Arteta reacts during the English Premier League football match
between Everton and Arsenal at Goodison Park in Liverpool, north
west England on December 19, 2020. Jon Super / POOL /
AFP
Everton piled more misery on Arsenal manager Mikel
Arteta as the Toffees moved second in the Premier League with a 2-1
win in front of 2,000 delighted fans at Goodison Park on
Saturday.
At the other end of the table, the Gunners remain 15th after
just one win in their last 10 league games to leave Arteta’s
position under mounting pressure just over four months on from
winning the FA Cup.
After red cards undid Arsenal in their previous two games, much
of the damage was again self-inflicted as Rob Holding’s own goal
opened the scoring.
Nicolas Pepe’s penalty briefly levelled, but Yerry Mina’s header
in first-half stoppage time secured a third consecutive win for
Carlo Ancelotti’s men to move within five points of Merseyside
rivals Liverpool at the top.
Arsenal were dealt a major blow before kick-off as captain
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang missed out due to a calf injury.
He had just refound his scoring touch with a first goal from
open play in the Premier League since September in a 1-1 draw at
home to Southampton on Wednesday.
David Luiz (L), Arsenal’s English midfielder Joe Willock (C) and
Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta (R) leave the field after
the English Premier League football match between Everton and
Arsenal at Goodison Park in Liverpool, north west England on
December 19, 2020. Clive Brunskill / POOL / AFP
That point briefly stemmed the spiral of decline at the
Emirates, but Arsenal, who have been in English football’s top
flight since 1919, find themselves in unchartered territory facing
a relegation battle.
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Should results go against them on Sunday and Monday, Arteta’s
men could be just two points above the drop zone with Chelsea to
come on Boxing Day.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was usurped by Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah
as the Premier League’s top scorer earlier in the day and while the
England international failed to score for the third straight game,
he did have a big part to play in the opening goal.
Former Arsenal winger Alex Iwobi’s cross was headed towards goal
by Calvert-Lewin, but his effort was going off target until it was
turned in by Holding’s thigh.
Arsenal had been thoroughly outplayed in the opening half-hour,
but were gifted a route back into the game when Ainsley
Maitland-Niles was fouled by Tom Davies inside the area.
In the absence of Aubameyang, Pepe took responsiblity from the
spot and sent Jordan Pickford the wrong way.
However, Everton’s power from set-pieces caused problems all
night for the visitors and it was from a corner that the winner
arrived, as Gylfi Sigurdsson’s wicked delivery to the near post was
headed home by Mina.
Arsenal responded with a bright start to the second half and
they came close to a second equaliser when Pickford, who returned
in goal after being rotated for Wednesday’s 2-0 win at Leicester,
dropped a cross into the box and David Luiz’s shot came back off
the post.
Thereafter, Everton were happy to let Arsenal have the ball
without ever looking capable of getting back into the game until
deep into stoppage time when Pickford made amends for his earlier
error by saving from Bukayo Saka.
At the start of the campaign, Arsenal’s target was a return to
the Champions League next season. Now they hope just not be in the
Championship, while it is the Blues who are the contenders for a
top-four finish.
AFP
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