Odegaard and Martinelli fire Gunners five points clear at top
The Gunners have won eight out of their last nine home games against Everton in all competitions, but have only managed to claim three points in front of their own fans on one occasion in their last four Premier League games, and this was clearly playing on the minds of Mikel Arteta’s men in the early exchanges.
Everton looked threatening on the break but ultimately failed to fashion any real clear-cut chances, and they were punished on 40 minutes when Oleksandr Zinchenko slipped in Bukayo Saka, who hammered in the opener with his right foot from a tight angle.
Controversial VAR decisions have threatened to derail Arsenal’s title bid in recent weeks, but it was on their side just before the break.
Idrissa Gueye dallied on the ball on the edge of the 18-yard box, which gave Saka the chance to knick the ball and play in Gabriel Martinelli, who was on hand to tuck away the strike beyond Jordan Pickford.
Initially the goal was ruled out for offside by the linesman, but a quick visit to Stockley Park reversed the decision and awarded the home side’s second goal before HT.
Leandro Trossard has been preferred to Eddie Nketiah for the last two matches, and this is thought to be largely due to the Belgian’s ability to link up offensive play more effectively.
This was no more evident than in Arsenal’s third goal, as Trossard’s surging run and incisive pass found Martin Ødegaard in the middle, who finished well. Nketiah was introduced and made an instant impact, breaking free on the left to cross for Martinelli, who poked in his second.
The new boss bounce appears to have firmly worn off for Everton and Sean Dyche, whose search for his first points on the road as the Toffees’ manager goes on, but Arteta was all smiles come the final whistle as his current crop became just the third Arsenal team to reach 60 points in their first 25 Premier League games.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
