3 talking points from Arsenal’s defeat at Goodison Park

James Tarkowski’s headed goal gave Everton the edge against Premier League leaders Arsenal at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon.

In Sean Dyche’s first match as Everton boss, the victory lifted the Merseyside club out of the relegation zone in their conquest for Premier League survival.

An affair which turned feisty towards the end, Arsenal never truly got going and rarely troubled Jordan Pickford. There were a few sporadic bright sparks in attack here and there, but Arsenal were unable to penetrate the Everton defence which meant they fell to their second league defeat of the season.

3 talking points from Arsenal’s defeat at Goodison Park

Here are the three talking points from the defeat.

1. Arsenal aren’t faultless – and there is a long way to go

This has been a superb season for Mikel Arteta’s side thus far. The ability to grind out results against teams that the club would normally struggle against has demonstrated the progress Mikel Arteta has made as a manager, but the team is far from faultless: this match depicted that.

Credit has to be given to Dyche. The match was always going to be a difficult one to go to – Arsenal’s recent history at Goodison Park shows as such – and the instant impact Dyche has had was clear from the get-go.

Arsenal struggled against the Everton press and were unable to play through it to the standard that we have become so accustomed to seeing this season. Think back to the chance created against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge earlier this season. The ability to glide the ball around the oncoming players was evident then but not to the same level today.

Arsenal still have a long way to go, and this match can be passed off as a blip, but it was an opportunity to advance further away from Manchester City; one that should have been taken.

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