Josiah
Arsenal climbed to fourth place in the Premier League standings with their second away victory of the season, defeating a resilient Everton at Goodison Park thanks to Leandro Trossard’s well-executed strike in the second half.
In a game that lacked inspiration for the most part, Arsenal struggled to find the breakthrough despite their dominance. The turning point came in the 21st minute when Gabriel Martinelli’s composed finish was disallowed due to VAR ruling Eddie Nketiah offside in the build-up.
Everton appeared content to settle for a draw that would have lifted them out of the relegation zone. Their goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, made a crucial save from Martin Odegaard’s powerful shot early in the second half. Meanwhile, David Raya, who replaced Aaron Ramsdale in goal for Arsenal, had little to worry about.
Raya’s unexpected start marked the first time since March 2022 that an Arsenal goalkeeper other than Ramsdale had been in the lineup, with Bernd Leno having played against Aston Villa.
In the first 30 minutes, Sean Dyche’s side struggled to gain any possession in Arsenal’s penalty area. They had a penalty appeal from Abdoulaye Doucoure turned down when they finally ventured into the box.
Striker Beto made his home debut for Everton, having arrived from Udinese for a reported £30 million in August. Dominic Calvert-Lewin also returned to action for Everton in the second half, making his first appearance since August 20.
Everton, currently third from the bottom, will be seeking their first win of the season in their next match against Brentford, who are currently in tenth place.
Arsenal, on the other hand, will be making their return to the Champions League after a seven-year absence when they host PSV Eindhoven in the group stage. Following that, they will face Tottenham in the highly anticipated North London derby.
Source: Omanghana.com
