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Arsenal shrugged off a poor start to the season with three wins on the trot while Everton came into this game at the back of a defeat against West Ham United. Marco Silva's men were looking to get back to winning ways and keep hopes of a top-six finish alive while Arsenal were chasing the champions league slots. An exciting game was on the cards in front of a vibrant Emirates stadium.
Everton looked better in the initial stages of the game exposing Arsenal's defensive frailties but the best chance within the first quarter of the game fell to Monreal, but Pickford brilliantly saved his shot in the Everton goal. Richarlison created an opportunity for himself and pulled out a decent save from Petr Cech. Theo Walcott looked lively and caused problems for his former teammates in the opening stages. Cech was indeed the busier of the two goalkeepers in the first half and made repeated saves to stop Everton from taking the lead.
Arsenal had decent chances of their own as well, and the Aubameyang shot clipped the frame of the goal. The game was pretty open, and any team could have taken the lead, but as it stood both the teams went goalless into the halftime break.
The Gunners started the second half brightly, and they got their reward when Lacazette shifted onto his right foot and curled a stunning strike in off the post. Another followed that goal from Aubameyang from an Ozil pass, and in a matter of two mins, Arsenal was two goals ahead. It looked like Aubameyand was offside, but the linesman didn't raise his flag much to the dismay of the Everton fans.
After those two goals, the Gunners sat back a bit and allowed Everton to attack which somewhat made them vulnerable to counter. Everton didn't create any clear-cut chances in the second half and kept their poor record away at Arsenal intact.
Three talking points from the game-
#3 Strike partnership shinning for Arsenal
When Arsenal bought Aubameyang, it put Lacazette's position severely under threat and no wonder he found himself playing second fiddle to the Gabonese in the latter stages of last season. Arsene Wenger found difficult to fit both of them in the starting line up.
Arsenal fans were calling for both of them to play together and see how they can terrorize defense with their pace and skill. Unai Emery paid heed to the cries and somehow fit both of them in the starting eleven, and they have exceeded everyone's expectations. Both the strikers scored today against Everton and looked a threat throughout the match. A striking partnership that's starting to get everyone's attention now.
#2 Thinking time for Marco Silva
Last season Everton had one of the poorest away records in the Premier League. On top of that Marco Silva after starting off superbly as Watford manager gradually faded away which ultimately led to his exit.
The Merseyside club has now lost two games in a row after making a positive start to the season. Last week at home against a struggling West Ham side, they lacked desire and intensity and today against Arsenal, they had moments in the first half, but in the second Everton was outplayed entirely by Arsenal. It's time for Marco Silva to go back to the drawing room and introspect what's going wrong in their games and come back stronger in the upcoming fixtures.
#1 The Gunners are gradually moving up
After starting off with two defeats in the opening two games, the Gunners are showing signs of their quality with four wins on the trot. Unai Emery's side is now on 12 points from the opening six games which are same as Tottenham.
Arsenal is now looking more of the side that we are accustomed to seeing all through these years. Unai Emery is keeping his feet under the table and bringing the best out of this team whose realistic expectation is a top-four finish and getting back into the Champions League. The defense is still a worry for the North London side, and they need to sort out that issue else against the big boys, they might get caught out.
