Arsenal travel to the Hill Dickinson Stadium this evening to take on Everton and regain top spot in the Premier League. This is the Gunners’ starting eleven.
Arsenal understand the importance of collecting all three points, but doing so away from home against a confident Everton side will not be straightforward. David Moyes has built a long managerial career on organisation, resilience, and the ability to frustrate stronger opponents. He has also masterminded several notable results against Arsenal during his time at previous clubs, something Arsenal will be keen to avoid repeating.
The challenge is heightened by Everton’s current form and ambition. The Toffees are pushing for a European place and know that winning home fixtures is vital if they are to achieve that objective. Although they have lost several key players to the AFCON and injuries, Moyes is still able to assemble a competitive side. Everton remain well-drilled and capable of creating problems through physicality, discipline, and intensity, particularly in front of their own supporters.
Recent history between the two clubs suggests a closely contested encounter. The last meeting ended without a winner, and Everton has held Arsenal to back-to-back league draws ahead of this fixture. That record will give the hosts confidence that they can once again make life difficult for their visitors.
From Arsenal’s perspective, there are reasons for cautious optimism. They have not lost on their last two visits to Everton, recording one win during that period. However, that positive run followed three consecutive defeats away to the Toffees, underlining how challenging this fixture can be.
As both teams take to the pitch this evening, the balance between Everton’s desire to spring a surprise and Arsenal’s need to keep pace at the top promises a tense and compelling contest.
COYG
A must win game especially City are firing on all cylinders
In a month where Arsenal mentality is the source for much discussion, but can fans show the same mentality at Everton as the team is been ask to show.
Am told some fans missed the 94 minutos winner against Wolves, that doesn’t argue well for the stands mentality, does it
Our defense has been stretched thin. Only MLS on the bench.
Barring no new injury, that back four can win us titles
Strong team and strong bench.
Yes, it’s more like a first choice 11
Whatever that is Sue?
Saliba and Calafiori to stiffen the defence. Trossard. Timber back in his usual position
White out and Calafori back
Apart from that it’s the same squad some said were last week hit by injuries?
Awesome lineup
COYG
This is the nearest to the immaculate Arsenal line up minus Maghales and Havertz.
The first spot is temporarily rented to City115. Will undo after a couple of hours.
Luckily, Ndiaye is away for AFCON. I’m sure Calafiori can handle McNeil
I hope Gyokeres will perform better with Odegaard behind him, because he didn’t work well with Eze
I don’t think its a must win, Arsenal have to forget about City and focus on themselves. At this stage of the season you can’t be putting yourself under pressure and focusing too much on a rivals results, its 17 games 43% of the league played. If you can’t handle this stage of the season, how do you expect to handle the title runi-in stage?
Moment of truth. Tricky fixture but completely winnable if the mentality is there.
Lets see how MA has mustered the team after a weeks rest.
I am not too worried as long as we remain at the top of the table. Based on my analysis of the past ten years, Arsenal usually go through two periods of poor performance each season: one around the end of the year and another toward the end of the season.
If we can maintain our top position until January, I believe we will return to a strong winning run—possibly winning 7 to 9 consecutive matches. That run would allow us to build a gap of around 9 to 10 points, which would be crucial. This cushion would help us absorb the second dip in form later in the season, when we typically drop between 6 and 8 points.
With Man City currently on a better form than us – how will we winning 9 consecutive matches lead to 9 points difference – as we also know Man City can also do more than 9 consecutive wins ?
Surely, Man city will have a period of poor performance also. It’s matter of time
…beyond Pickford somehow becoming superman I struggle to see how we’ll be stopped during this fixture. WHY would we go up to Merseyside and return a result at EFC like we did last visit to that region? No banana skin type slipup here today – Its unlikely to happen.
*Expect us to show up with our true character and credentials.
Got to change the way we play from now on, or else it could go Pete Tong. Gyokores needs better service, sooner and more often and we need to speed our game up. Big game tonight and NO excuses.
Arsenal can comfortably beat this hugely depleted Everton side. Full points in a convincing manner. Everton bench just lacks quality to go neck n neck with Arsenal.
Like we did convincingly against Wolves 🤣 we need to change the way we are approaching games. Too slow and not forcing our game onto the opposition.
Spot on
January will be tough
If Trossard goes without injury throughout January we might be fine
If not, Aston Villa is coming again and they’ve been beating us every year steadily – We just have to have our very best team to win them
And ATM that does not include Martinelli and Eze in the starting 11
ATM you may just be right. But we need more from Odergaard.
That’s fantastic but apparently we can all see that Man City are putting pressure on us and i think Arteta is doing a very fantastic job at Arsenal but i think we need more signigs because injury has derailed our success this term.I hope Man City does not beat us this season last three seasons.
What the hell is a ” very fantastic job”? Why not very very very fantastic job?
Why not try something different up top? The attack is just not clicking. We’ve seen too many games where majority of the time the attackers do little to nothing.
We seems more assured around the back
Why not try a few balls over the top to Gyokers and let see what happens
Wrong pass Saka
The game is crying out for a ball carrier
Raya sure has confidence
Penalty
For a big guy, Gyokeres is such a wuss.
Exactly
He has to be fighting for things
Any form of hassles from a defender he’s done or lost the ball – winning no battles at-all & poaching at things as a top man should
What’s the Everton player thinking ?
Please Gyokers has to take it
Fair play to Gyokeres
Cheers, the Swede is always convincing from the spot
Daft to give away a penalty like that. Arsenal till that point hadn’t looked like scoring in a month of Sundays
What was he thinking
Sometimes in sport you need little moments like that to go your way
It’s taken away the crowd as well
That helps
Now don’t sit back
We are doing this lately
As soon as we score we sit deep and allow opposition to score
Am happy Arsenal finally decides on a penalty taker
I don’t think so
It will be Saka always but Gyökeres needs goals that’s why he was given the chance to score penalty
Just they did it for Havertz
another very lacklustre half. too slow, too passive, no creativity at all from midfield 3.
haaland would struggle to score with how we are playing at the moment.
we maybe more defensively solid now but have lost so much attacking threat in last year or 2
Odegard needs to go off for Nwaneri. He slows the game down and reduces the impact of Zubi
I think it was intentional to calm Everton’s supporters down and lure Everton into our half
Odegaard could’ve stayed in the final-third as Eze did to play CAM, but he chose to pick the ball up from our deep midfield area
That is Zubi’s role not Odegard. See the pass he made to Goykeres, Nwaneri would have drove further, used the runners as decoy and taken a shot at goal
Oh Wow !
Just keep watching from the comfort of your living room please
Arsenal controlled the 1st half, otherwise nothing impressive in the attacking front. Nice to have Saliba back and fit, he’s very important to how Arsenal play from the back and keep possession, he’s also brought back the calmness and composure.
Surprise surprise, Arsenal playing yet another rubbish half of football.
A gift for Gyokeres. I bet Calafiori would’ve scored with his head if O’Brien didn’t touch the ball with his hand
Apart from the penalty, Arsenal were just trying to lure Everton into our penalty box, but Everton’s attackers didn’t fall into our trap
I’m sure Gyokeres will be replaced after the sixtieth minute, because a false-nine like Jesus or Merino would likely work better for the second half of the game. And Odegaard might also be substituted with Eze
Odegaard should learn how to use his right foot. That pass to Gyokeres on his right forces him wide of goal because he used left foot.
As much as I hate the slow sideward passes, it is currently frustrating the hell out of Everton, but we need to build a healthy 2-0 or 3-0 lead as soon as possible, otherwise the last 20 mins will be painful to watch.
I am starting loosing interest in watching arsenal since last season because it’s no longer entertaining like it was in Wenger era, it’s completely robotic.
You can’t say the truth here like this, not without being smacked with a wooden spoon.
Guardiola’s positional play and high ball possession tactics are highly choreographed
Arteta was one of Guardiola’s apprentices and he managed to finish second in three consecutive EPL seasons because of his highly scripted football
We can not win the league by accepting gifts, we aren’t going to get them every game. The team has a massive potential of attacking talent and we choose possession possession possession possession, pass back, pass back. I wonder every game what Zubimendi brings to the table. He sits in front of the back four, is not strong enough in the tackle and just passes side and back. We need to up our game to actually win this league. I have massive doubts we actually can, playing like we are. Lets see us build on this gift second half because sitting back on a 1-0 lead is dangerous and not winning the league mentality.
My 2 nill prediction is under threat, David Moise won’t be impressed with the student becoming the master on his Turf
A funny opinion
The team seems to be overly concerned with finding Gyokeres
And he’s been too much of a push-around for the defenders
plus instead of fighting for things up front, he’s carrying himself like he wants things dished on a platter
We need another couple of goals before we get our flip flops on. We cannot sit on a one goal lead, we’ve done that before and it’s come back and bit us.
I think people need to get used to this football now, this is how Arsenal have played in the league honestly more 80% of their games have been like this, nothing exciting. More possession based football, dependent on set pieces and keeping things tight at back, there’s been few games where they created plenty and blew their opponents away.
As annoying that it is to watch us just pass the ball around in a slow tempo, it’s not our job to push forward when winning. Ridiculous that teams still sit back when losing vs us.
issue is with that approach, 1 mistake late on and its a draw. even before being 1 nil up we do nothing. can still be strong defensively and have some attacking threat
Another woeful performance from the midfield. Please take Zubimendi off, he is not prem quality.
It’s like we have forgotten to play positive football. Players don’t seem to have composure on the ball for us to create attacking opportunities. Midfield doesn’t create any positive movement.
Can we please stop giving the ball away so cheaply!
Noni has to get an opportunity to come in and run at their defense.
Dull first half tbh. Everton didn’t allow Arsenal to settle and at times the passing was sloppy – from both sides- and Raya’s passing out from the back gave me the jitters at times
Arsenal don’t look like a team in control. Possession is only good if it progresses the ball as well.
Lucky because that could have been easily a penalty
Everton gonna score soon
What the hell califiouri is still doing on the field
Surely, at some stage we are going to see Madueke and Jesus, fresh impetus
Were doing exactly what we’ve done in the last few games. Lose our composure and confidence when the pressue is on. I can see us conceding without doubt because we’re putting ourselves under pressure. WTF is going on?
Gyokeres lost most of his battles against Everton’s defenders, as he always did in his previous games
It wasn’t his finest game GAI
TBH Sue, I don’t see anything in him.
Jax, he had opportunities but fluffed his lines so lacking service can’t be levelled at him today. I hope for his and Arsenal’s sake he can do better- although the penalty was a belter- literally
It has never been his finest game
I doubt understand how a striker can almost do nothing with the ball & loses the ball at every form of contact from opposing defenders
Agree GAI, think there’s ample evidence now that he’s just not up to it in PL. Can sure put away a penalty though.
Close by Trossard
At last a bit of excitement
Lovely weighted ball from Rice. Rare finishing mis-step from Trossard.
In the presence of Rice, Odegaard can’t be the captain of the team. Brave decision.
2 shots off the post in the last 10 min pushing for a 2nd goal. Trossard was a real bad miss.
Make some subs Arteta, we can’t allow them to get back.
Timber is a proper baller
Agree, superb all round player.
Arteta is really frustrating at times, I can’t understand why there’s been only one change up to now. Everton are going to back themselves to push for an equalizer in the last 10 minutes.
Disgusting
Very disgusting
Playing as though we were 5-0 up
Take the win. Fairly typical of this season I’d say. Winning without playing particularly great.
Congratulations on the win and 3 points. That was a hard watch. Its like we are playing in treacle.
Is that what we have shelled out a billion quid for. 2 games and no open play goals?
Stopped the rot but not a pleasant watch.
I am not sure it stopped the rot. The last game was poor and we got 3 points. This game was poor and we got 3 points. Its poor quality play, considering the money invested. Is this it Sue, is this what we should expect. I don’t personally get enjoyment out of watching poor quality football. And negative football.
Risky strategy by the team, but we can say at the end the players managed the game really well and didn’t give Everton any chances. I guess Saliba is the difference in how Arsenal use this approach.
Saliba was awful today.
What a hard watch that was, penalty aside Gyokeras disappointed again, if it wasn’t for the penalty it would have ended 0-0. Uninspiring performance from the Arsenal.
Sometimes i wonder how gunners fans think….
for God sake we r at d top ryt nw, what’s dis with “beautiful futbal” y’all are talking about
Arsenal lost…. u talk
Arsenal draws….. u talk
Arsenal wins….. u still talk
WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU GUYS WANT HERE???????!
most of u can’t even kick a ball!
sp*t
It just means we are struggling
And realistically people know we can’t keep up if things don’t change
When Liverpool were winning every match by late goals – struggling with every teams – those were the signs that the team would soon go down if things didn’t step up
We can’t keep riding luck on own goals and penalties and scrappiness match after match after match
It can’t last – unless we step up
He wasn’t
He struggled against Beto when he came in – which I already knew he would
But his teammates helped cover up
Up until that he was doing very fine
Jesus is the missing piece that makes our attack dynamic
We might have to count our loss on that Gyokeres guy
Looks like his only talent is ‘how to shoot at goal’
Everything else he’s shit
You mean the Jesus who played the final 8 games two seasons ago and didn’t score a single goal, at the expense of Trossard sat on the bench and ultimately losing the league. Jesus is not an answer at all. He is a good winger but not a goalscorer.
Jesus spends more time lying on the grass that actually
contributing anything. Another player whose end product is not there. We have a few of those hence the difference between our attack barely getting by with a PK and City scoring 3 per game. If we can’t improve and create better scoring chances and finish them it will be another year looking who is on top. We did spend money but most of the decent players we bought are on defense. Poor recruiting job going forward.