Arsenal 4-0 Everton (Saka 40′, Martinelli 45′, 80′, Odegaard 71′)
EMIRATES STADIUM — After two nerve-shredding victories on the road, an evening of complete comfort for Arsenal in north London.
Goals from their three main attackers Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli (2) and Martin Odegaard ensured a comfortable win against an Everton side that has much work to do to avoid slipping into the second-tier. Questions over the Premier League leader’s mentality after a demoralising home defeat against Manchester City a fortnight ago have been emphatically answered.
Everton failed to capitalise upon a ponderous Arsenal start and were punished ruthlessly. Saka lashed the Gunners in front with a fine finish on his weaker right foot, before toe-poking the ball into Martinelli’s path to double the lead after dispossessing a hopelessly sloppy Idrissa Gueye. The Senegalese midfielder was taken off by Sean Dyche at half-time as an act of punishment, although given the circumstances he may interpret it as an act of mercy.
Evidence of Saka’s evolution can be found in the numbers: he has directly contributed towards 19 league goals this season (10 goals, nine assists), one more than his previous best set in 2021-22. Saka is the youngest player to reach a half-century of goals and assists in the Premier League since Cesc Fabregas and may well go one better than the Spaniard by driving the Gunners to the title. Martinelli’s strike also took him to 10 for the campaign; no other side has two players in the double-digit club. He didn’t have to wait long for his 11th.
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Those quickfire goals on the stroke of half-time completely extinguished any prospect of a shock result. The second half resembled an attack vs defence training session, Arsenal occupying themselves in Everton’s half and peppering Jordan Pickford with shots.
Dwight McNeil drew a good stop from Aaron Ramsdale but otherwise, it was one-way traffic and Arsenal eventually settled the contest once and for all when Leandro Trossard teed up Odegaard to rattle in a third, before Martinelli notched his second of the game with a neat finish at the near post from substitute Eddie Nketiah’s cut-back. The Brazilian’s brief dry spell is now well and truly over.
There was further good news for the Gunners as Thomas Partey stepped up his fitness with a 45-minute run-out, replacing Jorginho at the break and the popular Emile Smith Rowe given a rapturous welcome as he got some welcome minutes into his legs after an injury-ravaged campaign.
Player ratings
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale 7; White 7, Saliba 7, Gabriel 7, Zinchenko 7; Jorginho 6, Xhaka 6; Saka 8, Odegaard 8, Martinelli 9; Trossard 7
Subs: Partey 7, Nketiah 7, Vieira 6, Tierney N/A, Smith Rowe N/A
Everton (4-5-1): Pickford 6; Coleman 5, Keane 5, Tarkowski 6, Mykolenko 5; Iwobi 6, Doucoure 6, Gueye 4, Onana 5, McNeil 6; Maupay 5
Subs: Holgate 5, Godfrey 6, Gray 6, Davies 6
Even despite a heavy, dispiriting loss, you sense that Everton have a greater chance of staying up with Dyche in charge than Frank Lampard. The Toffees did an admirable containment job on their hosts, restricting them to just one shot in the opening 39 minutes and even threatened on the counter.
But it is painfully obvious what their major weakness is: not signing another striker in January was a dereliction of duty that could result in relegation. Everton’s starting XI at the Emirates has a combined seven league goals between them, while their joint-leading scorers – Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray – are either now at Newcastle or yet to start a game under Dyche. Neal Maupay’s drought now extends to 18 matches. It’s a long route to goal when your main playmaker is Pickford.
Arsenal have carried an aura of inevitability throughout the campaign, but allowed that to slip during a disappointing second half performance against Manchester City on their last league outing at the Emirates. Since then, they have bounced back with three wins out of three, showing gritty determination away and a confident swagger at home. As if the chasing pack were not already aware, they will take some beating.
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