Gunners forget about Watford and FC Barcelona results to see off Everton
Arsenal have recovered from a forgettable week by seeing off Everton at Goodison Park thanks to first-half goals from Danny Welbeck and Alex Iwobi.
A lot has been said about Arsene Wenger’s side going into the game, with Watford eliminating them from the FA Cup and FC Barcelona knocking them out of the Champions League.
With poor results against Manchester United and Swansea City as well in the league, their title-chances have been thrown into question as well.
As for Everton, they’ve been good on the road this season, but poor in their own backyard, despite the FA Cup win over Chelsea last weekend.
Summary
It was a bright start from Roberto Martinez’s men and it was nearly 1-0 after a minute as Seamus Coleman saw his flick from a corner hit the post.
However, after settling into the tie, it was Arsenal who took the lead and it was Danny Welbeck once again.
After lovely work between Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, the former put Welbeck through on goal, who then rounded Joel to slot home.
The game turned on that moment and for the rest of the half it was all Arsenal and Wenger’s side looked very comfortable with the ball.
Their second came from an incisive counter attack as a long-ball up field but Iwobi through, and after shrugging off the attentions of Funes Mori, he then calmly slotted home under Joel.
As for the second-half, it was a fairly quiet affair with neither side creating any clear-cut chances, but it was Arsenal who seemed most likely to find the net.
The win puts Wenger’s men eight points behind Leicester City, and three behind local-rivals Tottenham Hotspur. As for Everton, they stay 12th.
Match Reaction
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger: “It was a very significant win for us and a mental test. We continued the level of performance against Barcelona. I like this group, I like the mental attitude, it has been questioned and it hurts me. When you work every day with them you see how much effort they put in.”
Arsene Wenger on the title race: “We are still in it in our minds and mathematically, yes, and we want everyone to be behind the team to give us a chance. We are ready for a battle.
“Why should it be a two-horse race with one team three points in front of us? Let’s focus on performances and after that we will see how we finish.”
Arsenal goalscorer Danny Welbeck: “It’s been a difficult couple of weeks so it was good to get back to winning ways and have something to build on. Going a goal up early on makes a big difference, and it set the standard for the rest of the game.”
On Arsenal’s title ambitions, he added: “We just have to worry about ourselves, we can’t affect other teams’ results.”
Arsenal debutant and goalscorer Alex Iwobi: “I enjoyed the moment, but I’m happy the team won. I enjoy training with Danny, he gives me confidence and despite recent results we are all confident in training.”
Everton defender Leighton Baines: “When you go behind against Arsenal, it becomes more difficult. We showed plenty of huff and puff but we just didn’t have the quality in the final third.
“We fully accept the responsibility of the disappointment of the crowd. We are generally not winning enough games.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
