Five talking points from the Premier League: Game week 15

Everton seem to have finally rid themselves of their mental block

For all the plaudits that Moyes got for his tenure as the Toffees boss, there was one thing that he could never quiet achieve in his 11 years at the club. In 46 attempts, Everton were unable to beat a top four side away from home, but Martinez changed all of that with a victory over Manchester United on Wednesday, which was only their second on the ground in the Premier League era. He went into the game against Arsenal full of confidence and few teams have gone to Arsenal and dominated them, in terms of possession, the way the Toffees did on Sunday.

Although they came away with just a point, it was no more than what they deserved. But, for Martinez, there was something far more significant than the point, it was the fact that Everton had finally cleared the “mental block” they used to suffer when they played the big clubs. Moyes had not only instilled a siege mentality at Everton, but along with it, had also inadvertently, created a “small club” mentality. One that stopped them from going to Old Trafford and the Emirates and expressing themselves. But with four points from their last two games, which were at the aforementioned venues, the Toffees seem to have finally gotten rid of their “mental block”.