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.
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Jordan Pickford was in fine form between the sticks for the Toffees, who also defended excellently to frustrate their hosts.
Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka came closest for the Gunners, but were both denied by the England goalkeeper.
And other than a late penalty shout for a tackle by Vitalii Mykolenko on Thomas Partey, which was waved away by referee Craig Pawson, 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.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
15 | +18 | 36 |
| 2 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
15 | +17 | 31 |
| 3 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
16 | +14 | 30 |
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
15 | +6 | 27 |
| 5 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
15 | +1 | 25 |
How the match unfolded
Everton had the first big chance of the game, Abdoulaye Doucoure finding space inside the box but seeing his left-footed 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 quickly 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, particularly in the first half.
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 for 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
What the managers said
Mikel Arteta: "Very disappointing not to win the game. We fully deserved to win the game. We conceded no shots. We dominated play. When we generated big chances we didn’t score a goal."
Sean Dyche: "They're a fine side. We know that. The players put a big shift in. The commitment to doing the basics - pressing and recovering and staying true to it for 90 minutes. I was proud of the players."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Arsenal have drawn back-to-back Premier League games for the first time since April 2023 (three in a row), while this was their first goalless draw at the Emirates since January 2023 against Newcastle.
Everton have kept six clean sheets in their last nine Premier League games, although they have failed to score in six of those matches themselves during this period. The Toffees have now played out 109 goalless draws in the Premier League, the most in the competition’s history (overtaking Aston Villa, with 108).
Arsenal (17) and Everton (13) have kept the most Premier League clean sheets in 2024.
Pickford was shown his 19th Premier League yellow card in this game with only Jussi Jaaskelainen (24) and Ederson (23) receiving more among goalkeepers in the competition’s history.
