LONDON – Arsenal were five points clear of Premier League leaders on Wednesday in a 4-0 win over Everton.
Sean Dyche’s side, who won the reverse leg just over three weeks ago, upset the Gunners by 40 minutes before a quick double between Bukayo Sack and Gabriel Martinelli allowed the hosts to take control.
Captain Martin Odegaard took third in the 71st minute before Martinelli added fourth at the end as Arsenal went through the second half to establish a clear summit lead over Manchester City.
Fast reaction
1. Arsenal lead the title race
It was a highly anticipated game for Arsenal, one of ten Premier League matches postponed in September due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. The prize was clear: open up a five-point lead to put pressure on Manchester City again in the title race.
Initially, Everton upset the Gunners, but what will please Mikel Arteta the most is how they continued to play their football and won this game, like so many until Wednesday. Oleksandr Zinchenko’s regular forays from left-back into midfield have been a key factor in Arsenal’s campaign to date, with the Ukrainian’s exit in the 40th minute creating an overload when he could pass a pass to Bukayo Saka to convert the first. The second showed the kind of youthful dynamism that has typified their season so far, and after the break they turned what could have been a busy evening into a gallop in which fans cheered every pass and sang about being the best in the league.
If Manchester City thought their win here two weeks ago would drive their title rivals crazy, then Arsenal have given them the most emphatic answer.
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2. Saka and Martinelli turn the style back on
The kids are really fine. Bukayo Saka became Arsenal’s second-youngest player after Cesc Fàbregas, who scored 50 Premier League goals on Wednesday. With Gabriel Martinelli joining Saka and scoring his tenth league goal of the season, Arsenal became the only club to have two players clear the milestone this season. No other player under the age of 22 has scored more than five goals in the Premier League.
One of the biggest questions about the Gunners’ ability to keep pace in the title race is whether their attacking players can maintain the kind of productive form that propelled them to the top of the table, especially in the absence of Gabriel Jesus. .
Saka, Martinelli and Martin Odegaard, who scored his first goal since 15 January, were again in great shape. The addition of Leandro Trossar in January gave Martinelli a breather that seems very timely given his return to form. Serious problems remain, but Arsenal have every chance of success if their young players continue to play with the same zeal.
3. Everton’s lack of goals is Dyche’s biggest problem
Everton fought well here for 40 minutes, leveling against Arsenal’s three-man midfield, which created a kind of staccato aimed at breaking the home team’s rhythm. But from the moment they fell behind, the lack of a scoring threat became painfully obvious to everyone. Everton have scored the fewest goals in the Premier League (17) and it’s hard to see that record improve noticeably until Dominic Calvert-Lewin returns from a hamstring injury.
However, Dyche has yet to specify a timeline for his return, and his biggest headache will be balancing Everton’s greater defensive resilience with a constant threat in the final third. Neil Maupe was ineffective for extended periods, and with only teenage Ellis Simms the recognized bench hitter, Dyche opted to play Demarai Gray at center for the last half hour to little effect.
Having started his reign last month with a 1-0 win over Arsenal, Dyche has energized a scattered group, but their survival hopes appear to be based on achieving close results.
Best and Worst Performers
BEST: Bukayo Saka, FW, Arsenal.
Continues to hold Arsenal’s league title through a combination of creativity, end product and relentless speed.
BEST: Gabriel Martinelli, FW, Arsenal.
Another fine evening for the Brazilian who put his recent slump in form behind him by scoring the winning goal at Leicester City last weekend and now two more here.
BEST: Oleksandr Zinchenko, DF, Arsenal.
Has a huge impact in this type of match, helping Arsenal break the opposition by moving into midfield.
WORST: Neil Maupay, FW, Everton.
After Aaron Ramsdale hit an early shot, Mope remained anonymous and looked exhausted when he was substituted after just 61 minutes.
WORST: Seamus Coleman, defender, Everton.
Couldn’t handle Martinelli and was off pace in everything.
WORST: Amadou Onana, midfielder, Everton.
Won just 38.5% of his duels and failed to stem the tide as Arsenal dominated the second half.
Highlights and Notable Moments
Bukayo Saka’s goal before half-time shattered what had been Everton’s solid defence. It’s hard to stop that shot from that angle.
What a shot! What a goal for Arsenal! 😱
📺 @USANetwork | #ARSEVpic.twitter.com/ZkDm6Vw8v1
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) March 1, 2023
After the match: what coaches and players said
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta on the result: “As soon as we scored the first goal, the game opened. We needed a magical moment and Bukayo created it. After that, we grew up and deserved to win.”
Everton manager Sam Dyche on the relegation battle: “We’re not being naive. When I came in, I knew things weren’t going to be so rosy. I have a lot of work to do, I know that. Every game is a big time. I’ve talked about it to the players millions of miles from previous performances.”
Key statistics (provided by Sportzshala Stats & Information research)
– Bukayo Saka is the first Arsenal player to score 10 goals in the Premier League before he turned 22. Other Premier League players who have done so are Robbie Fowler (4 times), Michael Owen (4 times), Wayne Rooney (3 times), Chris Sutton (2 times), Emile Heskey (2 times), Romelu Lukaku (2 times) and Dele Alli (2 times).
– Saka and Gabriel Martinelli (both 21) have scored 10 goals in the Premier League this season. No other player under 22 has scored more than five goals in the Premier League this season.
– Saka became the sixth youngest player in Premier League history to score 50 goals plus assists, after Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Robbie Fowler, Cesc Fabregas and Chris Sutton.
Next
Arsenal: On Saturday we will host Bournemouth and then on March 9th we will travel to Lisbon to play against Sporting CP in the Europa League Round of 16.
Everton: Drive to Nottingham Forest on Sunday and then return to Goodison Park on March 11th to greet Brentford.
Source: www.espn.com
