NEWS & MATCHES

Mar 17, 2023

A true Arsenal legend is celebrating his birthday today – and this one goes out to him

Pat Rice: a thread

Their trips to N5 have historically proven unfruitful with one win yielded from their past 26 visits, however more importantly their form on the road this season isn’t much better, having tasted success just once in their last 13 league away games, and scoring one goal in the last seven.

Sean Dyche has urged his team to rectify that as soon as possible as they bid to claw their way out of trouble, but with this being our game in hand over Manchester City, we’ll be hoping those away day blues for the blue half of Merseyside continue a little longer.

Dyche Digging In To Dodge Defeats

Having just managed to avoid relegation last term following Frank Lampard’s appointment in January, Everton are hoping lightning strikes again this term as once again they find themselves lodged in a fight to beat the drop.

Lampard was dismissed just shy of a year in charge following a run of one victory from 12 league games. Dyche was swiftly installed as his successor, who enjoyed a winning start at our expense thanks to James Tarkowski’s header.

Since then, they lost the Merseyside derby by a 2-0 scoreline, but recovered to beat Leeds United thanks to a well-taken Seamus Coleman goal. However, Saturday saw them fall to a 2-0 home defeat to Aston Villa, leaving them 18th in the table, a point from safety.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has missed all three games since our last encounter with a hamstring injury and will be out of this one as well.

James Garner is closing in on a first-team return after suffering back issues but isn’t ready just yet, while Nathan Patterson is still rehabbing a knee issue. Andros Townsend has been missing all season with an ACL injury but has been pencilled in for a March return.

Despite returning against Leicester City on Saturday, Thomas Partey may only be fit enough for the bench again, which leaves Gabriel Jesus and Mohamed Elneny as our only other absentees. Emile Smith Rowe and Jakub Kiwior played in our under-21s’ game against Chelsea on Monday to build up some match sharpness.

What The Managers Say

Arteta: “With Sean, it’s quite clear what he’s done and where the success they’ve had is coming from. Tomorrow we’ll prepare the game in an appropriate and similar way [to the away match]. But with every manager, it’s the same.

“We have to look at certain matches, what they do and try to get the right tactics to beat them - and as well the same mentality and expectation of what we demand in the game.” - read every word from Mikel’s pre-match press conference.

Dyche: “From the outside, with the stats and facts and that you’re going down to Arsenal who are currently having a terrificseason,mostpeopleontheoutsidewouldsuggestthat it’s unlikely that we’ll get a result but that can bring a bit more freedomtothegroup.

“It might mean you don’t think we’re going to do anything - but that doesn’t mean we don’t. It means we’ll certainly be going down there with our eyes on the prize and delivering a performance that can get something.”

Talking Tactics

Michael Cox,writingintheofficialmatchdayprogramme: Dyche’s approach has been broadly what we would have expected, featuring good defensive organisation, long periods without the ball and a considerable threat from set-pieces. Although regularly a 4-4-2 man at Burnley, Everton’s lack of centre-forward options means he’s been using a 4-5-1.

Having scored the winner against us, Tarkowski has arguably been Everton’s major goal threat under Dyche, always at the far post. He is paired with Conor Coady in the middle of the back four, who has largely adjusted well after playing in a back three at Wolves.

They’re flanked by captain Coleman and Vitaliy Mykolenko who are capable of getting forward to good effect. Idrissa Gueye sits deep to protect the centrebacks, while the other two central midfielders, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Amadou Onana, are given more license to push forward, with and without the ball. They tend to press high without possession, and Everton’s defensive line has been more aggressive than you might expect under Dyche.

The major question mark is up front after Calvert-Lewin’s latest injury. Everton are unlikely to score many under Dyche, but with their defence looking solid, one goal will often be enough.

Facts And Stats

We have won 99 of our 203 league games against Everton, and could become the first team in English league history to register 100 victories against a specific opponent. The Toffees have won four of their last five league games against us. It’s as many victories as they had in their previous 28 (D8 L16). Everton have never won a Premier League away game against the side starting the day top of the table, drawing five and losing 19 such matches. Victory here would be the joint fastest we have ever reached 60 points in a single league campaign, also doing so after 25 games in both 2003/04 and 2007/08.

Having lost his first nine Premier League games against us, Sean Dyche has lost just one of his last six (W2 D3). However, his sides have never scored more than once in those 15 meetings, netting seven goals in total.

Gabriel Martinelli has scored in his last two Premier League appearances – he’s never scored in three in a row within the same season before. He’s scored nine league goals this season, and could become the third Brazilian to reach double figures in a single campaign while aged 21 or under, after Gabriel Jesus (2017/18) and Richarlison (2018/19).

Match Officials

Michael Oliver makes his first appearance at Emirates Stadium since Boxing Day when we beat West Ham United, having also overseen our wins against Liverpool and Chelsea this term. We have won 23 of the 50 games of ours he has refereed. In his 28 matches across all competitions this season, he has sent off just two players and awarded nine penalties - two of which have been in matches involving ourselves.

• Referee: Michael Oliver

• Assistant Referee 1: Stuart Burt

• Assistant Referee 2: Simon Bennett

• Fourth Official: David Coote

• VAR: Tony Harrington

• Assistant VAR: James Mainwaring

Recent Visits From Everton

The Toffees haven’t enjoyed their trips to Emirates Stadium and Highbury over the past three decades, having only won one of their last 26 trips to our patch, with that win coming in April 2021 when a Bernt Leno own goal settled the game.

Last season saw us claim a 5-1 victory on the final day of the campaign, with Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, Cedric Soares, Gabriel and Martin Odegaard all netting in a convincing win - one of 11 occasions we have netted more than four goals against Everton in the Premier League.

We edged out 3-2 victors back in February 2020 when Nketiah got on the scoresheet again before Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s brace secured the win - which at that point was our sixth successive league victory on home turf against Everton.

Watch some more memorable encounters, including a 7-0 thrashing, a four-goal Ian Wright haul and a championship-clinching classic.

Breakdown Live

Join Nicole Holliday and Adrian Clarke at 6.45pm UK time for all the best build-up to the big game on Breakdown Live. The pair will be joined pitchside at Emirates Stadium by YouTuber ChrisMD, while the music industry will be well represented with NSG, Gilles Peterson and Theo from Wolf Alice popping by the box, plus Stazzy and Australian rules footballer Akec Makur Chuot from Hawthorn Football Club will be amongst our studio audience. We’ll look back on our win at Leicester, tell you all you need to know about Everton and discuss the versatility that Leandro Trossard brings to the side.

Then at 7.45pm there will be live commentary from Dan Roebuck and Ian Selley to keep you updated with all the goingson during the game, so make sure you tune in!

Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli both struck their 10th Premier League goals of the campaign late in the first half to put us in control, before Martin Odegaard virtually sealed the win when he tucked home a Leandro Trossard cutback.

Martinelli then netted his fourth goal in his last three outings 10 minutes from time

Double Delight Before The Break

The first half was a slow burner, with initially few little opportunities created by either side. Jorginho saw an attempt from a short corner flash over the top of the crossbar four minutes in, while the only piece of work Aaron Ramsdale had to do in the opening half saw him comfortably deal with a Neal Maupay effort from range. In a similar fashion to the game at Goodison 25 days earlier, the visitors attempted to frustrate us by playing a low block and soaking up any pressure, while looking to spring counter attacks whenever possible. While these were few and far between, Gabriel had to be alert to make an excellent sliding tackle to prevent Maupay getting another sight of goal after a breakaway. It looked as though we would have little to show for our efforts from the first 45, however five minutes before half-time some Saka magic saw us find our way in front. Oleksandr Zinchenko roamed infield, picked up possession and instantly played an inch-perfect pass into the feet of Saka. After controlling the ball, an excellent touch saw him spin past Vitalii Mykolenko to open up a shooting chance, and despite a tight angle he thrashed a shot into the top corner past his international colleague Jordan Pickford to hit double figures for the season in the Premier League. And then in stoppage-time, we managed to gain firm control of the game by doubling our lead. Idrissa Gueye dispossessed Martin Odegaard in midfield but was caught dawdling on the ball, allowing Saka to nip in and prod it into the path of Martinelli, who cooly dispatched past Pickford. The goal was initially ruled out for offside by the linesman’s flag, but VAR intervened and showed the Brazilian was marginally behind his teammate to score for the thirdstraight game and hand us a healthy half-time lead.

RED-HOT MARTINELLI ADDS ANOTHER

With his side now needing something different to get back into the contest, Dyche shuffled his pack and Ramsdale had to be alert to dive low and push away a Dwight McNeil shot after a powerful run from the Toffees winger, but after that brief scare we wrapped the crucial points up on 71 minutes. Leandro Trossard was sent on his way down the left in acres of space, and he had plenty of time to get into the box and cut the ball back for Odegaard to finish off the simple opportunity.

With the confidence flowing through the team, we looked in the mood to score more and Pickford did well to smother an Eddie Nketiah shot after he was found by a delightful Thomas Partey pass, but 10 minutes from time we added a fourth.

Zinchenko was once involved as he nudged the ball into Nketiah’s path, and he put the ball on a plate for Martinelli to prod past Pickford at the near post and put further gloss on the victory, ensuring our 100th league win against Everton - a first in English history - was a memorable one.

Facts And Stats

We scored 4+ goals against Everton in a Premier League match for the 12th time – more than any side has done against another in the competition’s history.

Everton suffered their biggest Premier League defeat since the final day of last season, and a 5-1 loss against us at the Emirates.

The Toffees have lost three consecutive Premier League away games without scoring for the first time since March 2015.

Bukayo Saka’s opener was his 50th goal involvement in the Premier League (now 27 goals, 24 assists). At 21 years and 177 days, he’s the sixth youngest player to reach the milestone in the competition.

Both Saka and Gabriel Martinelli scored their 10th Premier League goals of the season, making us the only side to have two players reach double figures for goals so far this campaign.

Leandro Trossard has been involved in 12 Premier League goals for us (3) and Brighton (9) combined this season (8 goals, 4 assists), his best return in a single campaign in the competition.

WHAT’S NEXT

This was the first of six games in a 19-day period. We are at home again on Saturday when we entertain Bournemouth, before we turn our attention to the Europa League as we head to Lisbon to take on Sporting CP in the first leg of our round of 16 tie on Thursday, March 8. That is followed by a London derby against high-flying Fulham the following Sunday.