Everton have now lost back-to-back games as they were beaten by Arsenal at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Everton suffered a 2-0 defeat to Chelsea last weekend and were hoping to bounce back with a positive result against Arsenal on Saturday evening.
But, the Premier League title favourites managed to grind out a 1-0 win at the Hill Dickinson, with Viktor Gyokeres netting the winner in the first half.
What was to blame for Everton’s loss to Arsenal? 🫣
Everton vs Arsenal full time score.
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Tim Iroegbunam was really impressive in the midfield, and centre-back duo James Tarkowski and Michael Keane had good games, too.
Arsenal talisman Bukayo Saka also paid a compliment to the Everton fans, speaking to the media post-match.
Everton vs Arsenal at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka says it was so tough coming to Everton Hill Dickinson Stadium
Saka spoke to Sky Sports after the game and admitted that the Everton fans made it so tough for the Arsenal players, and they really spurred on Moyes’ side.
“They made it really tough,” the England international explained.
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“Also on us to not kill the game in certain moments. Credit to them, it’s always tough coming here. We’re just happy to get the win in the end.
If you’re David Moyes, what are you saying to Jake O’Brien after THAT? 😡
Jamie Redknapp on Jake O'Brien's handball in Everton vs Arsenal.
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“I think they have a good structure and the way that they play with the fans, the players are so passionate, so they give everything.
“That made it hard for us. We had our chances and we could’ve killed the game earlier.”
The new 52,000-seater stadium has quickly become one of the toughest grounds to play at in the Premier League, as Oliver Glasner also hailed the Toffees supporters earlier this season.
Everton have a good run of fixtures coming up
After consecutive defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal, Moyes will be a lot more optimistic about the next few fixtures heading into 2026.
The Toffees take on three sides in the bottom half of the Premier League table, and two of them are in a relegation battle.
27th December – Burnley (A)
30th December – Nottingham Forest (A)
4th January – Brentford (H)
If Everton are to realise their European aspirations, they should be targeting at least six points from a possible nine.
The main challenge will be how Moyes’ side cope without Iliman Ndiaye, as they did look pretty toothless going forward against Arsenal.
Dwight McNeil was hardly a threat, and Tyler Dibling was poor when he came on, so there are a lot of question marks over who should replace Ndiaye on the right flank whilst he’s away with Senegal at AFCON.
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