It was therefore necessary to wait 45 minutes to see an interesting, lively and rhythmic game of football between Everton and Arsenal on Monday, to close the 15th day of the Premier League. If the Gunners of Mikel Arteta, deprived of his top scorer Emile Smith Rowe for this match, leave empty-handed from Goodison Park (1-2), the bill could have been much higher against the Toffees of Rafael Benitez, forced him to compose without Lucas Digne and Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Because the video assistance to the refereeing, which refused two goals to Richarlison for a history of centimeters, still risks to make speak about it among our English neighbors.
During a soporific and overall disappointing first act, neither team managed to pack the match. But Arsenal returned to the locker room thanks to a high-class volley from Martin Odegaard, on a caviar distilled by Kieran Tierney (0-1, 45th + 2), back in the starting XI, to the detriment of Nuno Tavares, just like Granit Xhaka, back from injury earlier than expected. And this while Everton had just seen Mike Dean refuse a first goal to Richarlison after intervention of the VAR (44th). The Gunners initially got their foot on the ball without being dangerous, before stepping back and giving Everton more opportunities to express themselves. But, on both sides, the players were too timid in their intentions, like Demaray Gray (13th, 27th) or even Abdoulaye Doucouré (25th).
Richarlison rewarded, Gray too
The break will therefore have done the 22 actors the greatest good, returned to the break with much better intentions. But as in the first period, Arsenal, initially more offensive and enterprising (55th), failed to make the break, showing too much clumsiness in the last meters. Preferred to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (came into play in the 85th minute) at the forefront of the Gunners’ attack, Alexandre Lacazette had trouble being found and failed to create danger. Except that Everton, under the impetus of an Abdoulaye Doucouré in legs, for his part multiplied the offensives to stop his series of 3 consecutive defeats in the league. And by dint of retreating too much, Arsenal was logically punished.
If the Brazilian striker of the Mersey club, well served by the French midfielder, was once again frustrated by the VAR (57th), he was able to exult by victoriously resuming a strike from the very moving Demarai Gray’s head. being crushed on a bar (1-1, 80th). The players of the club of the English capital could have made a hold-up if Eddie Nketiah had not missed a ready goal, sending his head on the post a few centimeters from the goal of Jordan Pickford (84th), or even without a rescue of Seamus Coleman ahead of Martin Odegaard (90th + 1).
But Gray finally offered the first victory since September 25 to his family with a superb strike deceiving Aaron Ramsdale using the post (2-1, 90th + 2). The missed opportunities of Alex Iwobi against Ramsdale (90th + 6) but especially of PEA, in the very last seconds (90th + 7), did not change anything at the end of this game. Thanks to this success, Everton goes back to 12th place and above all ends a series of 8 games without winning in the Premier League. Arsenal, defeated for the 3rd time in their last 4 outings in the league, is ejected from the top 5. Arteta will have to re-mobilize his captain and his family, too rough against Everton.
