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Mikel Arteta's slow decision almost costs Arsenal as they climb back to the top
Arsenal have climbed back to the top of the Premier League table, after briefly being knocked off their perch by Manchester City, despite some slow changes from Mikel Arteta
Arsenal had been knocked off their Premier League perch before they had kicked a ball this afternoon - and Mikel Arteta's slow decisions against Everton meant they almost didn't claim it back.
With rivals briefly moving above them earlier in the day, the pressure was firmly on at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Arsenal had been the better of the two sides during the first 45 minutes, but the script flipped during the second period.
Arteta’s hesitancy on substitutions and tactical changes left the home crowd tense, fearing the advantage might slip away. However, the Gunners, just about, held firm with Lady Luck on their side after a "fortune" penalty call.
The Gunners will be top at Christmas, bringing some added festive cheer into north London homes, as they held onto their one goal advantage at the Emirates Stadium. Viktor Gyokeres was the only goalscorer of the game.
And the big Swede broke the deadlock in the 27th minute from the spot in a game that ended up being the tale of two penalties.
The Toffees were adamant they should have been awarded one in the second period, when William Saliba caught the underside of Thierno Barry's boot.
"He goes to kick the ball but he kicks Barry instead," Alan Smith said on Sky Sports commentary. "It happens so often when one player gets their first and the other ends up kicking their foot."
There was a VAR review, however it upheld the decision on the pitch. "He's a little fortunate. He did kick Barry's foot."
And a post on the Premier League Match Centre's account read: "The referee’s call of no penalty to Everton was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed the contact from Saliba on Barry wasn’t sufficient for a penalty."
Everton were ending the stronger of the two sides - and Arteta wasn't doing much to stop the storm. Instead, he opted to trust his men on the pitch.
It will be another Christmas on top for the Gunners - and this time, come May, they'll be wanting to.
Daily Star Sunday
Arsenal have climbed back to the top of the Premier League table, after briefly being knocked off their perch by Manchester City, despite some slow changes from Mikel Arteta
Arsenal had been knocked off their Premier League perch before they had kicked a ball this afternoon - and Mikel Arteta's slow decisions against Everton meant they almost didn't claim it back.
With rivals briefly moving above them earlier in the day, the pressure was firmly on at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Arsenal had been the better of the two sides during the first 45 minutes, but the script flipped during the second period.
Arteta’s hesitancy on substitutions and tactical changes left the home crowd tense, fearing the advantage might slip away. However, the Gunners, just about, held firm with Lady Luck on their side after a "fortune" penalty call.
The Gunners will be top at Christmas, bringing some added festive cheer into north London homes, as they held onto their one goal advantage at the Emirates Stadium. Viktor Gyokeres was the only goalscorer of the game.
And the big Swede broke the deadlock in the 27th minute from the spot in a game that ended up being the tale of two penalties.
The Toffees were adamant they should have been awarded one in the second period, when William Saliba caught the underside of Thierno Barry's boot.
"He goes to kick the ball but he kicks Barry instead," Alan Smith said on Sky Sports commentary. "It happens so often when one player gets their first and the other ends up kicking their foot."
There was a VAR review, however it upheld the decision on the pitch. "He's a little fortunate. He did kick Barry's foot."
And a post on the Premier League Match Centre's account read: "The referee’s call of no penalty to Everton was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed the contact from Saliba on Barry wasn’t sufficient for a penalty."
Everton were ending the stronger of the two sides - and Arteta wasn't doing much to stop the storm. Instead, he opted to trust his men on the pitch.
It will be another Christmas on top for the Gunners - and this time, come May, they'll be wanting to.
Daily Star Sunday