LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 17: Declan Rice of Arsenal during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Arsenal FC at Goodison Park on September 17, 2023 in Liverpool, United Kingdom. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)
3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
White is a model of consistency. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
2. Ben White
Similar to Rice, Ben White seems like a guaranteed 7/10 every game. Against Everton, he was particularly useful going forward.
Saka’s gravity invariably attracts two players into his vicinity, so when White goes forward to overlap, he can often find himself in dangerous positions. That was the case against Everton and White put in some neat crosses.
Defensively, he was as good as ever. A centre-back playing at right back, he was dominant aerially and showcased his defensive instincts.
A particular highlight was when he misplaced a pass and immediately won the ball back, thanks to powerful running ahead of his opponent. It’s a trait that Gabriel Martinelli also shares, the uncanny ability to immediately make up for mistakes.
Arsenal fans should be very reassured with Benny Blanco in the squad.
Continued on the next slide…
tilt.
<p>Overall, it was a very encouraging result for Mikel Arteta and his men. Not only did they overcome their Goodison curse, but they exerted total control with a near-flawless performance to see out the game, despite not overly threatening Jordan Pickford’s goal. It was the performance of a mature, well-oiled team.</p>
<h2>3 standout players from pleasing win at Goodison Park</h2>
<p>The forward players fought diligently but were a little bit underwhelming. A big positive that I took was Bukayo Saka’s development as an inevitable G/A contributor, à la Mohammed Salah. Despite not playing very well, he still provided an important assist to another final third killer, Leandro Trossard.</p>
<p>Without further ado, let’s get into the 3 standout players from the decent victory over Everton.</p>
<h2>1. Declan Rice</h2>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Declan Rice’s first five games in an Arsenal shirt in the Premier League…</p>
<p>£100million bargain. Mr consistent. <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/18/3-standout-players-arsenal-1-0-victory-over-everton/2/"https://t.co/KHI3zauaUM">pic.twitter.com/KHI3zauaUM
<p>— now.arsenal (@now_arsenaI) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/18/3-standout-players-arsenal-1-0-victory-over-everton/2/"https://twitter.com/now_arsenaI/status/1703714226575941996?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>September 18, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>I can’t believe that Arsenal signed a player for £105m yet he still feels like a bit of a bargain. Declan Rice oozes class and his ability to recover the ball is so impressive and reassuring.</p>
<p>Whether it was via an interception, block or tackle, Rice controlled the Everton midfield expertly, despite playing alongside two diminutive attacking players in Fabio Vieira and Martin Odegaard. Against the extremely physical Evertonian midfield, that was an incredible display from Mr. Consistent.</p>
<p>It feels like Rice could be included in every single game’s standout players list. That is a very important trait for a #6 and, compared to the doubt surrounding Kai Havertz’s £65m price tag, Rice seems like the <a title="Arsenal no longer need to fear Thomas Partey’s absence – Declan Rice is here" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/18/3-standout-players-arsenal-1-0-victory-over-everton/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/05/arsenal-no-longer-fear-thomas-parteys-absence/" rel="">most reliable Arsenal signing in a long time</a>.</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/2023/09/18/3-standout-players-arsenal-1-0-victory-over-everton/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 standout performer </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-136438" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/18/3-standout-players-arsenal-1-0-victory-over-everton/2/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_1706,w_2560/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1688678890-scaled.jpeg" alt="" width="2560" height="1706" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1688678890-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1688678890-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1688678890-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1688678890-2048x1365.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px"><p class="wp-caption-text">White is a model of consistency. (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>2. Ben White</h2>
<p>Similar to Rice, Ben White seems like a guaranteed 7/10 every game. Against Everton, he was particularly useful going forward.</p>
<p>Saka’s gravity invariably attracts two players into his vicinity, so when White goes forward to overlap, he can often find himself in dangerous positions. That was the case against Everton and White put in some neat crosses.</p>
<p>Defensively, he was as good as ever. A centre-back playing at right back, he was dominant aerially and showcased his defensive instincts.</p>
<p>A particular highlight was when he misplaced a pass and immediately won the ball back, thanks to powerful running ahead of his opponent. It’s a trait that Gabriel Martinelli also shares, the uncanny ability to immediately make up for mistakes.</p>
<p>Arsenal fans should be very reassured with Benny Blanco in the squad.</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/2023/09/18/3-standout-players-arsenal-1-0-victory-over-everton/2/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 standout performer </a>
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<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-136439" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/18/3-standout-players-arsenal-1-0-victory-over-everton/2/"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%2F1672022969.jpeg" alt="" width="1600" height="1067" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1672022969.jpeg 1600w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1672022969-768x512.jpeg 768w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1672022969-1536x1024.jpeg 1536w" sizes="(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Saliba had no issues dealing with Everton’s physical threat. (Photo by PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)</p>
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<h2>3. William Saliba</h2>
<p><a title="Everton 0-1 Arsenal: Player ratings as Gunners win at Goodison" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/18/3-standout-players-arsenal-1-0-victory-over-everton/2/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/09/17/everton-0-1-arsenal-player-ratings/" rel="">While Gabriel also performed very well</a>, it was Frenchman William Saliba who stood out the most. Saliba just has an aura around him that makes it seem like he will always come out on top and looks incredibly confident.</p>
<p>A few times, Everton had a half chance to go forward, with a player allowed to run into Saliba’s space a little. Anytime this happened, Saliba snuffed out the chance with ease, looking a few levels above the opposition, whether physically or tactically.</p>
<p>He was very safe with the ball as per usual and never seemed to be threatened. A combination of him and Rice in the team is devastating for the opposition, and it feels like Arsenal have really shored up any small defensive frailties they were showing last year.</p>
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<p>If the Gunners started firing on all cylinders going forward, they would be extremely difficult to slow down. The title race could be very exciting this year.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
