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SHOCK REVEALED: THE "UNSEEN" TACTICAL MASTERCLASS THAT PUT ARSENAL TOP FOR CHRISTMAS
Arsenal 1-0 Everton REVEALED: Declan Rice and Piero Hincapie lead a defensive wall that held Everton to a season-low xG.
We snagged the top spot for Christmas after beating Everton 1-0 away, our first time playing at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Viktor Gyokeres scored the only goal with a penalty. Adrian Clarke re-watched the game and pointed out what made us win on Merseyside.
Solid Defense
Our win came down to being solid and in charge.
We really focused on not letting Everton do much, and they only got 0.2 expected goals, which is their lowest this season.
We kept them at a distance without too much trouble. David Moyes’ team only got five shots (their second-lowest this season) and just one on target (tied for the lowest).
That one shot was a weak, looping header from Charly Alcaraz that went straight into David Raya’s hands.
That hopeful play was one of only two times a blue shirt got a pass or cross into a dangerous spot at Hill Dickinson Stadium during the whole game.
Everton – Successful Passes and Crosses
It was a team thing to shut down Everton’s attack, but Piero Hincapie should get a shout-out for dominating our third of the field.
He was tough and determined, clearing the ball a team-high ten times.
Rice Steps Up
Declan Rice was amazing again.
He hung back a bit more than usual, dropping between our centre-backs to start plays from our own half. He’d draw Everton in and then either pass forward or run with the ball.
He was key to our better play in the second half, grabbing important loose balls, like ten recoveries.
Rice controlled the ball, had the most touches, and was strong at winning it back and protecting our goal. He was in great form.
This chart shows all the work he did on the left side.
Rice Defensive Chalkboard – Recoveries, Clearances, Tackles, Interceptions
Strong on the Right
Our right side was where we looked best, with Jurrien Timber and Bukayo Saka gelling super well.
Timber timed his runs down the wing perfectly, and they were often too hot for Everton to handle.
Saka picked him out on this clever inside run, and a deflected cross gave us the corner that led to the winning penalty.
Timber kept bombing down the right after halftime, and Saka found him with a great pass.
Saka got a cutback pass from the right back but was unlucky when James Tarkowski cleared his shot off the line.
This map shows we got into Everton's area on the right side way more than on the left.
Vitaliy Mykolenko, Everton’s left back, was overwhelmed since Jack Grealish didn’t always track Timber or Odegaard’s runs.
Could've Won by More
We were all nervous in the last ten minutes because one mistake could have cost us the game, but we should've won by more.
We had some smooth passing plays that tore Everton apart during the game.
Two of those plays ended with us hitting the woodwork.
The first one would have been an amazing team goal. A sweet 14-pass play ended with Leandro Trossard hitting the post.
We passed through Everton’s pressure easily, got the ball down the right, and found some great angles to mess with them.
Odegaard passed to Rice, who passed perfectly to Trossard. He probably wished he’d curled the ball more to get it in the corner.
Then, David Raya, Declan Rice, and Leandro Trossard (whose pass let Riccardo Calafiori run forward) got involved. The Italian passed to Bukayo Saka for a 2v1.
Odegaard ran forward smartly and cut the ball back to Martin Zubimendi, who hit the post.
The stats might say we only had two shots on target from 13 tries, but we played some great passing football.
If we’d finished better, we’d have won easily.
Penalty Taker
Viktor Gyokeres has now scored 17 penalties in a row in league games since the start of 2023/24, and he hit his penalty on Merseyside with power.
Odegaard and Saka are both great options, too, but it was cool to see the leaders pick our Swedish striker to take it.
It helped both the team and Gyokeres, who hadn’t scored in his last five games.
Gyokeres smacked the ball in and put us back at the top.
MIKEL ARTETA OFFICIALLY CONFIRMS GABRIEL JESUS IS READY TO START AFTER 345 DAYS
Mikel Arteta hints at a Gabriel Jesus start vs Palace while Wayne Rooney backs Declan Rice for England captaincy.
Mikel Arteta hinted that Gabriel Jesus might start his first game in 345 days when Arsenal plays Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarter-final.
Arsenal will play Oliver Glasner’s team at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday. Arteta hopes winning this competition will end his almost six-year wait for a trophy.
Jesus scored three goals in Arsenal’s win against Palace in the same stage last year, but they lost to Newcastle in the semi-finals.
The Brazilian was out for 11 months because he hurt his left knee pretty badly.
But after coming on as a substitute in Arsenal’s wins against Club Brugge, Wolves, and Everton, Jesus might start against Palace. Arteta is likely to switch players around since they have six games in 20 days.
If Arsenal beats Palace, they'll play Chelsea in the next round.
“Yeah, he’s ready to start, you can tell,” Arteta said about the ex-Manchester City player.
“You can see it now, not just in games but every day in training, how much he wants it. He’ll get a chance soon.”
“It’s been a tough time. When he joined, he boosted the team’s belief, spirit, and energy. He gave us something different and was impressive.
“Then he had some bad injuries, which stopped him from having the consistency we need from a really key player.
“He’s back, and his fighting spirit and desire to always prepare in the best way are amazing. The team is united now, and we need to put that to good use.”
Jesus could replace Viktor Gyokeres, who, even though he scored a penalty in Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Everton on Saturday, hasn’t scored from open play in his last six games.
In midfield, Declan Rice is still doing great for Arsenal. Wayne Rooney has said he should take over from Harry Kane as England captain.
Rooney watched Rice play really well against Everton at Goodison Park. Speaking on the BBC’s The Wayne Rooney Show, the former England captain said, “I have to say, Declan Rice is unbelievable, and it was great watching him on Saturday.
“He was everywhere, and his decision-making—when to pass, where to pass, which foot to pass to, and his detail on his pass—was incredible.
“Harry Kane is the captain, but (Rice) is the future captain of England. He’s probably waiting for Harry to retire at some point.
“He’s the right one to take over because of his drive, his personality, and the fact that everyone seems to love him. He’s crucial for England.”
REVEALED: WHAT WAYNE ROONEY REALLY THINKS ABOUT VIKTOR GYOKERES’S "LOW" GOAL SCORING AT ARSENAL
Wayne Rooney defends Viktor Gyokeres' goal drought, claiming his work rate is the key to Arsenal winning the title.
Rooney chimed in on what Viktor Gyokeres brings to Arsenal after the Swedish player scored his seventh goal this season with a game-winning penalty against Everton.
When Gyokeres' value to the team came up, Rooney said, “I don’t agree with that take. A forward should take the penalty when it’s 0-0. If the game's already decided, sure, give it to someone else. But not at 0-0. That's on your designated penalty taker. If he misses, then there's a problem.
Your penalty taker has that role for a reason. He should take the penalty. I get giving penalties to guys who need a goal, but that's when you're already winning big. At 0-0? I know he's the main striker and you want to boost his confidence, but your penalty taker should take it—especially in a tough away game when you're trying to win the league. Luckily for Arsenal, he scored.
He does more than people give him credit for. Okay, he hasn’t scored as many goals as he did in Portugal, but he still brings something to the team. Last night, for example, he kept both center backs busy—Tarkowski and Michael Keane. Keane was great again; he's been playing really well for Everton. But Gyokeres kept them occupied, which opened up space for the number 10 or the wingers cutting inside. It keeps the center backs on their toes.
That creates space for other players, so I think he's important to Arsenal. He's helping the team even if he hasn't scored as many goals as people expect.
He'll be a vital part if Arsenal wins the title. Last season, we saw the ball going wide a lot. Declan Rice had to be the presence in the box, doing more work than he should have because Arsenal lacked a proper number nine. That’s what I mean about Gyokeres opening up space for others.
It's not always obvious, but he occupies the center backs. So, I think he's doing his job for Arsenal. Can he improve? Sure. Should he score more goals playing on that team? Of course. But if Arsenal wins the league, he'll have played a big role, for sure.”
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