Given the other points dropped by Arsenal's title rivals this weekend, one may think that a home win against Everton was a must.
However, after a breathless game, and an excellent performance from Everton, a draw was not only a fair result, but potentially a good one when we look back at the end of the season.
WOJCIECH SZCZESNY – 7 – The Pole played as big a part in the result as anyone. He wasn't needed a great deal in the first-half. But he made two fine saves from Ross Barkley and Steven Pienaar, and denied Romelu Lukaku when the score was 1-1. Pretty blameless on the Everton goal.
CARL JENKINSON – 7 – He had early difficulties dealing with Bryan Oviedo in the opening 45 minutes. But he defended better as Oviedo tired as the game progressed. He will be disappointed not to have made many inroads going forward.
PER MERTESACKER – 8 - The German had an unenviable task playing against Lukaku, and while he appeared stretched on occasion, he always managed to prevent the Belgian wreaking havoc. He made his now customary amount of key interventions, and led the defence manfully, especially in the first-half.
LAURENT KOSCIELNY – 8 – While Mertesacker was occupied with Lukaku in the first-half, Koscielny had his hands full with the Belgian in the second. If anything, he played Lukaku even better than Mertesacker did. Making 8 interceptions, and 9 important clearances, it was one of his best displays of the season.
KIERAN GIBBS – 6 - The 6 rating isn't due to Gibbs' role on Gerard Deulofeu's goal, as even Paolo Maldini would have struggled to stop the young Spaniard's brilliance to equalise. All told, Gibbs defended pretty well, but he also has a crucial role as Arsenal's “out-ball”. However, he failed to effect the game going forward, and a pass accuracy of only 75% is below what we've come to expect.
MIKEL ARTETA – 6 - The skipper ran himself into the ground, but he can struggle defensively when not paired with Mathieu Flamini. He was pressed intensely by Ross Barkley, and couldn't always keep the young tyro on a leash when he made forward bursts.
AARON RAMSEY – 6 - Ramsey was denied by a good Tim Howard save just before half-time. But he failed to make the decisive contributions that have been the norm for the Welshman. His passing accuracy was only 77%, and he was dispossessed 4 times (more than any of his teammates). You wonder if this was a game too far for Ramsey, as he was substituted, and could be rested for Wednesday night's game against Napoli.
JACK WILSHERE – 6 - Wilshere's application could not be faulted, but he often had to play as an auxiliary wing-back, as Everton had complete control of the flanks in the early exchanges. It was much of the same when he switched to the left side of midfield. He was withdrawn after failing to make much impact on the Everton defence.
MESUT OZIL – 7 - The German found things tough going in the first-half, as he was suffocated by the Everton midfield, especially James McCarthy. However, he continued trying to find space, and became more of an influence after the break. No more so than with his goal, which gave Arsenal the lead. It's contributions such as these that explain why Arsene Wenger broke the bank to sign him.
SANTI CAZORLA – 6 - Like Wilshere, Cazorla was needed more as a defensive presence. He should be credited for his hard work to help keep Everton at bay, but he often flattered to deceive whenever he had possession. A pass success rate of 74% shows Cazorla still has a way to go to recover his impressive form of last season.
OLIVIER GIROUD – 6 - Giroud can always be relied upon to work hard, and he toiled against Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka. He held the ball up very well in the second-half, although he should have scored with the opportunity eventually converted by Ozil. However, he was desperately unlucky to hit the bar with a stunning effort just before full-time.
SUBS
MATHIEU FLAMINI –N/A- Added some greater energy to the midfield.
TOMAS ROSICKY –N/A- Played a fine ball to Theo Walcott in the build-up to Ozil's goal
THEO WALCOTT –N/A- Always a threat. Excellent work to assist Ozil's goal.
The draw means that Arsenal a still in a good league position, without ever feeling entirely comfortable. It puts the result into perspective that Everton have taken 7 points from a possible 12 against the four English-based Champions League clubs.
We will probably only know whether this was a point gained, or two dropped after the matches against Manchester City and Chelsea, which now take on a paramount importance.
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