Arsenal fell to Everton 0-0 at home on Saturday, missing several chances and unable to take advantage of Premier League leader Liverpool’s mistake against Fulham.
Despite maintaining a six-point advantage over Liverpool, Mikel Arteta’s team will be disappointed not to have made any progress after their rival was held to a 2-2 draw. Arsenal is in third place in the rankings with 30 points from 16 games, one point behind Chelsea, who will visit Brentford on Sunday. Everton is ranked 15th with 15 points.
Martin Odegaard missed two attempts from strong positions, while Gabriel Magalhaes, an Arsenal defender who had just recovered from a hamstring injury, made a spectacular block to thwart Abdoulaye Doucoure in an exciting opening at the Emirates Stadium.
In the first half, the city of Odegaard played a crucial part in Arsenal’s attack. Jordan Pickford saved the Norwegian midfielder’s deflected shot after Bukayo Saka played him in in the 29th minute. Before halftime, Pickford was tested again as Arsenal controlled the ball but lacked their typical vigor, requiring the England goalkeeper to make yet another fantastic save to keep Gabriel Martinelli out of the game from a close range.
Pickford scurried off his line to clear a poor backpass and save teammate Jarrad Branthwaite’s blushes as the home team became more aggressive after halftime and came dangerously close to scoring right away. After that, he quickly went down to stop Saka’s attempt.
Arteta made a pivotal decision shortly after the hour when his team failed to overcome a determined Everton. After making a double substitution with regulars Odegaard and Declan Rice, he added Jorginho and 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri. By swarming the north London squad everytime it approached the penalty area, Everton prevented it from scoring and ended their three-match losing streak against Arsenal.
A lengthy VAR review did not alter the referee’s decision, and the home team thought it had a penalty when Vitalii Mykolenko seemed to have fouled Thomas Partey with minutes left.Arsenal’s goalie, Raya, was not much disturbed by the visitors, but it will be pleased with its defensive effort, which earned it a point.
