Arsenal climbed up to fourth in the Premier League rankings and made it two away wins in a row this season, thanks to Leandro Trossard’s second-half strike at Goodison Park.
Bukayo Saka’s clever cutback in the 69th minute was expertly finished by substitute Trossard to give Arsenal the breakthrough they had been seeking despite controlling vast portions of a lifeless game.
Everton appeared prepared to hold out for a point that would have lifted them out of the relegation zone, and they were given an early respite when Gabriel Martinelli’s cool goal in the 21st minute was overturned because a VAR assessment determined Eddie Nketiah had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.
READ MORE: Richarlison Reveals That He Will Seek Psychological Help
Soon after the break, Toffees goalkeeper Jordan Pickford deflected Martin Odegaard’s hard shot away, but David Raya, who took Aaron Ramsdale’s place in goal for Arsenal in his first game since joining on loan from Brentford in August, had little cause for concern.
With his unexpected inclusion, Raya became the first goalkeeper for Arsenal to start other than Ramsdale since Bernd Leno faced Aston Villa in March 2022.
During the opening thirty minutes, Sean Dyche’s team was unable to control any ball within Arsenal’s penalty area, though Abdoulaye Doucoure attempted to call for a penalty against William Saliba once they had inside the area.
Beto, a striker who joined his new team after leaving Udinese for a reputed £30 million in August, made his home debut for the team.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who had been out since August 20, made his first appearance since that date by taking Beto’s place in the second half.
On Saturday night’s late kickoff in the Premier League, third-from-last Everton will travel to tenth-place Brentford in search of their first victory of the year.
On Wednesday, the Gunners will face PSV Eindhoven in the group stage to break a seven-year absence from the Champions League.
Four days later, Tottenham will visit for the north London derby.