Everton 2-1 Arsenal: Toffees FINALLY win again to ease pressure on Rafa Benitez as Demarai Gray hammers home stunning strike to seal comeback after Gunners had taken the lead through Martin Odegaard
- Ben Godfrey was lucky to stay on the pitch after catching Takehiro Tomiyasu in the face with his boot
- Arsenal took the lead when Martin Odegaard opened the scoring with a fine finish just before half-time
- Richarlison saw two goals disallowed before finally drawing his side level with an instinctive header
- Demarai Gray netted the winner with a lovely strike from outside the box in the closing stages
- Premier League table - as it stands
Signs of life from Everton at last. Rafael Benitez’s team only played for about 20 minutes here at Goodison Park but it was enough. From a goal down to victory in the blink of a disbelieving eye. This was some comeback, some finale. Whether it breathes new and sustained life in to their troubled season remains to be seen. But this was the very definition of thrilling all the same.
Arsenal have now lost twice in the north-west in the space of four days and continue to wrestle with an identity crisis all of their own. Last Thursday they were disappointed to come out the wrong side of a tight one at Manchester United but this will have felt like a different level of disbelief altogether.
The visiting team were not particularly impressive in what had been a poor game for an hour or more but they led through a Martin Odegaard goal scored in added time at the end of quite the most dismal first half of football this famous place can have witnessed for quite some time.
Declan Rice is targeted with chants about girlfriend by Chelsea fans
Father of drug addicted star reveals why he blames AFL for son's death
Footy world in shock as cult hero and legend Terry Hill dies aged 52
Nevertheless Arsenal were marginally the better of two poor teams for the most part and in truth seemed increasingly comfortable sitting on their lead as Everton continued to seek confidence, inspiration and fluency late in to the game.
Benitez, for all his troubles this season, does have some quality in his team, however. And it was a combination of the Brazilian striker Richarlison and young English winger Demarai Gray who somehow came together to turn this game round in the final moments.
Richarlison had already seen two ‘goals’ disallowed for offside – one in each half - when Gray let fly from 20 yards in the 80th minute. Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale may just have touched the ball on to the crossbar but when it bounced down, Richarlison was alive enough to head the rebound in to an empty goal. The 24-year-old celebrated like a player who had waited a while.
This was only his second Premier League goal since mid-August and as he threw himself in to the embrace of team-mates at the Gwladys Street End, it was almost possible over the din to hear the release of a pressure valve.
A draw at stage felt like something in itself for Benitez and his players. Last week’s 4-1 home dismantling by Liverpool for long periods seemed to have drained the life from them. Given that Richarlison’s two earlier efforts had been disallowed, Gray’s shot was actually his team’s first on target of the whole night. Yet, somehow and quite thrillingly, there was to be more.
Related Articles
As Arsenal substitute Eddie Nketiah headed a late chance against the post from two yards and the fourth official signalled six minutes of added time, Everton mounted one final surge.
Gray, cutting in from the left and now fuelled by late adrenaline, seemed only to be travelling sideways across the top of the penalty area but that in itself gave him an angle and another right foot strike – from a similar distance to his first – flew past a static Ramsdale and in to the net off the goalkeeper’s left hand post.
What a goal. What a finish to what at times had been a desperately ordinary evening. For Everton this was a first league win in nine games. Arsenal have now lost three of their lost four. With as little as 15 minutes left, none of that seemed in any way likely.
Everton will be elated and relieved. They will not care much for the details of this game, only the outcome. Arsenal, for their part, will rue further missed opportunity but will also carry a sense of injustice back to London.
Mikel Arteta’s team should probably have been a man up when Everton’s Ben Godfrey allowed his foot to come down on the face of Takehiro Tomiyasu with the game scoreless in the first half.
The replays looked awful, Godfrey’s left foot making firm contact after the ball had gone. VAR officials had a look and decided to take a lenient view. That seemed perplexing though the fact that Godfrey was looking the opposite way when his foot left its mark may have been a reason to save him.
In the second half Godfrey was fortunate again. This time a reckless lunge at Bukayo Sako brought him a yellow. It seemed touch and go and while Gordon has not got a reputation as a malicious player he may need to be rather more careful when his blood is up in future.
Arsenal may not have cared had they held on to their lead. Their goal was a nice one, Odegaard volleying in after Kieran Tierney had crossed from left. It was the only shot on goal from either team at that stage and the 200 or so Everton fans who had chosen to go home in the 27th minute (the club have gone 27 years without a trophy) seemed to have made a wise decision.
Richarlison’s header had been disallowed for offside minutes before Odegaard’s goal and when he ran through to beat Ramsdale just before the hour he was frustrated by the technology once again.
He could have let his head drop from that point but he didn’t. He was ready when Gray’s strike dropped from the bar 12 minutes later. As he tries to move this troubled, fractured club forwards, Benitez will reason to be deeply and rightly grateful.
Scroll down to see how it all unfolded with Sportsmail's live runner..
-
Spencer Morgan Host commentator
Chance!
Aubameyang passes up a chance to level at the death!
Save!
Everton break and Richarlison plays Iwobi through on goal against his former club. Ramsdale comes out quickly to close down the shot a deny him a special moment.
What a goal!
It's Gray with what looks to be a stunning winner as he cuts in from the left and fires a wonderful shot in off the far post.
Goodison is rocking.
Chance!
Partey finds Odegaard in space in the box. He takes too long and sees his shot blocked.
Six minutes of injury time!
Former Gunner Iwobi comes on for Gordon.
Arsenal have come to life since that equaliser. They are looking very dangerous now.
What a miss!
Saka makes space for himself on the right and finds Nketiah with a lovely ball to the back post.
It looks an easy header fro close range but he manages to out it onto the upright.
Had to score.
Chance!
Arsenal look to reply straight away Nkeitah's ball across goal reaches Odegaard in space in the box.
He hits it first time but it's well blocked by Godfrey.
Richarlison finally gets his goal!
Gray sees a fine long range effort cannon off the crossbar and the Brazilian does brilliantly to react and head over the stranded Ramsdale.
Ugly challenge.
Gordon goes over on Tavares and is perhaps a little lucky not to be punished.
Tavares is limping but will continue.
Odegaard enters the book now for time wasting.
Things are starting to get a bit scrappy, which isn't a surprise.
Martinelli's evening is over. On comes Nketiah.
Martinelli has picked up a knock. He's receiving treatment on the pitch.
The Everton fans aren't impressed.
Substitutions for both sides as Tavares replaces Tierney and Andre gomes comes on for townsend.
Xhaka enters the book after fouling Gordon.
Chance!
Martinelli runs through and tries to round the keeper. He does but makes the angle too tight for himself. He tries a cross but it lands on the roof of the net.
Another one ruled out for Richarlison!
Doucoure drives towards the edge of the box before releasing the forward at the last moment.
He runs through and finishes with aplomb but replays show he was about an inch offside.
He's got his head in his hands again.
Tierney puts in a lovely cross from the left but nobody is there to meet it.
Arsenal looking much better now.
Tierney puts in a lovely cross from the left but nobody is there to meet it.
Arsenal looking much better now.
Chance!
Odegaard whips in a lovely free-kick from the left which finds Gabriel in loads of space.
He heads straight at the keeper.
Godfrey does now enter the book after fouling Saka, who looks in quite a bit of pain. not for the first time tonight.
Arsenal may be winning but their fans will surely hope to see more from them in this half.
They offered nothing until that goal.
An awkward moment for Ramsdale as Gordon tries a first time cross from the right.
He shanks the ball high into the air but it almost creeps over the Arsenal keeper, who manages to back-peddle and tip over his crossbar.
We're back underway at Goodison Park.
That Godfrey incident looks worse with each viewing. He's so lucky to still be on the pitch.
Arsenal had just two touches in the opposition area but made one of them count right at the end of that half.
Arsenal lead!
Arsenal fly up the pitch into Everton's half, and Tierney crosses into the box. Odegaard arrives to stroke home a beautiful first-time volley into the net.
Lovely finish. His second in two matches.
Two minutes of added time.
Everton have the ball in the net but it won't count!
Richarlison rises highest to head home brilliantly from a free-kick but replays show he was marginally offside and the goal is chalked off.
Arsenal have really struggled to get the ball in to Lacazette. He's barely seen the ball so far.
Arsenal win a corner.
Pickford does well to come out and punch clear.
Everton looking the more likely but in truth neither side have offered much in this half.
Really disappointing game so far.
Mina's evening is over already.
Having just returned from injury he can't last more than 30 minutes. Holgate replaces him.
What a shame.
Godfrey is a lucky boy.
He catches Tomiyasu on the floor in the face with his boot. it looked as if he could have done more to avoid it.
There's a nasty cut on Tomiyasu;'s chin but no action is taken following a VAR review.
A few fans have walked out in protest but not too many.
Close!
Coleman puts a really dangerous ball across goal but mina can't quite reach it.
Chance.
A poor clearance from Gabriel sees the ball fed back to Doucoure just inside the box.
He swivels and snatches at the shot, dragging it wide.
Saka is back up now and ready to play on. Big relief for Arteta.
Worrying scenes for Arsenal fans as Saka stays down injured after being caught.
He looks in a lot of pain...
Odegaard tees up Partey outside the box but he launches it into row Z. So poor.
Tierney takes a bit of a knock competing for a 50:50 but he'll be fine to continue.
We have our first shot.
It's a really positive run from Gray who cuts in from the left and drives toward the edge of the box before blasting high and wide.
58% possession so far for the gunners.
Neither side are yet to register an attempt on goal though.
Arsenal starting to get a foothold in the game now. The put together a string of passes around the Everton box but can't find a way through.
Godfrey gets a chance to run at Tomiyasu but loses his footing and goes tumbling.
Everton with the brighter start. Arsenal yet to really have a kick of the ball.
Arsenal get us underway.
The #27minutesfor27years campaign will see large numbers of Everton fans leave their seats at the 27th minute of tonight's match as a visual representation of the campaign for change at Everton.
Arsenal will move up to fifth with a vicotry tonight, one point behind fourth-placed West Ham.
Everton, meanwhile, have had an awful start to the season. They are winless in eight and only five points clear of the relegation zone in 16th.
The warm ups are underway. Not long to go now.
- Everton won both Premier League games against Arsenal last season – they’ve not won three in a row against the Gunners in league competition since April 1986.
- Arsenal are without a win in their last three Premier League away games against Everton (D1 L2), last having a longer winless league run at Goodison Park between 1989 and 1994 (6 games).
- In his Premier League career, Everton manager Rafael Benítez has seen his sides concede more goals against Arsenal (27) than against any other team in the competition. Indeed, the Spaniard has seen his teams keep just one clean sheet in 17 top-flight games against the Gunners (1-0 with Liverpool in February 2016).
The decisions a lot of Arsenal fans were hoping for.
Lacazette comes in for the out of sorts Aubameyang while Tierney replaces Tavares.
Granit Xhaka returns to the side after two months out due to injury. Saka also returns to the starting line-up.
And welcome to Sportsmail's live coverage of Everton vs Arsenal.
Team news is due soon with kick-off at 8pm.
Comments
Comments
{{formattedShortCount}}
comments