3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton

Arsenal comfortably moved past Everton with a 1-0 victory to secure their first win at Goodison Park since 2017.

The Gunners should have won with a larger margin but weren’t piercing enough in the final third. In the end, only a very tidy short corner move and a flash of magic from Leandro Trossard was the difference between the two teams.

Defensively, there was a lot to like about the Arsenal performance, which limited Everton to just one shot on target. The Toffees didn’t trouble debutant David Raya, who was preferred to Aaron Ramsdale in goal, and that was down to very solid defensive shape and an incredibly dominant performance in possession, retaining 74% of the ball and an 83% field tilt.

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.

3 standout players from pleasing win at Goodison Park

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.

Without further ado, let’s get into the 3 standout players from the decent victory over Everton.

1. Declan Rice

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.

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.

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 most reliable Arsenal signing in a long time.

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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.

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3. William Saliba

While Gabriel also performed very well, 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.

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.

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.

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.