Everton would have walked away from their Premier League stalemate with Arsenal as the far happier side, having frustrated the Gunners all afternoon by putting in a defensively dogged display.
Mikel Arteta's men would only muster up one big chance all contest consequently, as Sean Dyche's visitors intentionally sat back in order to pick up a share of the points, with Arsenal even amassing a whopping 77% possession.
Everton manager Sean Dyche -1
The Everton defenders certainly earned their praise come the full-time whistle, therefore, with the likes of James Tarkowski battling hard throughout the 90 minutes to keep stars such as Kai Havertz at bay.
How Everton's defence performed at the Emirates
The aforementioned Toffees captain led by example at the Emirates Stadium alongside his centre-back partner Jarrad Branthwaite, as the ex-Burnley man successfully won four duels alongside making seven clearances to preserve his resolute side's clean sheet.
Branthwaite also put his towering 6 foot 5 frame to good use with three duels of his own won, whilst Jordan Pickford had to stay alert throughout with five saves tallied up which would constantly frustrate faces such as Bukayo Saka attempting to beat the clued-up 30-year-old.
Whilst Pickford would rightfully win a lot of plaudits at the full-time whistle for some top-notch stops, Ashley Young also put in a gritty display at the back to ensure a draw was sealed, with the ex-Aston Villa man winning a sublime seven duels to routinely thwart Gabriel Martinelli bombing forward.
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Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Everton's very own Alexander-Arnold
It wasn't just in north London that Young has shone this term. For his relegation-threatened side this campaign, he has starred as an attacking menace, with the 39-year-old rolling back the years to become his side's answer to Liverpool phenom Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Ashley-Young
Often operating as a winger during his hay day in the Premier League, Young's creativity from this more forward-thinking spot is still managing to come to the forefront as he now regularly lines up in a back four.
This season to date, the top-flight veteran has amassed an impressive one goal and three assists, with that solitary strike coming against Wolverhampton Wanderers in a comprehensive 4-0 win just one match before the shut-out at Arsenal.
Ashley-Young-1
This resurgence is even more admirable considering there were shouts for Young to be axed from Goodison Park this summer, with his high £40k-per-week wage the topic of many a discussion on Merseyside.
Now, he is more than justifying this steep pay packet, with his numbers not too dissimilar to that of Alexander-Arnold - according to FBRef.
Young vs Alexander-Arnold - 24/25 PL numbers
Stat
Games played
Goals scored
Assists
Shot-creating actions *
Passes attempted *
Progressive passes *
Tackles *
Interceptions *
Clearances *
Stats by FBRef (* = per 90 mins)
While the Everton veteran is understandably still ranking behind Trent for a host of numbers, you can see the similarities between the two in the way they progress the play via their passing.
"I think he naturally gets about his business. He's got a great old-school thing about him, he's very modern to look after himself, but he just gets out there and does it." - Dyche on Young.
Unsurprisingly, Young has more defensive know-how than the Real Madrid-linked 26-year-old too, with more tackles and clearances averaged when glancing at the above table, albeit the Toffees are more defensively active than Liverpool.
It's been quite the sharp turnaround for the ageing full-back, who will hope these stellar performances keep coming in order to see out the twilight of his playing days in style.
Dyche does have a reputation for getting the most out of experienced heads at his disposal, with the Toffees boss keeping his fingers crossed that Young and Co can continue picking up results like the draw at Arsenal to push further away from the dreaded relegation spots.
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