Premier League – Arsenal lose to Everton (2-1) and sink into crisis

The Toffees go on and find themselves in ambush. The Everton players dominated Arsenal on Saturday as part of the 14th day of the Premier League (2-1) and thus temporarily seize 2nd place in the standings. After beating Chelsea (1-0) and Leicester (0-2), they signed a nice series of successes. Quite the opposite of Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, now defeated in four of their last five league outings. The Londoners remain fifteenth and their coach a little more threatened.

Masters of the ball against the very cautious Gunners, the Toffees were long overdue in initiating the first so that their central defender Michael Keane had to unleash a long shot that went over the target to shake it all (15th). Ancelotti’s men, however, showed realism by opening the scoring on their first offensive built with a header in the race of Dominic Calvert-Lewin on a cross from Alex Iwobi that the hapless Rob Holding extended in Bernd’s cage Leno (1-0, 22nd). The London captain imitated his current coach who was the last Arsenal player to score an own goal against Everton in 2014.

This mishap did not however prevent the visitors to react and if Eddie Nketiah badly negotiated a golden opportunity by shooting to the right of the target (25th), Ainsley Maitland-Niles fought for a penalty. Nicolas Pépé transformed him and Arsenal quickly equalized (1-1, 35th). Except that the Gunners did not go the distance and again cracked on a header from Yerry Mina after a corner from Gylfi Sigurdsson (2-1, 45 ‘). The Colombian central defender is unique in having scored his last four Premier League goals just before the break.

This has done good to Arsenal players who returned to the field with more desire and percussion despite the absence of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, affected by a calf. If David Luiz found the post on a crossover following a corner (54th), they still lacked offensive power like the frail Nketiah who did not weigh on the opposing defense. Willian, him, remained invisible again.

Arteta made up his mind to launch Gabriel Martinelli, back from a serious injury (71st) then Alexandre Lacazette (76th) but his men failed to snatch the draw in the last quarter of an hour when they pushed strong without however managing to worry folded Toffees. A year after the arrival of Arteta on the bench, Arsenal decidedly not there and the next receptions of Manchester City in the League Cup and Chelsea in the league do not inspire optimism.