match report – player ratings – arteta reaction – Video
For most of the first half I had some kind of low level anxiety. After the draws against Newcastle and Brentford, and the defeat against Man City, it seemed that there was nervousness at home. It didn’t help that Everton were stubborn and organized again, making it very difficult for us to find our way and create chances.
Just like the game at Goodison Park, we weren’t at our best, and it was hard to see where the breakthrough would come from. Then, in the 40th minute, Oleksandr Zinchenko ran the ball down the right side of midfield (something of a left-back this guy, huh?), Gabriel Martinelli took it away (something of a left-back this guy, huh?), He played it to Ben White who played it back to the Ukrainian who then played a perfect through ball for Bukayo Saka.
There was still so much to do, but oh how he did it! He turned, took a touch with his left foot to bring the ball to his right and then fired a sensational shot past Jordan Pickford at his near post. Forget the typical criticism of how you shouldn’t beat a goalkeeper there – it was all about shooting power and accuracy. He whispered the roof of the net, and Arsenal went ahead. A moment of inspiration from our Academy jewel, and he did not stop there.
When Idrissa Gueye inexplicably dawdled with the ball, Saka was alert, moving the ball away from him and into the path of Martinelli, who spiked to make it 2-0. Except that the offside flag was raised. The VAR passed, the lines did their job, the goal held firm and we took a solid, if not entirely comfortable, lead at half-time.
I was hoping those goals could help take some of our nervousness off us, and I think they did. The second half performance was outstanding. Collectively we played much better, and the introduction of Thomas Partey by Jorginho was also a factor. The Italy international had been a bit off pace, Arteta later saying he wasn’t feeling well, which would explain how erratic his passing was at times, because that’s usually the best part of his game.
Partey’s presence in the middle helped us move the ball faster through tight areas, making life difficult for Everton, who ended up more stretched out than in the first half. Jorginho made 39 passes with a success rate of 84.6%; in the end, Partey had made 60 with 93.3%. That made a world of difference in a game where those half seconds you gain with faster movement allow you to find men in more space.
It wasn’t one-way traffic, Aaron Ramsdale had to make a good save at one point, and there were a couple of typical Dychian yellow cards for Everton. Godfrey was a bit lucky to get booked for digging the studs into Trossard’s leg, but I guess the Belgian should be thankful he didn’t get his face stamped.
In the 70th minute, Granit Xhaka released Trossard into the space where a right-back should have been, stepped into the box, flicked it back for Odegaard and it was 3-0. I have to say that I loved this finish. A textbook example of letting the pace of the ball do the work, and he guided the ball home with his right foot to make it 3-0.
Arteta made changes, bringing in Eddie for Trossard and Fabio Vieira for Xhaka. The local fans went crazy over the OLEs! – as much as I was confident that we would win, I still find myself nervous when that happens. Maybe it’s just me though, we seemed more capable of scoring more than Everton to get something back. Eddie had a chance saved and Vieira missed the rebound. Pickford did very well getting his tiny arms into a low cross, but then there’s a goal worth talking about.
When the ball was released in midfield, Odegaard did something I had never seen before: a combination of a sliding tackle and a back heel strike to regain possession. Credit here to one of our Patreon members, robotn, who posted on Discord:
A little fun fact: after we win the ball from Ode’s Cruyff sliding tackle, we don’t turn the ball over and make 19 passes before Martinelli makes it 4-0 1 minute 10 seconds later and all outfield players, except Big Gabi, they touch the ball.
It’s lovely to see him back in the cold light of day, knowing this is what’s going to happen as Odegaard beats Alex Iwobi in midfield. In the final phase, Eddie’s movement is really sharp, Zinchenko’s pass finds him well and his low cross allows Martinelli to spike between Pickford’s legs. On my stream, Peter Drury in a commentary exclaimed, “Now there’s magnificent swagger at Arsenal,” and that fourth goal felt like the icing on the performance cake we needed.
Also look in the dying moments of stoppage time when Ramsdale make two excellent saves to secure their 11th clean sheet of the season, it’s Martinelli back defending, the last man to kick the ball clear. He resembled the ‘Red Arrows’ in the Leicester game, but in the 94th minute.
We also got to see a few minutes from Emile Smith Rowe, useful for him and us as we look to rebuild him to fitness, and after a disappointing result against the same opposition just a few weeks ago, we took a measure of revenge on a bit style, we won our game in the hand and came out five points ahead.
Subsequently, Mikel Arteta spoke of his team in glowing terms:
When you look at them every day, you feel how much they want it, how much they really want to produce what we ask them to do, and how much they want to please our people. I had no doubt that we were going to change things in the performances and the results in the small details that make you win or not win, but I am very happy with how the team is at the moment.
The goals came from family sources. Martinelli is at 11 and Saka is now 10th in the Premier League, with Odegaard just behind him at 9. In the absence of Gabriel Jesus, our center forward and one of our best players until he got injured, his contributions have been absolutely vital. The captain has taken a step forward in terms of goalscoring, having been the subject of some criticism in the past for his shot; Martinelli is realizing his potential before our very eyes; And what else can be said about Saka?
In addition to his 10 goals this season, he also has 9 assists in the Premier League (plus one goal in the Europa League). Don’t give him an old pen to sign the new contract, take him in a gold-plated carriage and give him one of those most precious writing implements, the one with four colors to choose from. There can be no greater recognition of his talent.
Ahead of a home game against Bournemouth this weekend, a team that will try to deny us space like Everton did, this performance and result will be extremely important. We know we have the tools to cope, we know we have the quality to overcome discipline and organization, and we have the players who can score the goals we need. Overall a very good night.
Except for Neal Maupay.
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Right, that’s all for now. We don’t have an Arsecast Extra this morning, but we’ll do a post-game podcast for you today. I should be out before lunch.
Until then.
