**Everton were edged out by a title-chasing Arsenal.**
The visitors were gifted a first-half opener after Jake O’Brien’s handball allowed Viktor Gyokeres to end a 10-game drought from the penalty spot.
David Moyes’ side are still guaranteed to head into Christmas inside the Premier League’s top half despite suffering back-to-back defeats.
_Here were the key talking points from Hill Dickinson Stadium:_
What constitutes a penalty now?
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Everton’s rocky relationship with VAR is a tale as old as time.
When the Premier League finally introduced the technology in the 2019/20 season, they were the first team to have a penalty awarded against them.
More than six years later, the line of what constitutes a spot kick is now increasingly blurred and typified by the latest incident involving the Blues.
Jake O’Brien can have no complaints about the astounding handball which saw Arsenal snatch the spoils after weathering the hosts’ first-half storm.
Only the Republic of Ireland international can explain why he raised both arms to the ball when under pressure from Riccardo Calafiori at a set piece.
But while Sam Barrott was sent to the pitch side monitor, there was no such scrutiny of William Saliba’s kick on Thierno Barry during the second half.
Replays showed how the Everton forward’s foot was clattered after the pair vied for a loose ball yet VAR deemed contact ‘wasn’t sufficient’ for a penalty.
Such inconsistency only poses more questions about the letter of the law and gives rise to unfounded allegations of officialdom bias towards ‘top six’ teams.
Striker contrast is a fallacy
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It was not a ghost of Christmas past which haunted Everton but a striker.
News of Dominic Calvert-Lewin scoring twice for Leeds United against Crystal Palace while his former employers laboured rubbed fresh salt into the wound.
While David Moyes’ side laboured, through Barry and Beto, the England international’s exploits some 70 miles northeast had offered food for thought.
Some supporters could be forgiven for wondering whether they had been too hasty in waving off Calvert-Lewin when his contract expired last summer.
He is certainly not the first to thrive since leaving the blue half of Merseyside; Moise Kean and Ademola Lookman both stole the headlines in recent years.
The truth is, however, that Calvert-Lewin is unlikely to have produced a similar return of six goals in five outings if he had remained in Everton’s front line.
Prior to that purple patch, the 28-year-old only found the target once in 11 appearances for Leeds – a return identical to the one that prefaced his exit.
Granted, Barry and Beto continue to have their limitations but contrasting them with Calvert-Lewin’s current form does not offer a true reflection.
Fan display points to the future
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Irrespective of the result, The 1878s’ long-awaited first display at Hill Dickinson Stadium promised to deliver a special pre-match moment.
Even before the move to Bramley-Moore Dock, the atmosphere group worked tirelessly to breathe life into Goodison Park’s last years and eventual send-off.
Topping the [memorable scenes in their farewell to the Grand Old Lady](https://www.clickliverpool.com/sport/everton-fc/57920-everton-2-2-ipswich-town-three-talking-points-dwight-mcneil-beto-goodison-park/) would take some beating in new surroundings and they certainly did not disappoint.
A tifo display with ‘On the banks of the royal blue Mersey’ at its centrepiece helped set an early tone for Mikel Arteta’s latest visit to his one-time parish.
The addition of a mechanism to the South Stand’s roof before the clash with the Gunners is another monumental addition to Everton’s impressive home.
More than that, though, The 1878s’ latest endeavour offered a sign of a future where it promises to have a transformative effect on matchday experiences.
Merseyside derbies and, once the stars align, European nights are just two occasions that will reap the benefits when married with terrace ingenuity.
This is merely the start of could be an incredible asset for Evertonians.