ARSENAL 1- EVERTON

Everything you would expect of a game
between these two teams, with these
two managers, and more. Everton were
outstanding in the first 40 minutes,
dominating the game with Ross Barkley
at the heart of so much brilliant play.
But they struggled to register shots on
target, and goalkeeper Tim Howard
needed to make two very smart saves
in the final five minutes of the half when
first Giroud and then Ramsey burst into
the area.
Arsenal got their act together in the
second half and Everton saw much less
of the ball, but the game still seemed as
though it was going to drift towards a
goalless draw. Then, ten minutes from
time, the match sprang to life. Arsenal
went direct with a deep cross that
substitute Theo Walcott headed across
goal for Mesut Ozil to sweep home.
The Emirates Stadium was in rare-good
voice, ready to welcome a seven point
lead at the top of the Premier League,
but the home faithful had reckoned
without the talent of Everton's own
introduction from the bench Gerard
Deulofeo who controlled a low ball at
the back post, widened the angle and
hammered home an unstoppable
equaliser.
There was still time for Lukaku to blast
over when placed to do better, and
Giroud to spin on the ball 30 yards out
and launch an extraordinary volley off
the angle of post and bar.
Technically brilliant, entertaining in
spurts, a fair result in the end.
Everton manager Roberto
Martinez: "It’s very demanding
when you play three games in
a week. I thought we were fantastic
throughout. The performance, from our
point of view, I couldn’t be happier. The
only criticism is you have to take the
chances and in the final third we weren’t
ruthless enough. I can’t see many
teams being able to come to the
Emirates and do what we did today."
90+3 min An amazing moment right at
the death. Giroud brings a bouncing ball
down 30 yards out, swivels and lets go
of a Thierry Henry-style volley that
beats Tim Howard for power, but not for
accuracy - it cracks against the angle of
post and bar and flies away to safety.
90+1 min Lukaku gets going on a
powerful run to the edge of the box but
with support left and right he elects to
shoot and thrashes the ball over the
bar. Steven Naismith replaces the
wonderful Ross Barkley.
90 min Tim Howard comes piling off his
line to catch a through ball, but forgets
to tell Sylvain Distin his plan. The
French centre back heads the ball up in
the air and for a horrifying moment it
seems as though Flamini is going to
capitalise on the catastrophe and win
the game in the last minute. Everton
muscle up and survive. Three added
minutes.
88 min Deulofeu now booked for what
you'd probably call a tactical foul to
interupt an Arsenal counter attack.
Osman puts the ball behind for a corner
as Arsenal press for a winner.
87 min And Everton could easily have
won it. Deulofeu is at the heart of
everything and this time he plays in
Lukaku but Szczesny rushes out and
executes a block.
GOAL! Arsenal 1 EVERTON 1
(Deulofeu 83 minutes)
Sensational stuff from the
young Spaniard. Lukaku's attempt to
bicycle kick in a cross from Barkley fails
completely, but the ball falls to Deulofeu
at the back post who controls it, widens
the angle, and unleashes a shell through
Szczesny and into the net. Arsenal led
for just four minutes.
82 min Emirates Stadium now in good
voice , expecting Arsenal to go seven
points clear.
GOAL! ARSENAL 1 Everton 0
(Mesut Ozil 79 minutes)
For all the pretty football, it's
an old fashioned British-style goal that
breaks the deadlock. A deep cross to
the far post is headed back across goal
by Theo Walcott and although Giroud
totally misses his kick six yards out Ozil
is on hand to sweep the ball into the
roof of the net.
77 min Szczesny has to fingertip a near
post shot from Mirallas out for a corner.
The keeper then springs from his line to
punch the ball clear under pressure
from Jagielka and is relieved when
Distin plants a header from another
cross over the bar. Mirallas is the man
making way for Barcelona loanee
Deulofeu.
76 min Home crowd get their way -
Howard gets a yellow card, which is,
extraordinarily, already his fourth of the
season.
75 min Now Deulofeu is stripped and
ready for action down on the touchline.
The Arsenal fans accuse Tim Howard of
time wasting over a goal kick,
suggesting 0-0 would be Everton's
outcome of choice at this stage, but this
is a positive change that Martinez is
about to make here.
71 min Giroud touches a piece of
broken play back to Flamini who shoots
hard and low through the goal mouth
and just wide of the post.
69 mins Roberto Martinez said before
the game that the substitutions could
have a big bearing on the outcome of
this game and having seen Arsene
Wenger play three cards all at once
Everton now send on Osman for
Pienaar. Barkley is moving to right
wing, Mirallas to left and Osman is
pressing on through the middle behind
Lukaku.
67 min Theo Walcott replaces Santi
Carzorla, Aaron Ramsey is off for
Mathieu Flamini, and Jack Wilshere
goes off for Tomas Rosicky. Interesting
decision to hook Ramsey...
66 min Arsene Wenger ready to twist
with a triple substitution, but not before
Ross Barkley stings Szczesny's hands
with a fierce shot from the edge of the
area.
64 min Mirallas tries to slip Lukaku in
but again the final pass isn't there for
Everton. It's an intriguing game, which
is usually commentator speak for a
match that's destined to finish 0-0.
59 min Howard Webb belatedly awards
a free kick for a foul on McCarthy on
halfway but Everton choose against
putting the ball into the box and the
tippy tappy nonsense/silky sensual
football starts afresh. McCarthy is then
booked himself for a high boot on
Ramsey, and picks up a fifth yellow card
of the season which will see him
suspended for the forthcoming home
match with Fulham. Martinez is
readying substitute Leon Osman, for
then and now.
55 min Great stuff. Arteta puts Wilshere
through to the byline and his deep,
chipped cross is scissor kicked towards
goal by Aaron Ramsey from a difficult
angle and height. Howard rushes
across his goal and palms the ball wide
of the post.
53 min First threat from Everton in the
second half. Phil Jagielka bombs
forward from centre back sparking an
overload of Everton bodies in the
Arsenal half. Pienaar takes on a shot
from the edge of the area and finally
Szczesny is forced into a serious save.
50 min A cross to the back post finds
Jack Wilshere at the head of a queue of
Arsenal players waiting to capitalise. He
turns it back inside first time but
Cazorla can't generate enough purchase
with his header and it's an easy save
for Howard. Arsenal working at 68%
possession in the second half, a stark
difference from the first.
47 min Much better stuff from Arsenal,
keeping possession around the Everton
box and probing for openings. Carzorla
can't quite find one on this occasion,
and Gibbs' 35 yard volley could kindly
be described as ambitious, but the
warning signs are there now.
46 min Arsenal ask politely whether
Oviedo has handled the ball in the area,
but replays show Howard Webb is right
to wave it away. Substitute Theo
Walcott sets off for a little jog down the
touchline.
17.00 The general consensus at half
time seems to be that Everton, with their
unchanged side perhaps tiring after a
difficult midweek game at Man Utd, may
have missed their chance here. Arsenal
made four changes after a Wednesday
win against Hull and may be fresher
down the home straight in this game.
We shall see.
Half Time - Arsenal 0 Everton 0
Another 45 minutes to further the
reputation of the 2013/14 Everton team
and manager Roberto Martinez. Fresh
from a 1-0 win at Manchester United
during the week they've set about the
league leaders with real purpose today,
without ever really testing Szczesny in
the Arsenal goal.
Ross Barkley has been particularly
impressive for the visitors, but for all of
that it's only two fine saves from the
newly clean-shaven Tim Howard right
at the end of the half that prevented
Arsenal taking a lead into the break -
Giroud and Ramsey were both denied by
the American stopper in similar
circumstances.
If Everton can find a clinical finish to go
with the glorious approach work - 276
passes to 148 in Everton's favour so far
- they could claim a significant scalp
here.
45+1 min A minute of added time
passes without incident.
44 min Everton grateful to Howard for a
second time. Arsenal cut their visitors
apart again, this time it's Ramsey in
behind, and Howard makes another very
brave, commanding save. For all that
Everton domination, Arsenal have
created two much better chances in the
last four minutes than the Toffees did in
the previous half an hour.
41 min Arsenal's best spell of the game
should bring the opening goal. Everton-
like approach work feeds Giroud into the
area, behind the last man, but Tim
Howard races from his line and makes a
fine save. Gareth Barry has been
booked for a foul earlier in the move.
40 min Going to be another decision for
Howard Webb to make when the ball
goes out of play. Lukaku tries to burn
Koscielny for pace down the flank and
appears to be fouled by the Frenchman.
Webb says play on and Lukaku chases
his opponent back down the field before
apparently kicking him to the ground off
the ball. It looks like an accidental
collision to be fair, and Webb takes no
retrospective action.
38 min Fourth official Anthony Taylor
feeling the sharp edge of Arsene
Wenger's frustration as Coleman gets
away with chopping into the back of
Jack Wilshere leaving him in a grumpy
heap on the floor.
37 min More of the same - intricate,
thoughtful approach play comes to
nothing in the final third. They're
fantastic, but they're not winning.
33 min Arsene Wenger is pacing the
technical area chuntering to himself.
Everton are continuing to dominate
without ever quite getting into a position
to score, or even test the goalkeeper
really. A cutting edge stands between
them and a second enormous away win
in four days.
28 min Lukaku intelligently turns a ball
back into the area and if Mirallas had
been two yards further forward he'd
have had a tap in. Jack Wilshere kicks
the ball straight out. Everything but the
goal.
27 min Completed passes so far -
Everton 171 v Arsenal 74. Just throwing
that one out there so you know I'm not
making this stuff up.
26 min For all of that, the best chance of
the game has gone to Arsenal. Carzorla
feeds a teasing low cross through the
six yard box. Actually it's Kieran Gibbs
who's closest to converting having piled
forward to join the attack, but Jagielka
nudges him past the ball and the
chance goes.
24 min Aaron Ramsey 2012 vintage
makes a quick re-appearance there
with some sloppy possession
concession in his own half but he
quickly snaps back in with a recovery
tackle. Not long before Everton come
again though, Coleman cuts in from full
back and cracks a shot over. The
visitors totally dominant, their two full
backs rampant, but it's about scoring
when you're on top - actress, bishop
etc.
20 min Everton have drawn QPR at
home in the FA Cup Third Round. Very
fine club Queens Park Rangers, lovely
people. Arsenal are at home to Spurs in
other news. My word.
18 min Just not happening for the home
side who finally get some possession
around the edge of the box but waste
the opportunity with Santi Carzorla
uncharacteristically skewing a poor
pass out of play.
14 min Gareth Barry lucky not to see
yellow from our referee Howard Webb
for a crunching tackle on Ozil as he runs
away down the right side. Arsene
Wenger, standing nearby, has a bit of a
face on.
11 min Everton raid down the left this
time with Costa Rican full back Oviedo
(watch out England) bombing forward.
Barkley shoots wide via a deflection, the
corner falls to Distin who volleys wide.
9 min Crikey, an atmosphere almost
broke out there - Arsenal fans trying to
wake their team up a bit, spoiling the
ambience with the common football
chant. Arsenal still can't get the ball off
Everton - one wonders whether there
has ever been an opening ten minutes
on this ground where Arsenal have had
so little possession.
5 min Same again. Arsenal need to
protect their back four better than this -
Barkley is running at them at will,
Lukaku is pulling centre backs this way
and that with his runs, Mirallas looks
threatening.
4 min Ross Barkley breaks from halfway
with Lukaku and Mirallas for support,
feeds the ball wide to the latter but can't
get into position in the area to convert
the returned pass.
3 min Great start by Everton,
maintaining possession high up the field
and commiting plenty of men forward to
attacks. They're not here to shut up
shop on this evidence, and already
Seamus Coleman is getting joy down
the right flank.
1 min We're putting an appeal out for
Tim Howard's missing beard. Tweets
and e-mails to the usual addresses
(see above) and hopefully we'll have
tracked it down by half time. Do help
out if you can, the forecast is for a cold
night and it hasn't been out by itself
before.
16.00 And so is the game. Everton have
never won on this ground, Arsenal have
scored more goals against the Toffees
than any other Premier League team, is
today the day for change?
15.58 The penultimate Premier League
minute of applause in memory of Nelson
Mandela is underway.
15.56 Here come the teams, and here's
Martin Tyler, the British Airways captain
of the football commentary world.
15.55 BREAKING NEWS Tim Howard's
beard has gone. More on this as we get
it.
15.54 Everton await the arival of
Arsenal in the tunnel. Seamus Coleman
literally kicking his heels. There's only
four of them, that's how confident they
are, they're going to start short.
Arsenal manager Arsene
Wenger on the four changes
he's made to his side after a
midweek win at home to Hull: "Every
game is different and unpredictable, the
only way to make it predictable is for us
to have a great game today and with the
usual performance we have produced
recently. We need to rotate the squad
because we play a lot of games and
every three days there is a massive
game."
Everton manager Roberto
Martinez: "Technically
Arsenal's team is really gifted,
the biggest challenge for us will be how
quickly we can be ourselves. At Old
Trafford on Wednesday we could do
that for long periods in the second half.
That will be an interesting battle for us."
Everton's Gareth Barry: "It’s
been a good week's training,
the result at United sets us up
nicely for today. We’re confident and it
takes the pressure off us today a little
bit getting that result on Wednesday."
15.15 Aidy Boothroyd, Gary Megson,
Tony Pulis et al look away now; Arsene
Wenger's Arsenal v Roberto Martinez's
Everton promises to be a feast for fans
of the finer elements of football.
But we're not just here for the
aesthetics. Arsenal and Everton may be
known for passing the air out of the ball,
but neither is exactly renowned for
picking up trophies in recent times. Man
Utd, Chelsea and Manchester City
(away from home at least) are not so
much leaving the door ajar as allowing
it to flap in the wind and the Gunners
and the Toffees are well placed to
capitalise.
With all the usual caveats about the
amount of football left to play this
season accepted, Arsenal can go seven
points clear with a win while Everton
would move into third if they follow up
Wednesday night's 1-0 win at Man Utd
with a similar score here.
15.05 Part two of Megatron Sunday
takes us to North London for a liquid
football clash between Arsenal and
Everton. The teams look like this...
Arsenal: Szczesny; Jenkinson,
Koscielny, Mertesacker, Gibbs; Arteta,
Wilshere; Ramsey, Ozil, Cazorla; Giroud
Subs: Fabianski, Vermaelen, Monreal,
Rosicky, Flamini, Walcott, Bendtner
Everton: Howard; Coleman, Distin,
Jagielka, Oviedo; Barry, McCarthy;
Barkley, Pienaar, Mirallas; Lukaku.
Subs: Robles, Heitinga, Jelavic,
Deulofeu, Naismith, Osman, Stones