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Arsenal were brought down to earth on Saturday, February 4, when they faced Everton in the Premier League. Despite the Toffees being huge underdogs and in their worst possible form, they still managed to upset Mikel Arteta’s side.
A second-half header from James Tarkowski was enough to earn Everton their first win in 10 matches as they desperately aim to avoid relegation.
For Arsenal, this is just their second loss in the Premier League this season and the first time they’ve suffered back-to-back defeats in the current campaign, having been beaten by Manchester City in the FA Cup last week.
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The Gunners remain top of the Premier League table, but their latest loss opens the door for Manchester City to reduce their lead to just two points.
Arsenal beaten at their own game
What has made Arsenal special this season is their proactivity and the willingness of the players to fight for each other on the pitch.
Unfortunately, though, Arteta’s charges departed from these values on Saturday, with Everton rather being the side that showed more character and grit.
The Toffees were a shambles under Frank Lampard but it has taken just days for new manager Sean Dyche to change their mentality and approach towards games. They never gave up even when the Gunners were dominating play and were patient enough to take their chance. Each player also put in a great shift from the first minute to the last, backed by a charged home crowd at Goodison Park.
Passion, unity and the 12th man’s support are usually the values associated with Arteta’s side but on this occasion, the Gunners were beaten at their own game by an Everton side that wanted it more.
Title race blown wide open
Arsenal had a great opportunity to open an eight-point gap at the top of the table, but by failing to beat Everton, they didn’t make it count.
As it stands, they could be just two points above Manchester City by the end of the weekend if Pep Guardiola’s side manages to win their game against Tottenham on Sunday.
This blows the Premier League title race wide open once again and with the Cityzens breathing down their necks, the Gunners' fans have every right to be concerned. Arteta certainly is, as per his post-match comments to Goal.
"Today I love them [players] much more than a week ago, a month ago, six months ago," the Arsenal manager said.
"It is easy to be next to someone when they're winning and playing well, but now is the moment to be next to them because they fully deserve it, and I am so proud to call them my players."
“This is not going to be a rosy pathway. This is going to be tricky, difficult, and we're going to have to react to disappointment. We're going to have to dig in and play better than we did today, that's for sure."
A month ago, the Gunners were being tipped to be runaway Premier League leaders, but we have a title race on our hands now, and it’s because the league leaders failed to get the job done against a relegation-battling Everton team.
