It was a frustrating match for the Gunners as they fell to just their second Premier League defeat of the season at Everton on Saturday.
The Toffees were able to benefit from a new manager bounce with Sean Dyche taking charge in his first match for the club, and what a way for him to get started! They had a great game plan, and Arsenal were unable to break them down
2 positives & negatives from Arsenal’s 1-0 defeat at Everton
Some good and some bad from the loss, so let’s get into it.
Positive #1: Exception, not the rule
Arsenal fell to just their second defeat of the league season at Goodison Park. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Arsenal played poorly and lost, and yet, I’m personally not too bothered. It was a frustrating match and performance, but this has proven to be the exception to our season, not the rule.
If Arsenal are the great team we think they are, that loss has only further fueled the fire; they’ll come out swinging next weekend against Brentford in front of a lively Emirates crowd, desperate to get back on track.
If Mikel Arteta’s words are anything to go by, this team will not go away. I also just love this sentiment from the boss; this team is very connected and united under their goal. They want to win the Premier League.
Negative #1: The result, obviously
James Tarkowski headed home the winner on the hour. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
It sucks to lose, especially to lesser competition. That’s three points dropped now from teams in the relegation zone, which will hopefully not become a trend.
That being said, Manchester City also dropped points to Everton, and they were playing at home against a far less effective tactical setup under Frank Lampard, so it’s far from the end of the world.
Credit has to go to Everton; they played their game and played it well, even beating the Gunners on xG despite boasting only 30% possession. Their use of space and forming Dyche’s famous 4-4-2 made it so hard to get through, which led to the win for the Merryside team, all credit to them.
Getting more creators on the pitch would surely help the Gunners in matches like this. Bringing on a player like Fabio Vieira for Granit Xhaka rather than Martin Ødegaard would allow Arsenal to attack from more angles and have the potential for more potent attacks.
Continued on the next slide…
pic.twitter.com/CWHs3Sv6Kr
<p>— Mitch Peotter (@mitchpeotter) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/02/04/2-positives-negatives-arsenal-defeat-everton/"https://twitter.com/mitchpeotter/status/1621897295422701570?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>February 4, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>If Mikel Arteta’s words are anything to go by, this team will not go away. I also just love this sentiment from the boss; this team is very connected and united under their goal. They want to win the Premier League.</p>
<h2>Negative #1: The result, obviously</h2>
<div id="attachment_132126" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-132126 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/02/04/2-positives-negatives-arsenal-defeat-everton/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1067,w_1600/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1462661316.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1462661316.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1462661316-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">James Tarkowski headed home the winner on the hour. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)</p>
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<p>It sucks to lose, especially to lesser competition. That’s three points dropped now from teams in the relegation zone, which will hopefully not become a trend.</p>
<p>That being said, Manchester City also dropped points to Everton, and they were playing at home against a far less effective tactical setup under Frank Lampard, so it’s far from the end of the world.</p>
<p>Credit has to go to Everton; they played their game and played it well, even beating the Gunners on xG despite boasting only 30% possession. Their use of space and forming Dyche’s famous 4-4-2 made it so hard to get through, which led to the win for the Merryside team, all credit to them.</p>
<p>Getting more creators on the pitch would surely help the Gunners in matches like this. Bringing on a player like Fabio Vieira for Granit Xhaka rather than Martin Ødegaard would allow Arsenal to attack from more angles and have the potential for more potent attacks.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/02/04/2-positives-negatives-arsenal-defeat-everton/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 positive & negative </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2>Positive #2: Still top of the league</h2>
<div id="attachment_132142" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-132142" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/02/04/2-positives-negatives-arsenal-defeat-everton/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2133,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1246793058.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2133" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1246793058.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1246793058-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Mikel Arteta’s side still have a healthy lead at the top. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)</p>
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<p>My favourite thing to remind you all: Arsenal are still top of the league!</p>
<p>Based on some of the reactions to this match, you’d think that we were the ones in the relegation zone. But fear not, Gooners, we’re still on top! The negative reaction to this defeat was well overblown, and it appears that supporters have found their new scapegoat following<a title="Sambi Lokonga’s Crystal Palace loan is best for his Arsenal career" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/02/04/2-positives-negatives-arsenal-defeat-everton/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/02/01/lokonga-palace-loan-best-arsenal-career/" rel=""> Sambi Lokonga’s Crystal Palace loan.</a></p>
<p>Jorginho made his Arsenal debut off the bench, and Everton scored not long after. Those things had nothing to do with one another. I don’t think it was all that impressive of a debut from the Italian, but Arsenal fans have gone after him, and to that, I say, stop doing that. Give the man a chance to prove himself, especially in a match where nobody was particularly great.</p>
<h2>Negative #2: Gabriel Jesus</h2>
<div id="attachment_131884" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-131884 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/02/04/2-positives-negatives-arsenal-defeat-everton/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2178,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1442019899.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2178" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1442019899.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1442019899-768x523.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Did Arsenal miss Gabriel Jesus at Goodison Park? (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)</p>
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<p>Eddie Nketiah’s form has made it easy not to miss Gabriel Jesus all too much. Today was the first game that wasn’t the case. That’s not necessarily a knock on Eddie, but Jesus’ skillset could have made a massive difference for Arsenal in this match.</p>
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<p>Eddie wasn’t able to get into the game and service his teammates apart for a few moments. Jesus thrives in this kind of match with that role upon him, and he could have made a potentially considerable difference.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
