Iliman Ndiaye's penalty earned a point for Everton as they fought back to draw 1-1 with Arsenal at Goodison Park, who dropped more points in the title race.
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Ndiaye stroked home from 12 yards to score his seventh Premier League goal of the season, the most for Everton this season, after Myles Lewis-Skelly had fouled Jack Harrison early in the second half.
Playing as Arsenal's central striker, Leandro Trossard had given Mikel Arteta's visitors a deserved half-time lead, but their performance tailed off after the break.
Ahead of the first leg of Arsenal's UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid on Tuesday, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli all started on the bench and were unable to make an impact after coming on.
Arsenal are now 11 points behind leaders Liverpool, who can go 14 points clear at the top with a win at Fulham on Sunday and need a maximum of 11 more points to win the title. Everton go 14th on 35 points.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
34 | +48 | 82 |
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
34 | +34 | 67 |
| 3 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
34 | +21 | 62 |
| 4 |
Man City
MCI
|
34 | +23 | 61 |
How the match unfolded
Everton survived some early pressure as Tim Iroegbunam's block denied Raheem Sterling, while Jarrad Branthwaite's goalline header stopped a Declan Rice corner from curling in.
But Arsenal went ahead from a lightning 34th-minute counter-attack. Sterling advanced from deep before offloading to Trossard, who shifted the ball on to his left foot and found the far corner from just inside the area.
Groans of frustration were audible late in the first half as Everton sat off Arsenal, who almost doubled their lead when Trossard's shot was blocked by the feet of Jordan Pickford.
It was Arsenal who started the second half poorly, though, as Lewis-Skelly was caught the wrong side of Harrison and hauled him down inside the box. A VAR review confirmed Darren England's decision and Ndiaye slotted home from the spot.
Martinelli drew a full-stretch save from Pickford and Mikel Merino sent a header wide in the latter stages, but Arsenal were flat for much of the second half and could have few complaints at having to settle for a point.
Everton's game of two halves
David Moyes' second spell in the Everton dugout has been a roaring success, with Wednesday's Merseyside derby defeat to Liverpool just their second Premier League loss since his comeback.
But his team started slowly on Saturday, and Moyes had his head in his hands when a breakdown in communication between Idrissa Gueye and Branthwaite led to Trossard opening the scoring. Gueye went up for a loose ball ahead of his own team-mate and only succeeded in nodding it into space for Sterling, who scampered upfield to assist Trossard.
Everton were generally sloppy in possession and struggled to lay a glove on Arsenal before the interval, when they were jeered off by a frustrated Goodison Park crowd.
But Moyes' half-time words did the trick, as Harrison's sheer determination got him into the position to win their spot-kick. Ndiaye sent David Raya the wrong way and was also diligent in his defensive work, helping stand-in left-back Nathan Patterson keep Saka quiet after his half-time introduction.
While Everton never truly looked like getting a winner, Moyes will be delighted with the way they battled for their point in the second half.
They will need to show similar levels of fight in their upcoming games, too, with Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Chelsea up next.
Arsenal fade after bright start
With Liverpool having pulled clear at the top of the Premier League, Arsenal's most realistic chance of silverware this season appears to be in the Champions League, with Madrid visiting Emirates Stadium on Tuesday.
Arteta insisted on Friday he would not look past Everton, but captain Odegaard joined Saka and Martinelli on the bench at Goodison as the manager rotated his squad.
Trossard was one of the players introduced as the Belgian led the line, with Merino returning to a more familiar midfield position after scoring in Tuesday's victory over Fulham as a forward.
Trossard's pace and clever movement brought a more fluid look to the Arsenal attack, and he had already drawn a goal-saving challenge from Branthwaite before he opened the scoring.
Arsenal were comfortable for 45 minutes, but one misjudgment from Lewis-Skelly changed this game. After being beaten by the bounce of the ball, he wrapped an arm around Harrison then fell on to his opponent's leg inside the area to concede the penalty.
Having something to defend played into Everton's hands, and Arsenal's performance – much like their title challenge – fizzled out somewhat.
Jakub Kiwior's composed performance at the back will be a positive for the Gunners, though, as they prepare for the challenge of facing Madrid without the injured Gabriel.
Club reports
Everton report | Arsenal report
What the managers said
David Moyes: "Really satisfied. We didn't start well but we showed a little bit more in the second half which got us back in the game. It's been a difficult week, against the team top of the Premier League and the team in second, and I think we've given them both decent games."
Mikel Arteta: "I think we deserved more but [a point] is what we got in the end at a really tough place to come. What they do, they do really well, constantly putting balls into the last line, dealing with direct play. I don't think w2e conceded anything in the game, which was really positive. We were 1-0 up and had some big opportunities running into spaces but didn't finalise the actions."
Next PL fixtures
Key facts
Everton are the first team to record four consecutive home score draws in the Premier League since Chelsea in February 2016.
Arsenal have drawn seven Premier League games after going ahead this season, more than any other side.
James Tarkowski received his 64th yellow card in the Premier League, the outright most of any player never to be have been sent off in the competition.
Sterling assisting Trossard was the first time two players aged 30+ combined for a Premier League goal for Arsenal since March 2021, when Willian set up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang against Burnley.