Mikel Arteta admitted his side made life difficult for themselves by failing to take their chances in the second half, as Arsenal edged to a 1-0 win away at Everton.
As was the case last weekend, the Gunners benefited from reckless defending by their opponents; this time, Jake O’Brien’s blatant handball from a Declan Rice corner gifted the visitors a penalty. Viktor Gyokeres, under close scrutiny after struggling for goals this season, stepped up and hammered it home.
Frustratingly, Arsenal were unable to put the game to bed, even when Everton opened themselves up in an increasingly end-to-end contest. Leandro Trossard and Martin Zubimendi both struck the same post, with the former in particular expected to do better.
Still, three points are three points, and after Manchester City had gone top earlier in the day, the victory represented a welcome response under pressure.
After the game, Arteta told Sky Sports: “I’m very happy to win here. In the first half, we had some moments that we were very dominant without really creating much, but we scored the goal.
“In the second half, we had two or three big open chances which, if you want to be more relaxed at the end, you should score in the Premier League.
“One [for] Leo, one [for] Zubimendi. Also Bukayo is totally free inside the box, he’s got time and he decides to shoot and the ball gets cleared just on the line. So, those moments, you have to be more clinical to have bigger margins.”
Unlike last Saturday, when Arsenal sat deep late on against Wolves and eventually conceded before rescuing matters in stoppage time, there was greater control this time around.
While the hosts did push for an equaliser, David Raya and his defence made a determined effort to reset play whenever possession was regained, trying to avoid unnecessary chaos. It still tested the nerves, particularly with top spot on the line.
Asked about his side reacting to City’s 3-0 win over West Ham, Arteta added: “Yes, but we are not looking at that. From the first day, the only thing we can control is our own performances and results.
“We know how long it’s going to be, how tough this league is. That’s it. Enjoy every day, do your best and let’s see what we get.”