Arsenal missed a golden opportunity to close the gap at the top of the Premier League as a determined Everton held them to a 0-0 draw at the Emirates Stadium. The result leaves the Gunners six points adrift of leaders Liverpool, having played a game more.
Coming into the match with three straight home wins without conceding, Arsenal started brightly, controlling possession and creating early chances. However, Everton came closest to scoring in the first half when Abdoulaye Doucouré’s effort was heroically blocked by Gabriel.
Content to defend deep, the visitors restricted Arsenal to speculative efforts despite Martin Ødegaard’s creativity shining through. The Norwegian, who has fashioned a league-high 17 chances since returning from injury, came close on multiple occasions but couldn’t beat Jordan Pickford. The second half saw more of the same with Arsenal pushing for a breakthrough, Bukayo Saka’s volley superbly saved by Pickford to underline the form of the England goalkeeper. However, Arsenal’s attacking tempo waned after Mikel Arteta’s decision to withdraw Declan Rice and Ødegaard on the hour mark.
In front of their frustrated fans, Everton’s solid defense held tight- four clean sheets now in five games. It puts the Toffees three points clear of the drop and leaves Arsenal to rue missed opportunity.
