him and where his football comfort zone is. Imho Ceballos is the KEY to our future ..because with high pressing now the defacto standard for top teams, you NEED A deep lying playmaker MORE than a traditional CAM to help break that press and outlet ball intelligently, and this gives the CM further up the pitch to overload the a viable side to receive the ball and turn and pass to the flank or into the channel. Look at Auba’s first goal today…that run and pass by Luiz is mande possible because of Ceballos turning and finding Luiz slightly ahead of him and IN SPACE (sound familiar) and that channel was acres wife to advance into and then pass. What Ceballos does is he forces a CM to take him on in a high press and that leaves gaps..Mari is left footed and is also Spanish..and think of that left side next year.. Mari/Ceballos/Tierney/ Saka
I doubt ANY Prem side can handle that..
I think Willock will be re natural CM/CAM for us slowly learning and platooning for Ozil. Willock has oodles of talent in his locker ..once that kid realizes his game is far more Gerrard than Ozil he will be golden because he can really cover ground fast and he has great 30/20 shot on him from just outside the box. That kind of player again, forces defense as to commit because is they don’t he will get into box and cause all manner of headaches and with Saka and Auba and Pepe lurking in and around that same box …that’s a scary sight for any EPL side coming up against us.
The player I see being a true platoon player is Guendouzie..he has a big engine but does nothing particularly well except get stuck in and tracks back. In Emery’s no-plan game plan and no total rubbish football Geundo shone because he actually cared and would track back…in MA’s defensive system you need to do a few things VERU well instead of a VERY many things somewhat well. Another player who can fill the CAM role is Emile Smith Rowe…he has played with Saka, Willock, and Eddie, I think he can be the closest true traditional CAM we have seen come through the academy in years. And his development would take a serious load off for a must buy at traditional CAM position, Either way, I think Willock will platoon Ozil for now and MA will gauge and plan accordingly.
COYG
Great game to win!
The opening goal was freak, hit the back of Luis head and he went up for the second phase and of any of our players scored a goal with a foot as high as Lewins we would of been called back for a foul.
We were dangerous going forwards but most players were knackered by 65 mins. We done well to hold on and unlucky to grab another goal on the break
It cant be understated though, while we remain unbeate and win more than we draw, its a great improvement and can be built upon.
That’s for sure Reggie, it was a big hurdle today with us beating on of the teams above us since Arteta has had time with the team to instil what he wants from the team.
Onwards and upwards…. COYG!
I hope that this result and how it was achieved will upgrade Arteta and his wisdom in the eyes of his detractors. He knew exactly what he was doing when he left Saka out of the starting lineup. By the middle of the second half, having replaced Kola early in the first, it was clear that he was knackered. He’s still a kid.
And, all the Xhaka critics should really have a good look at his overall contribution today and not concentrate on his lack of speed or finesse. I thought he had a really good game, and gave some great passes.
Well done to the boys, we needed that.
Arsenal finally getting there. Two tough games in just 70 hours and get victories is not easy. They shawed commitment and resiliance! Congratulations to Arteta and the lads!