Forwards seal win but Arsenal only earn a C in our report card as Everton expose cracks

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  • Arsenal are starting from scratch under new boss Unai Emery, says Petr Cech.

    Arsenal picked up their fourth Premier League win on the bounce as they defeated Everton 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

    Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were both on target in close proximity during the second half to seal all three points.

    Here is our report card from the clash.

    30 SECOND-REPORT

    Arsenal should’ve gone behind during the opening exchanges as Dominic Calvert-Lewin went clean through but failed to go around Petr Cech when the pass to Richarlison was on.

    The hosts dominated possession but Everton looked threatening on the break with the pace of Theo Walcott and Richarlison in particular.

    The Brazilian tested Cech on a couple of occasions while Arsenal’s forwards struggled to create clear-cut chances, although Nacho Monreal forced an excellent save from Jordan Pickford when the ball fell to him inside the box.

    The home side started brightly in the second half and caught Everton off guard to score twice in quick succession. That period of play seemed to knock the stuffing out of the visitors who only came closest from a Michael Keane header in the second half.

    Alexandre Lacazette (R) scores the opening goal

    Alexandre Lacazette (R) scores the opening goal

    THE GOOD

    Strike partnership – Well, it’s not a traditional partnership since Aubameyang does play off the left flank. However, the fact both forwards can not only occupy the same pitch simultaneously but excel bodes well for Arsenal. Lacazette doesn’t need to be constantly involved as he’s more of a predator and can pop up with a goal at any moment. His strike to break the deadlock on this occasion was sumptuous. Aubameyang’s pace meanwhile, is utilised to its fullest extent out wide though he does reserve the option to make angled runs in behind the centre-backs or get into the box to finish off moves – which is how he added the hosts’ second.

    Attacking threat – With Richarlison making his return from suspension, Everton’s attack looked dangerous despite Tosun dropping to the bench in favour of Calvert-Lewin. There was plenty of pace in the front line with Walcott returning to his old hunting ground as well. The visitors consistently got in behind Arsenal’s defence, particularly in the first half and had the better chances with Petr Cech forced into a few good saves.

    Richarlison (L) was a threat.

    Richarlison (L) was a threat.

    THE BAD

    Vulnerable defence – The only thing more broken than this record is Arsenal’s defence. Every performance exposes the same glaring flaw in their rearguard – that suicidal high-line. Unai Emery is stubborn in his refusal to deviate from it though and that suits every other manager in the Premier League just fine. For all of Arsenal’s good play further up the pitch, that high-line will always give the opposition a chance until he can bring in players more suited to it.

    Switching off – The scoreline flatters Arsenal but Everton only have themselves to blame – and partly the linesman perhaps. The Toffees weren’t just in the contest, they probably shaded it overall but a period of two minutes and 46 seconds took the game away from them. Lucas Digne was great going forward but didn’t take note of Mesut Ozil’s positioning who had all the time in the world to pick out Aaron Ramsey in the box whose flick found Aubameyang to finish although replays show the Gabon international was offside.

    Arsenal's defence remains a concern.

    Arsenal’s defence remains a concern.

    TACTICAL TURNING POINT

    Change up front – In fairness to Marco Silva, he had the right idea. Opting for Calvert-Lewin ahead of Tosun made sense from a tactical point of view. The youngster is more mobile and better at running the channels. He can play on the shoulder of the last defender and offers great pace to run in behind.

    He did all that just fine and Everton’s  speedy attack exposed Arsenal’s high-line time and again. Except, you can’t account for a player’s decision-making and that’s where Calvert-Lewin let himself and his team down.

    Inside the opening two minutes, the English striker ignored Richarlison on the far side and tried to go around Cech instead, who won the duel. He seemed to lose confidence right then and didn’t register a shot for the entirety of his 72-minute performance.

    He failed to hold the ball up when needed as well and had a performance to forget. The tactics justified Silva’s decision but it ultimately backfired.

    Petr Cech of Arsenal denies Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

    Petr Cech of Arsenal denies Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

    VERDICTS

    ARSENAL: C

    There’s still a lot of work to be done but they showed their quality in attack which eventually came to the fore. The defending leaves a lot to be desired though. However, they did do well to keep Everton at bay in the second half.

    EVERTON: C-

    Went toe-to-toe with Arsenal and were the better side in the first half. Didn’t make the most of their opportunities though and were made to pay.

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