Arsenal turned up the heat against Everton this evening, swatting aside the uninspiring Toffees 4-0 to establish a five-point lead at the summit of the Premier League.
Having suffered a 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture, Mikel Arteta’s side were itching to set the record straight, and they did so in an emphatic fashion.
Everton had recorded just one victory in their last 26 visits to the Emirates Stadium, and they were out to end that abysmal record.
Sean Dyche’s men set up to deny the Gunners while looking to catch them on the break, and they looked threatening early on but ultimately failed to fashion any real clear-cut chances.
Everton’s defensive-minded setup worked a treat until the 40th minute when Oleksandr Zinchenko slipped in Bukayo Saka, who hammered in the opener with his right foot from a tight angle.
Arsenal extended their lead on the stroke of half-time. Idrissa Gueye dallied on the ball on the edge of the 18-yard box, allowing Saka to knick the ball and play in Gabriel Martinelli, who made no mistake slotting past Jordan Pickford.
The Gunners had established a two-goal lead before the break, yet they came out firing on all cylinders, and Martin Odegaard put them 3-0 up in the 71st minute.
Leandro Trossard made a surging run, and his incisive pass found Odegaard in the middle, who finished with aplomb.
Eddie Nketiah, who started on the bench, made an immediate impact after his introduction. He broke free on the left to cross for Martinelli, who poked home his second and Arsenal’s fourth.
Sean Dyche’s honeymoon period at Everton seems to have ended, with the club returning to the drop zone, having now lost two games in a row.
It was a humiliating defeat for the Toffees but a morale-boosting one for Arsenal, who became the first team in English top-flight history to register 100 wins against a single opponent.
Arsenal
Aaron Ramsdale (7/10) – Was good value for his clean sheet. Forced into a couple of saves during the game but came out strong.
Ben White (6/10) – Defended well but contributed little going forward.
William Saliba (7/10) – Another strong performance from the young Frenchman.
Gabriel Magalhaes (7/10) – Made a really important intervention early on and played a pivotal part in his side’s clean sheet.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (8/10) – A top performance from the Ukrainian defender. Showed excellent vision to set up Saka’s opener. Was also heavily involved in the build-up to the fourth.
Martin Odegaard (8/10) – Had a slow start to the game but burst into life in the second period and was rewarded with a goal.
Jorginho (6/10) – Nothing spectacular from the former Chelsea man. Was replaced at halftime by the returning Thomas Partey.
Granit Xhaka (7/10) – Was the more agile one in the midfield pairing with Jorginho and delivered a top performance.
Bukayo Saka (9/10 *MOTM*) – A thorn to the Everton backline tonight. Arguably the most in-form winger in the Premier League this term, and his class was on show once again with a goal and an assist.
Leandro Trossard (7/10) – Another one who had a slow start to the game but slowly grew into it while deployed in the false nine role. Provided a decent assist for the third goal.
Gabriel Martinelli (8/10) – After experiencing a somewhat patchy period, the dazzling Brazilian is back to his best. Scored twice and looked dangerous for large parts of the game.
Substitutes
Thomas Partey (7/10)
Eddie Nketiah (7/10)
Fabio Vieira (5/10)
Emile Smith Rowe (NA/10)
Kieran Tierney (NA/10)
Everton
Jordan Pickford (5/10) – Poor by his standards, but the defenders did not do much to protect him.
Seamus Coleman (4/10) – Struggled to keep tabs on Martinelli throughout the game.
Michael Keane (4/10) – Was the weak link at centre-back. A poor display from the Englishman.
James Tarkowski (6/10) – Put in a strong display and deserved more cover from his centre-back partner.
Vitalii Mykolenko (4/10) – Should shoulder some of the blame for Saka’s first goal. Struggled to contain Saka all game.
Alex Iwobi (5/10) – Failed to gain a foothold in midfield. Was virtually anonymous.
Amadou Onana (5/10) – Missing in action.
Idrissa Gueye (4/10) – Capped a poor first-half showing with an error leading to goal. Was replaced for the second half.
Abdoulaye Doucoure (5/10) – Did not offer much both in attack and defence.
Dwight McNeil (5/10) – Should have converted one of the few chances Everton got.
Neal Maupay (6/10) – Made himself a menace and had a few chances to score despite being starved of service.
Substitutes
Mason Holgate (5/10)
Ben Godfrey (5/10)
Demarai Gray (5/10)
Tom Davies (5/10)
