Arsenal v Everton: Premier League – live | Premier League
Key events
73 min Chance! Everton win a free kick on the left. Garner whips it in nicely, an Arsenal head deflects it and it just squeezes past the far post.
72 min Everton have conceded only 33 goals on the road this season. But can they hold out for 20 more minutes? Their makeshift defence will surely get weay.
70 min Moyes, by the way, was booked some time ago, presumably for his persistent complaints.
69 min Everton’s first sub: Barry for Beto. Meanwhile Max Dowman is warming up.
67 min As the ball ricochets around after the corner, Ndiaye tries to spin past Saka, who gets a solid tackle in. Poacher turned gamekeeper.
67 min Mykolenko goes on the overlap, possibly for the first time. He wins a corner.
66 min That was Arsenal’s 18th shot of the game, to Everton’s seven. But it’s still even Stevens for shots on target: 3-3.
65 min Shot! From Eze. It beats Pickford’s dive but whistles past the far post.
64 min Gyokeres is set free down the left, but finds himself well shepherded. This makeshift Everton back four has done very well so far.
62 min A box informs us that Arsenal are top of the table for goal involvements by subs, with 13 – nine goals and four assists. This does feel like the kind of game Gyokeres will fancy.
60 min Cometh the hour, cometh more subs. Gyokeres for Havertz, Martinelli for Madueke.
59 min Arsenal’s latest corner, like their first, is taken short, to no avail. When they get back upfield, Madueke goes for a delightlful little wander on the right, where Drew Lundgren wanted to see him.
59 min Keane heads the corner away, leading to an intriguing little spell from Arsenal. A fusillade of passes, a flurry of ideas, but no actual shot.
57 min Everton are defending in a 4-5-2 and it’s working so far. Gabriel plays a fine through ball down the left to Madueke, but Garner is quick to come in with a neat tackle.
55 min The crowd are making plenty of noise. “We are the greatest team the world has ever seen.” They’re not even the best team N5 has ever seen.
54 min Saka gets a cross in, headed away by Keane. The siege is resuming.
52 min Everton are being much more assertive now – though that could play into Arsenal’s hands. Saka has a shot blocked.
“I think Eze has been OK,”” says Drew Lundgren, “and one of the few Arsenal players to try a shot. But I still think he’s got to come off to get Madueke over on the right where he effects the game, Martinelli on the left, Rice pushed up, Saka in Ødegaard’s role… what do you think?” I agree that Eze has been good, and Madueke rather invisible. But I suspect Arteta will want to get a striker on.
50 min Save! In the melee that follows the corner, Raya does very well to keep out a snap shot at his near post.
49 min Now Everton do win a corner, their first of the game (to Arsenal’s seven). The excellent Ndiaye sent in a cross that was headed behind.
48 min Dewsbury-Hall powers into the Arsenal box and is dismayed to find that he hasn’t won a corner.
46 min The second half begins and Calafiori, the man of the first half, strolls forward. Rice shapes to shoot but an Everton toe gets in his way.
Sky is showing an important moment from the other game, in which Newcastle lead Chelsea 1-0. The moment occurred in the Chelsea huddle, which took place with the ref in the middle of it. Seriously. I shudder to think how many memes this will inspire.
“Not all Arsenal fans are nervy quite yet,” says Zach Neeley. “Personally, whatever bad thing might happen today, this season feels like the real pain will be later. City will then do something wrong to put us back in it, then the actual death blow will come in April.” So, not nervy yet, but somewhat gloomy?
“Their fans might not forgive me for saying it,” says Simon McMahon, promisingly, “but I think if Arsenal win tonight, the league title is pretty much a done deal. To borrow a cricket phrase, runs on the board, and scoreboard pressure for the chasing side. Though Arsenal being English, there’s always the possibility of a late collapse. It’s never over till it’s over…”
I’m not sure this match makes much difference to the title race, unless Arsenal mess it up. The key will surely be their trip to the Etihad: if they can get a draw there, that all but settles it.
HALF-TIME! Arsenal 0-0 Everton
Everton win the 50th minute, as McNeil sends a cross in from the right. And that’s half-time, with Arsenal wondering how they haven’t turned 13 shots into one goal. Perhaps because only two of them have been on target, the same as Everton have managed in their occasional forays upfield.
“It’s been a nervy watch for Arsenal fans,” says Alan Smith. Aren’t they all?
45+4 min Mykolenko lofts a hopeful ball towards Beto, who can’t shake off the attentions of Gabriel.
45+3 min Havertz wins a free kick in a fashion Tim Stappard would not approve of. Arsenal knock the ball around. Everton scrap but can’t escape. Zubimendi almost carves out enough room to shoot. Saliba tries a through ball to Saka but overhits it, showing why Arsenal need Timber.
45+1 min The first of five added minutes.
45 min Arsenal add another three to their collection of shots. Two are blocked and one is blazed into Row Z.
44 min Arsenal proceed smoothly through midfield with some well-aimed headers, and eventually win a corner.
“Alan Smith is absolutely wrong,” says Tim Stappard. “Blatant dive by Havertz and why no yellow?” Presumably because the ref didn’t think it was a dive, blatant or otherwise.
41 min Everton win a free kick, 35 yards out. Raya comes for it and scuffs his attempted punch. Saliba is on the grass, off the pitch, after being caught, possibly by Raya. Friendly fire!
40 min The sub Arteta sent on is not Ben White, as you might have expected, but Cristhian Mosquera.
39 min Close! That man Calafiori gets a flick-on from a corner and Everton do well to keep it out at the far post, with Keane keeping calm and heading away.
37 min Saka goes on a slalom and very nearly gets a cut-back in. More significantly, Mikel Arteta is having to make a substitution: Jurrien Timber is going off injured.
36 min Rice takes the free kick … and can’t get it over the wall.
35 min While Arsenal hold a committee meeting, Everton put down a draft excluder.
34 min Saka, who looks as if he’s returning to form, twists and turns and wins a free kick 25 yards out.
32 min Another shot from Everton! It’s well struck by the busy Dewsbury-Hall but comfortably saved by Raya, low to his left.
30 min As the half-hour ticks over, Dewsbury-Hall shapes to dance through the midfield before being outnumbered. A camera finds Martin Odegaard in the stand, wearing baggy pale jeans and going in for a bit of a manspread.
29 min There have been three shots in the past 14 minutes, and they’ve all come from Everton. Arsenal do get into the box now, with Rice, but Garner times his tackle just well enough.
28 min As Everton escape, there’s another good cross from the gifted Ndiaye, but this time nobody is there to meet it.
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