Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes hit another hurdle as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton’s stubborn rearguard at Emirates Stadium.

Jordan Pickford was in fine form between the sticks for the Toffees, who also defended excellently to frustrate their hosts on Saturday.

Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka came closest for the Gunners but were both denied by England's goalkeeper.

And other than a late penalty shout for a tackle by Vitalii Mykolenko on Thomas Partey, which was waved away by the referee with the decision upheld by VAR, Everton were able to keep any late drama to a minimum.

The draw leaves Arsenal in third position, behind Liverpool and Chelsea, while Everton are 15th.

How the match unfolded

Everton had the first big chance of the game, Abdoulaye Doucoure finding space inside the box but seeing his left-foot strike well blocked by Gabriel Magalhaes, though the Gunners swiftly established their dominance, with Gabriel Martinelli and Odegaard going close.

Saka saw a shot blocked before teeing up the best opportunity of the half for Odegaard on the half-hour mark, the Norwegian producing a good save from Pickford with his strike, which took a deflection off James Tarkowski.

Pickford had one more shot to save before the break, throwing out his left leg to stop Martinelli, and produced arguably his best save of the whole match when denying Saka's volley 59 seconds into the second period.

He reacted fast again on the hour mark to kick away a dangerous Saka cross as Everton continued to thwart Mikel Arteta’s team. There was one moment of fleeting excitement for Arsenal fans when VAR took a look at Mykolenko's challenge but no penalty was awarded.

Gunners miss opportunity

On another day, any of Arsenal's presentable chances might have flown in and they would be celebrating another home win.

Arteta's side did cause Everton problems, particularly via the usual sources of Odegaard and Saka, with the two dovetailing to nice effect in the first half particularly.

Arsenal took 13 shots on goal throughout the contest, with Odegaard and Saka responsible for three each.

It is also true, however, that the Gunners were nowhere near their best, particularly after Declan Rice and Odegaard were withdrawn on the hour mark in what was a bold call from Arteta.

Substitutes Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Ethan Nwaneri struggled to make the desired impact and Everton were able to limit the Gunners to little in the final stages.

In rudimentary terms, the biggest concern for Arsenal is the number of points they have now dropped.

Following up last week's draw at Fulham with another stalemate means they have won half of their 16 league games this season. Their maximum points tally for the 2024-25 campaign is now 96, leaving them little room for error if standards from recent seasons are anything to go by.

Frustratingly for the Gunners, leaders Liverpool drew at home to Fulham elsewhere on Saturday, meaning they missed a great chance to close the gap on Arne Slot’s side.

Pickford produces his best

Pickford brought up his 300th Premier League appearance in Everton’s win over Wolves earlier this month, and the 30-year-old called on all of that experience to help Sean Dyche’s team come away with what could prove to be a valuable point in their bid to push themselves away from danger.

In order for the visitors to take anything from this game they were going to have defend bravely and astutely, which they managed for the majority of the contest. But they were also going to require a flawless performance from their goalkeeper – and Pickford obliged.

He commanded his area well as Everton, in the main, nullified Arsenal’s set-piece threat, with Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite excellent. And Pickford’s stop to keep out Saka's volley in the opening minute of the second half was particularly eye-catching.

It summed up what was a very different Everton performance from the one they turned in in their last away game, when they were beaten 4-0 by Manchester United.

Having kept four clean sheets in their last five league games, Dyche's side can perhaps begin to breathe a little easier.

Club reports

Arsenal report | Everton report

Match officials

Referee: Craig Pawson. Assistants: Eddie Smart, Con Hatzidakis. Fourth official: Andrew Kitchen. VAR: Paul Tierney. Assistant VAR: Dan Cook.