Morning all.
I used to enjoy visiting Goodson Park, it was a proper old fashioned English football stadium and it reminded me of our beloved and much missed Highbury. I would get the coach up from Islington early in the morning, pick up a few fans on the way and eventually roll into Liverpool. I’d hang around close to the stadium before kick-off, mainly because there’s not a lot to see other than Coronation Street houses, and either look for a pub, a cafe or pop into the church hall adjoining the football ground for a sit-down, a nice cup of tea and a piece of delicious homemade cake whilst chatting to a local and then watch Arsenal invariably get a positive result.
But that was back in the days of Vieira and Petit and I’d not been up there for a while. Now Everton play at the oddly named Hill Dickinson Stadium situated in the Liverpool Docks. All shiny and new it reflected Everton’s ambition to become one of England’s top football clubs again. In David Moyes they have a trusted hand on the tiller and a manager well known and respected by Mikel Arteta. It was going to be a tough assignment with City now top of the Premier League and the ‘usual suspects’ in our discredited sports media sharpening their pencils in order to write about how Arsenal were bottling it once more. You know the form.
Arteta, fresh from a full weeks rest and critical work on the training ground went with his strongest squad available, the phoney war is over, its total football from now on! Players had to step up to the plate and deliver, no more taking a second touch, if the shot is on you take it and you take it early. No more faffing about in midfield, you make sure you find an Arsenal shirt with a pass and you are clinical in front of goal. Well that’s what my mind was telling me.
Arteta with his full-strength team, as strong as he could field, faced off against the home fans as they created a raucous atmosphere as the game kicked-off. Everton defender Keane fully embraced the atmosphere by going straight through the back of Gyokeres as the Swede attempted to turn as he received a pass and ended up on the deck but no free-kick. Welcome to Merseyside!
Everton looked sharper in the opening 15 minutes and offered a threat from a couple of corners, Raya being left in a heap on the floor during one of them. Arsenal by comparison were wasteful in possession and rarely threatened the Everton goal.
Finally around the 18th minute a slick piece of interplay ended with a Zubimendi shot but it sailed over the bar. At least the Gunners were getting up a head of steam and finally we enjoyed a piece of luck via VAR. On 23 a well driven corner into the box by Declan ‘old reliable’ Rice saw Calafiori rise to head the ball but instead the hands, both of them, of O’Brien knocked the ball away. After a VAR check the referee gave the only decision he could, penalty, and Viktor Gyokeres dispatched it 4 minutes after the actual handball offence with the minimum of fuss. He needed that and we all needed it.
From then on Arsenal began to look more confident, the passing became more sharp and incisive and but for a lunging block by Tarkowski on Gyokeres he might have doubled his tally following a penetrating pass into the Everton box. Calafiori went down with a head injury as the clock ticked into added time, fortunately he was ok then an overhit pass by Odegaard pushed Gyokeres wide in the dying moments and the Swedes cross was headed past the post. Half-time 0-1.
No changes by either side at half-time and after some initial sparring Trossard put Gyokeres free down the left flank, despite having two centre backs in front of him he drove for the goal and almost squeezed it through but the combined weight of Keane, Tarkowski and Pickford foiled him. Saka was having one of those games, nothing he tried came off but you never sub off Bakayo because he scores. On 52 some sloppy play in midfield saw the ball end up with Barry charging in onto our box, Zubimendi made a challenge just outside and as Barry exaggerated his fall, we got away with one. It wasn’t comfortable.
The home fans had woken up and Everton redoubled their efforts, aided and abetted by some nervous Arsenal defending. The spectre of Sunderland and Aston Villa cast a long shadow and I feared another episode as the clock ticked down. The game was suiting Everton, it was scrappy and Arsenal struggled to regain control, Rice was everywhere but he couldn’t do everything. Meanwhile Tarkowski continued to referee the referee and Moyes growled on the sidelines.
Clearing the ball seemed to be an increasingly difficult task for Arsenal and passing to a team mate seemed equally difficult as well. On 65 Arteta took Gyokeres off for Jesus but it didn’t change a lot and on 77 Martinelli replaced Trossard which also made a minimal difference. Trossard had earlier hit the post after great work by none other than Rice but Zubimendi and Odegaard just weren’t giving us the control we needed in midfield and with our defence creaking, you feared the worst every time the ball came into our box. Luckily Raya was on his game but this wasn’t the Arsenal we’d seen earlier in the season, this version was edgy and anxious.
Merino came on at 88 minutes for Odegaard and gave us a semblance of control but it was still all hands to the pump as the clock moved into added time and we started wasting it. To be fair Everton didn’t create any clear chances although there was a couple of penalty claims but Raya definitely deserved his clean sheet, although it wasn’t a stroll in Stanley Park.
Overall it wasn’t what we wanted to see but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I beholden 3 beautiful points and a clean sheet. Sometimes you have to get a scratchy win to rebuild confidence and this was all of that and more.
By comparison Crystal Palace, who we play on Tuesday, lost 4-1.
What City do is irrelevant, we have got to stop focusing on them and what they do and just keep chipping away because this is a long long hard season and the summer fatigue will eventually hit the 115 charges brigade.
We march on…
By Kev.
Morning Kev, all.
Good post Kev, thank you. I look forward to another winning one on Christmas Eve. 😜
Moyes’ approach to game seemed different to the first spell at Everton. Physical yes but they play differently I think. I thought we had lady luck on our side again, especially in our own box with the penalty shout but hey, it’s been a long time since we had a bit of luck. Not including the Wolves game of course.
Good morning Rico, Kev.
Fine up-summing Kev, I don’t think we got lucky with that late penalty call. If anything the Everton player clearly kicked Saliba not the other way round.
We are finally starting to play to Gyokeres’ strengths by passing to his feet for him to run.
A welcome three points and no obvious new injuries.
Morning Cicero, I thought it was the other way around but have only seen one replay. Don’t care now though as job done.
As you said yesterday though, can’t believe the ref missed the handball, it was so obvious.
Acle on the Bure, I’m pretty sure there’s a marina there, as it rings a bell from a past holiday on the Broads, great fun until you need a pump out…
Morning Rico and thanks, tbh I missed the penalty in real time and the Arsenal players didn’t appeal strongly either, so I was surprised to see how blatant it was on replay, glad of VAR though.
I agree Cicero, I thought we started looking for the runs of Viktor more and Gyokeres certainly draws the opposition defenders to him. Jesus didn’t have the same affect although I was pleased to see him playing again, I hope he gets the start against Palace on Tuesday.
Perhaps the referee was more interested in the pushing and shoving in the box Kev. Or not. Lol
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Havertz and Gabriel on the bench v Palace. Wouldn’t it be something new to go into the new year with a fully fit squad?
Also, if Viktor is on the pitch, there should be no debate over who takes a penalty imo. He just blasts it which I much prefer seeing than all the stuttering run ups..
Tbh Rico I think that referees/VAR have just given up on the holding, pushing, shirt pulling, forearm smashes that go on in the box during set pieces, there’s probably a dozen fouls all happening at the same time, so how on earth do you decide? Therefore unless it’s a really obvious offence the officials just let it go and nobody even appeals anymore.
Maybe they’ll just take turns at penalty kicks Rico, unfortunately we don’t get enough of them.
Other than at set pieces you’re only likely to get penalties if you are in the box with the ball at your feet. That’s what Saka and Odegaard need to do more of.
Yet pre season, Webb made a big deal of it Kev. The pgmol make it up as they go along I’m sure.
Be more Dowman…
Yep, so long as he doesn’t get a rep as a diver.
Good report Kev, afternoon all. I too was surprised that half the Arsenal players turned and ran back, the others seemed half hearted with the appeal. Thought should have been a further pen for each side, so evened out. Which is rare for us. But compared to Chelsea, aren’t we doing well this season in the red card situation. Haven’t given refs much chance to pick on us. Mind you, thought the ref was going to take a quick journey to Specsavers before giving the clear two-hands handball!
We were fortunate not to have been penalized with a penalty. Interestingly, in previous years we’ve reached Christmas in 1st place with the final result that everyone knows. Let’s hope this year is different.
Good afternoon Rico and all
Just finished reading today’s match report by Kev plus the last two posts by Rico…good reads both plus good comments as well.
A good three points toyesterday day, but we’re really making hard work of things. The midfield really needs to step up and start scoring it’s making life difficult for Mikel he can’t take anyone of for a rest. Just less than a handful of shots on target that’s appalling by anyone’s standards and following Wolves debacle last week we can say that it was a solid display, However, the overall shape upfront just isn’t working at the moment, so Mikel needs to work on that. We hit the post twice had a goal cleared off the line. The scoreline does not reflect the game, we lost here last season so another 3 points we collected we did not have last season. At the end of the day I’ll take 1-0 wins until end of season it’s about winning games not how many shots, or how well you’ve played that wins trophy’s.
We played better yesterday than we did against Wolves. Hiotting the posts twice and having more possession and chances saw to that. We just need to convert more. I am far more relaxed with yesterday’s win than the one we saw against Wolves.
A clean sheet is great every day.
No5 even Arteta has had a red card Andrew. Lol
I still can’t fathom out why Gyokeres has to make way every time. He is our first line of defence and occupies more than one defender, yet he gets hauled off every time for someone….in the last two games it was Jesus. I have nothing against Jesus, but in the last two games he dropped into midfield too often to receive the ball, which blunted the attack, as he was rarely the final outlet. As a result, the wingers were frequently left isolated, questioning the purpose of the substitution,
Gyokeres is a much better option for the lead striking role. He wouldn’t come to help midfield when ball was in opponents hands but stays as a spearhead occupying defenders who cannot afford to push forward. Gyokeres is still rusty with the team and this needs to get better and be worked on. I dtill think that he shouldnt be subbed. Only for Havertz when he returns. But definetely not for Jesus or anyone else.
The last 4 times we were top on Christmas we ended up not winning the league. Fingers crossed we break this trend this season.
Thanks Andrew, my son texted me earlier about Ayden Heaven playing for Man Utd and he’s doing ok but he’s not as good as Hincapie or Mosquera and therefore if he’d stayed he would have been 5th choice, my only regret is we didn’t get much of a fee for him.
Afternoon Devil, I agree. Unless his fitness levels aren’t yet 100%.
Arsenal were top at Christmas 1947 and won the league in 47/48 so don’t listen to the media doomers, we’re doing ok
Regarding Gyokeres, just be happy we didn’t sign Sesko…
I am more than happy with Gyokeres….I banged the drum for him waaaayyy loooooonggggg before anyone else.
Gyokeres will come good I’m sure, or rather the other players will get used to him more.
I think Gyokeres is still being nursed back to full fitness. Jesus is in the same situation but a little way behind so he needs minutes so swapping them makes perfect sense.
Second half of the season I reckon he’ll pick up..
New post up.