Everton completely outplayed Arsenal to give their chances of a top-four finish a massive boost
In pictures: the best images from Everton's victory
3.26pm BST
What a game that was and what a win for Everton. From start to finish, they completely outplayed Arsenal and deserved their win. There is still a bit of the season to play yet but with this momentum behind them it would be very hard to bet against them earning themselves a Champions League spot. Arsenal were terrible, absolutely terrible. Thanks for all the emails and tweets and opinions. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday. Bye!
AS IT STANDS: 4 - Arsenal P33 Pts 64 GD +16, 5 - Everton P32 Pts 63 GD +21
3.22pm BST
Game over. Race for the Champions League on.
3.21pm BST
90 + 2 mins "Given Arsenal havent wont anything for quite sometime," says Mark Judd, "Im thinking this long-term thinking idea put forward by Jack Coleman is not exactly working out."
3.19pm BST
90 mins There will be three more minutes of play. Arteta's afternoon has just got worse. He has picked up a yellow card for mouthing off to the referee after some handbags with Barkley.
3.18pm BST
89 mins Some housekeeping. Deulofeu has come on for Lukaku.
3.17pm BST
88 mins More good work from Oxlade-Chamberlain. Once against he cuts inside from the left but this time the Everton defence are alive to the danger and they snuff out his shot. Arsenal get a corner. Nothing comes of it.
3.15pm BST
86 mins Arsenal finally do something up front. Oxlade-Chamberlain gets the ball wide on the left. He cuts inside, the Everton defence give him some space and he cracks a shot off the Everton bar. The replay shows Howard got a touch to it so it is a corner to Arsenal. They do nothing with it.
3.14pm BST
84 mins Judging from the emails landing in my inbox, Jack Coleman is one of the few who does not want Wenger to go. "Wenger's greatest asset has always been that he's a long-term thinker in a world of short termism, case in point Aaron Ramsey or the building of the Emirates. I firmly believe he has guided us through years of great financial worry for the club to the champions league year after year with title challenges to come in the future. Every manager has their faults, to say Everton have been revitalised is a little churlish, Martinez hasn't finished his first season there and their best player is a loan signing. Wenger's always looking at the bigger picture which sometimes alienates him from the traditional football viewpoint but I'm behind him all the way."
3.11pm BST
81 mins McGeady gets the on the ball right away and like Coleman a few minutes ago, bamboozles an Arsenal player with a neat bit of skill. He turns Mertesacker, I think, on the edge of the box and chips a cross into the box. There is no Everton player there to finish it off however.
3.09pm BST
80 mins Off goes Naismith who has been pretty good today and on comes McGeady, who was pretty good last week.
3.08pm BST
79 mins The life has really gone out of this game now. Everton know they have won and Arsenal now they have been beaten. With that in mind, why not amuse yourselves with these tasty pictures lovingly arranged by the Guardian Sports desk's resident hispter, Jonny Weeks?
3.05pm BST
76 mins "Another useless performance against a rival," spits Tomas. "Getting to be a habit. Who's fault is it? As much as it hurts me to say it, maybe Arsene's time is up ..."
3.03pm BST
73 mins Coleman has just pulled off some Ronaldinho type skill on the sideline. Sublime stuff from the Irishman.
3.01pm BST
71 mins Seems Giroud was on the pitch after all. He has just been replaced by Sanogo. Corner to Everton. Mirallas takes but Sagna heads it away. Distin, I think, sends a long ball back in and Stones, using his head, sends it across the goal. Lukaku powers a headed effort at Szczesny who does well to save it with one hand from close range. It wouldn't have counted, however, as Stones was deemed to be offside.
2.58pm BST
70 mins "Three-nil now and Arsenal cant even take refuge in the exceptional quality of the team beating them," reckons Charles Antaki. "Certainly Everton are a well-organised, fluid and confident side but those qualities are not irresistible. Something has eaten away at the core of Arsenals play - a process accelerated by the injuries to major figures - and without (as seems likely) a Champions League place ext year they will be hard-pressed to attract the players to solve the problem. Sadly, it may be time for the manager to go. His ideal replacement? Currently in charge of the team in blue."
2.56pm BST
67 mins Back to that third goal. Apparently, it was Arteta who got the last touch.
2.55pm BST
65 mins Arsenal would want to start digging with their knees here because they need a miracle and quick. Before Wenger gets to doing that, he throws on a couple of subs. Off goes Podolski and Flamini and on comes Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ramsey. (Is it worth rushing him back for this match? He has only had two training sessions recently.)
2.53pm BST
This is brilliant from Mirallas. Wide on the right, near the half-way line, he sees that Sagna is having a Sunday stroll with the ball, the newspaper and some sort of ice-cream cone. He muscles the defender off the ball and sprints towards the Everton goal. He slides the ball into Naismith in the box and continues his run. Naismith's effort is smothered by Szczesny but the ball squirts out to Mirallas. He is surrounded by Arsenal players but he tries to poke the ball towards the net. Arteta, however, gets there before him and ensures it crosses the line.
2.49pm BST
Game over?
2.49pm BST
59 mins Everton attack but Arsenal push them back and Lukaku, looking to play in Coleman, puts the ball out of the play. Vermaelen is feeling generous though and tries to play Lukaku in on goal. Arsenal eventually scramble the ball to safety.
2.46pm BST
57 mins "If were talking about if Wenger should go or not," says Rajiv, "I think it comes down to whether theres a manager available who can do a better job than him. Arsenal need only look over at Man Utd to see how bad things can go." Jürgen Klopp? He looks to have taken Dortmund as far as he can and, despite that shiny new contract, he may fancy a trip abroad.
2.44pm BST
55 mins In separate incidents, Mirallas and then Stones dawdle on the ball too long in very dangerous positions and almost gift Arsenal a goal. It was sloppy play from both players that will have Marínez's beat-box going like the clappers.
2.42pm BST
53 mins A few moments ago Arsenal thought they had a penalty but now it is Everton's after to claim for one after Naismith is man-handled to the ground by Vermaelen. Neither claims are strong enough to keep Atkinson's attention for more than a millisecond.
2.40pm BST
51 mins Podolski is sent sprinting down the right. He looks to have the Everton half all to himself but out of nowhere comes speedy Stones. His tackles stops the German and wins his side a goalkick. Stones, in case you haven't noticed, has been excellent these last few games.
2.38pm BST
49 mins This is better from Arsenal. Rosicky picked the ball up in the middle and strode forward. He picked out Podolski inside him and he sent the ball out wide to Monreal. His cross to the back post is dangerous but no one is there to get their head on it. Is Giroud still on the pitch?
2.36pm BST
48 mins Arsenal pass it about some but fail to do anything that troubles the Everton defence. So far, it looks like Rosicky will play slightly higher up the pitch than he did in the first half.
2.34pm BST
46 mins Just in case you were wondering ...
2 - Arsenal last won a Premier League game after being 2-0 down at half-time back in March 2008 (away at Bolton). Precedent.
2.33pm BST
45 mins We're back. And we're back with the thoughts of David Wall. He says:
"Even more that previous seasons, and failures to win trophies, would this seasons count as perhaps the worst of the lot for Wenger (perhaps even if they do make fourth, but especially if they don't)? Given the upheaval with changes of manager at City, Chelsea, United, and Everton, the enormous overhaul of personnel at Spurs, and Liverpool coming from so far back the previous season, this was surely Arsenal's best opportunity for a long time to win the title, let alone a cup. And if you add to that the fact that they aren't subject to financial constraints as in previous seasons and, despite the early season excellent form it would barely even be much of an achievement to not even get one of the automatic CL places (but have to go through the play-offs again). Sadly it was all too predictable. Do you think that Arsenal are going to get as good a chance again while Wenger is still the manager?"
2.17pm BST
Arsenal have been out-thought and out-fought. Everton thoroughly deserve their lead. Back in a few minutes after a quick cup of tea.
2.15pm BST
45 mins There is two minutes to be added on.
2.14pm BST
43 mins Flamini has a poor first touch ion the middle of the park. To make up for it he lunges at the ball. That he misses but Naismith he gets. Along with a yellow card. He'll miss the FA Cup semi-final.
2.13pm BST
42 mins Will you please explain to me," asks Doug Morrison, "what it is about Lukaku that the Portuguese gent at Chelsea doesnt like? Hed rather play Torres, Eto (great players in their day which isnt today or tomorrow) or Ba (decent but not outstanding) than Lukaku. With Lukaku Chelsea would quite probably have won the Premiership this season, which they might still do, though I doubt it." I wish I could but I can't. It makes no sense whatsoever.
16 - The highest number of goals scored by an Everton player in a single PL season is 16 by Tony Cottee in 1993-94. Memories.
2.11pm BST
40 mins Another Everton attack, another good effort from Lukaku. He made himself some room and sent in another low drive but this one was wide of the target. Meanwhile, Howard has pulled of a great save from a Podolski snap shot. Arsenal waste the corer that came afterwards.
2.08pm BST
38 mins Back to the goal for a second. When celebrating, Lukaku ran right over to his manager and gave him an absolute monster of a bear hug.
2.07pm BST
Every Everton fan will be crossing every available body part that they can hold onto Lukaku next season because he is absolutely brilliant. From a throw-in on the left, there was a tussle for possession in the middle of the park. Naismith won that Everton have everything in the middle so far today and played the ball to Mirallas. He looked up and saw Lukaku making a run on the right. The pass found the striker and he cut inside at the edge of the box. The Arsenal defenders failed to get tight enough to him and he continued his run before hitting a powerful shot past Szczesny.
2.04pm BST
This. Is. Sensational.
2.03pm BST
33 mins Arsenal get their first corner of the game. Cazorla crosses. There are a couple of mis-kicks in the box involving Stones, Coleman and Mertesacker but Everton eventually clear the danger.
2.02pm BST
31 mins A corner to Everton after Barkley found space behind Sagna. Mirallas sends it over. Szczesny sends it out. Everton recycle the ball. On the left, Mirallas cuts inside Cazorla with ease and sends a low, powerful drive to Szczesny's near post. The keeper does well to get a strong hand to it. Arsenal eventually get a goalkick.
2.00pm BST
29 mins A free-kick to Everton wide on the left. Baines plays it short to Barry, who in turn plays it to Mirallas, who is hugging the touchline with both hands. He looks up and sees that Lukaku is being marked by Monreal and aims his cross for the striker's head. His effort goes over everyone however.
1.58pm BST
27 mins Arsenal get some time on the ball and ... immediately give it away. Flamini is the latest offender. Like Cazorla a few minutes ago, he was surrounded by time and space and like Cazorla, he completely misses his intended target, kicking the ball out of play for an Everton throw. What has happened to Arsenal?
1.55pm BST
25 mins Right in the middle of the park surrounded by time and space, Cazorla plays the ball right to Stones. That just about sums up Arsenal's performance so far.
1.53pm BST
23 mins "Does anyone really think Manchester United can win the Champions League?" asks Joe McGrath. "That depends on what you mean by "can". If you mean "have a reasonable chance", then hell no. If you mean "have a one-in-a-million chance, which allows fans to cling to blind hope", then yes, yes I do think United can win the Champions League."
1.52pm BST
21 mins Love will tear you apart? Nah, forget that. Baines will tear you apart and that is exactly what he is doing to Arsenal right now. Every time he gets the ball down the left, he is putting in dangerous cross after dangerous cross and Arsenal are really struggling to cope with him and his runs. Just now, another of his marauding marauds had the Arsenal defence all in a tizzy.
1.49pm BST
19 mins "Hi Ian" cheers. Robin Hazlehurst. "You say that one Champions League place is available for one of these two, but you're forgetting that it might not be available at all as Manchester United could still steal it from them by winning the thing this year. You weren't forgetting that, were you, just ignoring it? Fair enough, as you were." Does anyone really think Manchester United can win the Champions League?
1.48pm BST
17 mins Everton attack down the right now before shifting the ball inside. Barkley picks it up and picks out the run of Baines. His cross is blocked and Everton win a corner, which is subsequently overhit.
1.46pm BST
Everton had already looked dangerous down the left today and this is exactly where the game's opening goal comes from. Baines has acres and I mean acres to run into down the left and he duly obliged. Once inside the Arsenal half, he whipped a low dangerous ball into the box. Lukaku was on the end of it and he shot at goal. Szczesny saved that but the ball landed at the feet of Naismith and he showed a certain amount of composure to stick the ball into the bottom corner of the net from about 12 yards out.
1.44pm BST
Game on, as they say.
1.44pm BST
14 mins Naismith is later than a Dublin bus and absolutely wallops Arteta out of it. It was late, it was dangerous, it was on his ankle, so naturally, Martin Atkinson decided not to issue him a card.
1.42pm BST
12 mins Anyone out there?
1.41pm BST
11 mins Flamini, not necessarily known for his goalscoring prowess, has just had a decent effort on goal from outside the box.
1.40pm BST
9 mins Well that is the end of Osman's day. He looked to have injured his eye when taking down Sagna and there is clearly no way he can carry on. He is replaced by Barkley.
1.39pm BST
7 mins Everton attack down the left. Baines strides forward and sets up Naismith who had drifted into the box between the lines. He squared the ball across for Lukaku but he missed it and Coleman could do nothing with it when it arrived at his foot on the far side. Osman, meanwhile, has picked up an early yellow card for a fairly reckless (and needless) challenge on Sagna, wide on the line.
1.36pm BST
5 mins Some Everton fans are booooooooooooing Arteta. Didn't think he would be the type to get the booooooooooooing treatment. Podolski has just put another effort wide of Howard's goal.
1.34pm BST
4 mins Arsenal speed their way down the other end and Podolski tries to give his side an early lead. However, like Osman's effort just moments ago, it ends up wide of the post.
1.32pm BST
2 mins Everton start off passing it around but quickly lose possession. Just as quickly, they win it back and get back to passing. The rain in Merseyside has made the pitch as quick and slick. Everton get a throw deep in Arsenal's half. Baines sends it into Osman's path. He takes it on his chest and at the corner of the box on the left, he volleys it towards Szczesny's goal. It dips with speed but it goes just wide.
1.30pm BST
1 min Off we go then. Wenger has won 23 of his 35 Premier League matches against Everton, at least four more than he has won against any other Premier League team, the nice people on Twitter tell me. Will he continue that run today? Well stayed tuned and we'll find out together. Everton start playing right to left. The noise levels are high, very high, very, very high.
1.26pm BST
Did anyone see the Manchester City v Southampton game yesterday? Did anyone notice that despite the home team wearing blue, the away side wore their away kit and not their home one? How annoying is that? Well there is none of that nonsense going on today. Everton are in their blue and Arsenal are in their red. Huzzah! They are on the pitch now too. Huzzah! Almost time to get going. Huzzah!
1.23pm BST
Why would anyone want to live in a world without Spiderman?
1.17pm BST
"I reach for this when I need a little perspective on the Premier League ..." says Adrian Selby, providing us all with a much-needed chuckle on a Sunday morning.
1.13pm BST
How times have changed.
@ianmccourt In August, my only hope for the season (http://t.co/uVhWrsGFNE) was to see Everton's youngsters play regularly. Now it's 4th!
1.00pm BST
Roberto Martínez has scratched his head, looked at his squad, chewed on a pencil, looked at his squad again, thought about Arsenal's strengths and weakness, chewed on his pencil a bit more, moved the magnets all around his
fridge
tactics board and finally decided to make two changes from the side that faced down Fulham last weekend. In comes Mirallas and Naismith and out goes Barkley and, rather disappointingly, Deulofeu. As for Arsenal, they make just one change from the side that drew with Manchester City bringing in Monreal for Gibbs. In other Arsenal news, Viviano is in for the sick Fabianski and if you will look at the list of your players on the bench this afternoon you will find there sits one Aaron Ramsey. Those teams in full then are:
Those involved in hand-to-hands at Goodison this afternoon... pic.twitter.com/vhzo8ZTPD0
12.30pm BST
Football is no longer just football. Football is PR speak interviews. Football is marketing deals. Football is having an Official Confectionery Partner in five countries across southeast Asia. Football is gossip columns on websites. Football is stories sold. Football is explaining to the wife what you were allegedly doing in hotel rooms without her and why photos of it are splashed across national newspapers. Football is bright boots. Football is soulless stadiums. Football is 24/7 rolling news coverage presented by people with Colgate smiles and ruler-straight ties. Football is bluster. Football is ballyhoo. Football is hype. Hype. That's the word. Every day, every match, every month has an angle. Super Sunday! Magnificent March! Relegation dogfight! Battle for the title! Race for Europe! A lot of this fuss is as false as Lil's teeth but every once in a while along comes a match that is of such importance to two clubs, it is actually worth the hype.
Including this game, there are, in the case of Arsenal, six games to play and, in the case of Everton, seven games to play. So the season is not done just yet, it still needs a few more minutes over the roaring, open fire. However, this match has the feel of a defining moment for both. Will it be the one where Arsenal swat aside Everton like a mule's tail to a perpetually annoying fly? Or will it be the one were Arsenal crumble and Everton creep closer and closer, like a sniper in the desert inching through the sand towards their target? There are four Champions League spots to be earned but if Through the Keyhole was to peep into the houses of Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City, you would see that these three clubs have already started picking out what clothes they will need for their trips abroad next season. That leaves one spot for two teams. Two may have gone into one for the Spice Girls but Uefa competitions don't work like that. And so it's between the Gunners and the Toffees. Who will it be?
Conventional wisdom would suggest Arsène Wenger's side. Given that they have qualified for the Champions League every year since Brian Boru was crowned high king of Ireland, it is clear that they have the necessary know-how, the necessary experience and the necessary might and fight to do so. Their display in the second-half against Manchester City showed that they can still cut it with the best of them and that they are not as dead and buried as some people would lead you to believe. They left the Emirates pitch last weekend to the deserved sound of applause, a sound that is not heard as often as it used to be in that part of north London.
That second-half performance, however, masked an awful mess of a first-half. They continually failed to cope with the pace of Jesús Navas and the overlapping runs of Pablo Zabaleta; this inability to cope with pace must be a worry for Wenger and fans aline. David Silva, one of the few players who can trouble Luis Suárez for the Player of the Year award, was, bafflingly, given time and space to find gaps where there should have been none and direct play for City. They were also rather lucky that Yaya Touré had one of his most ineffective games in blue and that Edin Dzeko's mind and body seemed to have wandered elsewhere.
They have not been lucky in their matches against top-ten opposition this season. In fact, luck has nothing to do with it. They have just been pretty poor. From the 16 games they have played against teams in the top half, they have 23 points by contrast, Everton have 22 from 14; Liverpool have 29 from 15; City have 36 from 16; and Chelsea have the same but from a game more. They have also been poor over the last six games, taking a mere eight points. That's not the sort of the form you want your team to be showing when it's business time and it's not the sort of form you want your team to be showing going into a game like this. If Arsenal were to lose today, lose their nerve and lose their Champions league spot, imagine the consequences for the club.
As for Everton, they too masked a poor first-half performance last week against Fulham with a second-half display that was all peacock feathers and points taken.The substitutions changed the game but it was Gerard Deulofeu who constantly caught the eye in his position out wide on the wing. His swift, squiggly movement made him a material menace as did the balls he delivered across the Fulham box. He also combined well with Seamus Coleman, his overlapping full-back. Take note Arsenal. And while you have the pencil in hand, take note of Everton's form. That win was their fourth in a row and their fifth from six games. Only Liverpool and City have more points over the same amount of games. That's exactly the sort of the form you want your team to be showing when it's business time and it's exactly the sort of form you want your team to be showing going into a game like this. If Everton were to win today and win a Champions league spot, imagine the consequences for the club.
Continue reading...