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Arsenal beat Everton 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday night to move top of the table at least until the Manchester Derby on Sunday. Goals from Olivier Giroud and Laurent Koscielny gave Arsenal a two-goal lead in the first half before Ross Barkley scored minutes before half-time. But the Gunners hung on in the second half in an open game which also saw Everton lose Gareth Barry to a red card in the final minute.
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Squads
Arsenal: Cech; Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal; Coquelin, Cazorla, Ozil; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Sanchez, Giroud
Everton: Howard; Coleman, Jagielka, Stones, Galloway; Barry, McCarthy, Lennon, Deulofeu, Barkley; Lukaku
First Half: Arsenal score two goals in two minutes before Barkley gives Everton hope
Arsenal had the early runnings in the first chance of the game when Brendan Galloway conceded a corner kick. Santi Cazorla’s corner kick was met by a rising Olivier Giroud but a tough header went just wide of the post.
The Gunners won a corner again in the 10th minute and this time Cazorla’s cross was a little deeper, but Gabriel’s header went high with the Brazilian absolutely cross with himself for missing an uncontested header in the centre of the box.
As the rain came down at the Emirates, it was still Arsenal who were in control. Ozil was in fine form in midfield when a through ball took out five Everton players to find Alexis Sanchez in the box, but the Chilean was unable to take a shot or make a pass near the goal line.
Francis Coquelin was the first player to go into the book for a sliding tackle on Galloway in the 25th minute. Three minutes later, Everton had a corner and the Toffees almost took the lead when John Stones took a shot after Petr Cech had initially blocked the first cross. But the English defender’s shot was wide.
The north London side continued to create chances in and around the Everton box as first Ozil sent a free kick into the box which was headed wide by Laurent Koscielny before Nacho Monreal helped create an opportunity for Alexis Sanchez whose first-time shot from outside the box was off target.
At the other end, Gerard Deulofeu was stopped in his tracks by Gabriel in the box. Although the Spanish winger went down in the box, referee Lee Mason waved away the Toffees’ call for a penalty.
Olivier Giroud then gave the Gunners the lead in the 36th minute when Mesut Ozil’s cross from the right found him in the box in front of Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard. The French striker leaped into the air but only just caressed the ball past the American goalkeeper to make the score line 1-0.
Two minutes later, the home side doubled their lead. After winning a free kick on the left, Santi Cazorla whipped in a cross and Laurent Koscielny was on hand inside the six-yard box to nod the ball past Howard again.
But just before the half-time whistle, Everton got back into the game with a deflected goal. Ross Barkley made a run towards the box with the ball and although Cech had his initial shot covered, the ball hit Gabriel’s foot and went between Cech and the near post.
Half-time: Arsenal 2-1 Everton
Second Half: Arsenal hang on in open game as Everton search for equalizer
Arsenal started the second half on the front foot, mounting attack after attack, trying to punish a lax Everton defence. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain tried to release Alexis Sanchez but both times the Chilena was frustrated by Howard. Seamus Coleman also tested Cech with a shot that was heading for the top right corner which was saved.
Ramiro Funes Mori then replaced Phil Jagielka after he suffered an injury. The defender had gone down holding his knee but walked off the pitch.
Hector Bellerin then provided a delightful cross after he was released by Gabriel down the right flank but Giroud was too late to reach the six-yard box and missed the opportunity to score his second as the defence cleared the ball.
The game opened up at the hour mark with both sides creating chances to make it an end-to-end game. The only ingredient missing was their play in the final third. Deulofeu first tried to feed Barkley in the box, but Gabriel was on hand to dispossess the English midfielder.
At the other end, Cazorla tried to dink a pass over the defence to Ozil making a run but it was too high and Howard collected it easily. Gareth Barry then went into the referee’s book for pulling Ozil’s shirt in the 66th minute.
Three minutes later, Ozil presented Giroud with another opportunity to score but the Frenchman’s curling effort from the edge of the box came off the bar. In his frustration, Giroud was booked a few second later after he tried to dispossess Barkley but fouled him instead.
Galloway then tried to head the ball in at the far post from a deep cross sent in by James McCarthy, but his effort went wide although Cech had it covered. Their best chance of the half then fell to Lukaku when Barry’s cross was headed goalward. But the Belgian striker’s header bounced off the bar with Cech completely stranded.
Wenger didn’t make his first substitution until the 81st minute when Chamberlain was taken off for Mathieu Flamini. He almost made his way into the box and was furious after the linesman awarded a goal kick when he was actually dispossessed by an Everton defender.
Surprisingly, the French midfielder, brought on to close the game out, had two chances to score – one with a curling effort that went wide and with a header that fell straight into Howard’s gloves. Cech then made a superb save at the other end to deny Barkley before Koscielny made an overhead clearance.
Sniffing another goal, Roberto Martinez brought on striker Arouna Kone for right-back Seamus Coleman while Wenger decided to shut shop by bringing on Kieran Gibbs for Alexis Sanchez. But Arsenal went close again in the final minute after Ozil’s shot came off the post with a wrong-footed Howard beaten.
Gareth Barry then saw red when he was booked again for a foul on Gibbs outside the Everton box. That was the last play of the game as Lee Mason blew the whistle to give Arsenal a hard-fought 2-1 win.
