david-moyes-everton-arsenal
Everton lost for only the second time in the 2026/27 Premier League campaign when they lost 2-0 to Arsenal at The Emirates on Saturday afternoon.
The Toffees went unbeaten through the first six games of the season in the top-flight, but they have now lost successive matches 2-0 to both Chelsea and the Gunners.
george-everton-arsenal
Losses to two of the big six clubs is not the end of the world for David Moyes and his team, yet the Scottish head coach will still want to see more consistency from his players.
The fact that it only took seven minutes for the home side to make a breakthrough, thanks to Ezri Konsa, will also frustrate the Toffees boss, who would have wanted his defence to be tougher to break down.
How Everton lost to Arsenal
Everton were away at the reigning Premier League champions and were unlikely to go there and keep a clean sheet, given how dominant Mikel Arteta's players have been over the past 18 months or so.
The real reason why the Toffees lost the game to the Gunners was because they did not do enough going the other way to cause problems for Arsenal.
Brighton & Hove Albion recently showed what can happen when you play on the front foot and attack the champions, as they beat them 3-0 in the Premier League.
Arsenal vs Everton
Arsenal vs Everton
With 42% of the ball, Everton ended the match with 0.48 xG, only eight shots taken in total, and only one 'big chance' created in front of goal, which illustrates their offensive struggles in North London.
Moyes must drop 4/10 Everton forward
One of the players who contributed to the side's stagnant attack against the Gunners must, now, be dropped by Moyes ahead of the clash with Newcastle United in the League Cup this coming week.
Brennan Johnson was selected to start on the right side of the 4-2-3-1 formation against Arsenal, but he failed to justify his inclusion in the starting line-up.
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Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs
The Wales international played 72 minutes without registering a single shot, dribble, key pass, or progressive carry for his team, before being replaced by Tyler Dibling for the final 18 minutes.
In those 18 minutes, the former Southampton academy graduate offered more to the team than Johnson did in four times as many minutes on the pitch, as he won three of hs six duels and completed 18 passes, including one that created a chance for a teammate.
The Welshman's complete lack of involvement and quality on the ball throughout the afternoon is why he was given a player rating of 4/10 by FFC this weekend.
How Johnson is becoming a bigger flop than Tosun
Johnson was signed in a swap deal with Dwight McNeil from Crystal Palace in the summer transfer window in an attempt to bolster the club's attack after Iliman Ndiaye's £65m move to Manchester City.
The Senegal international, who once scored against Arsenal for the Toffees, left big boots to fill after scoring 17 goals in two seasons during his time on Merseyside.
Ndiaye potentially left the biggest hole in Everton's team after a sale since Romelu Lukaku was sold to Manchester United for £75m in 2017, and the club bought Cenk Tosun from Besiktas six months later to fill his boots.
The Turkish marksman only scored 11 goals and provided six assists in 61 appearances in all competitions before being returned to Besiktas on a free transfer in 2022.
Cenk-Tosun-Everton
Johnson is now looking like an even bigger flop than Tosun was after he came in to replace Lukaku, as he has not come anywhere close to replacing what Ndiaye offered at the top end of the pitch.
At the very least, the Turkey international scored five goals in his first 14 Premier League appearances and provided the team with a short-term boost, before eventually flopping at Goodison Park.
With Johnson, though, the Toffees have not even had an initial impact from the Wales international, as he has struggled from the first whistle of his time at the club.
The former Spurs winger has yet to make any notable contributions at the top end of the pitch in the Premier League this season, with no goals or assists in eight appearances, since Palace decided to part ways with him after just half-a-campaign.
Brennan Johnson
Brennan Johnson
Everton should have taken note of Palace's desire to move on from the forward so quickly, having only signed him from Spurs in January, and now they are paying the price for that error.
He is struggling badly in the final third and is quickly becoming an even bigger flop than Tosun, as even the Turkish striker offered more than hm in the Premier League.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles and David Moyes
Ainsley Maitland-Niles and David Moyes