Arsenal 4-0 Everton: Gunners showcase champions mentality in rout

Arsenal cantered to a 4-0 home victory over Sean Dyche’s Everton to avenge their Goodison Park defeat and move five points clear at the summit of the Premier League. 

The majority of the first half was incredibly frustrating, with the side seeing plenty of the ball but struggling to create clear-cut goalscoring opportunities. However, Bukayo Saka’s 40th-minute strike set the wheels in motion for an impressive performance that demonstrated the ‘champions mentality’ Mikel Arteta has instilled into the Gunners.

https://twitter.com/LTrossard/status/1631065803821838338

An old foe

Every team has a so-called ‘bogey side’, and this Everton side represented just that for us for two main reasons. Firstly, there is Arteta’s personal poor record against Dyche since becoming Arsenal manager. Coming into this game, he had faced up against teams managed by the Englishman on six occasions, recording just one win. Of course, most of these encounters were against the well-oiled machine of Burnley, but the recent defeat against Everton further intensified this narrative.

Then, there is the Toffees themselves, who have proved a difficult opponent for us in recent years, regardless of their manager. Before yesterday’s match, Everton had been victorious against Arsenal in four of the last five meetings. With their most recent triumph beginning our ‘February wobble’.

Therefore, despite the Toffees being far weaker than us on paper, this was by no means an easy fixture and securing a win, especially in such a convincing manner, is yet another sign that we are far stronger mentally than we once were.

High-pressure game

Aside from just the nature of the opponents, the context surrounding this fixture also played a part in the match being of high pressure.

This was our game in hand – a special opportunity for the club to extend our lead over Manchester City without them being able to reply. The players would have been well aware that a defeat in this game would have piled pressure on them, and placed even more importance on our clash with Pep Guardiola’s side later in the season.

This, therefore, was exactly the type of game that any remaining ‘Arsenal doubters’ would have envisaged us losing, or, at the very least, dropping points in.

A frustrating start

As alluded to, for the first 40 minutes or so, they appeared to be right. Arsenal saw plenty of the ball as expected, but Everton remained solid defensively and looked dangerous on the counter. Ex-Gunner Alexander Iwobi was particularly impressive during this time.

However, a true sign of future champions is an ability to find a way – and we did just that. Saka, once again, placed the burden upon himself to make something happen and fired us into the lead; smashing home an effort from a tight angle after a beautiful pass from Oleksandr Zinchenko.

In truth, from that moment onwards, particularly after Gabriel Martinelli doubled our lead just minutes later, it was plain sailing for the side. But, our ability to navigate those difficult opening 40 minutes, remaining calm and composed whilst doing so, is unquestionably a sign of champions.

After the match, Arteta himself also acknowledged the importance of the victory.

"“It’s obviously really important to bounce back the way we’ve done it. Winning in a convincing way with very strong performances – two away victories and the home victory today.”"

Oleksandr Zinchenko

Every player was immense last night and they all deserve huge amounts of credit, but Zincehnko in particular has been crucial to our new-found mentality. In the absence of Gabriel Jesus, the Ukrainian has stepped up and has been a constant source of calm in a side rife with relative inexperience.

Most likely as a direct result of his time at Manchester City, the 26-year-old possesses an unwavering desire to win. That was evident in Saka’s opener, with Zinchenko drifting over to the right-hand side of midfield to provide the assist – he is willing to do whatever it takes to succeed.

In the past, we have also been guilty of resting on our laurels and being too satisfied with a 2-0 lead. Zinchenko has helped to eradicate that mindset, and his ruthlessness no doubt played a part in the team’s desire to score our third and fourth goals, rather than defending the established lead.

In short, he, along with the injured Gabriel Jesus, has helped Arteta to raise the levels at Arsenal, and winning is now the minimum expectation heading into every game, regardless of the opposition – and that is a sign of potential Premier League title winners.