Arsenal’s Title Hopes Fade Further After Frustrating Draw At Everton.
Arsenal’s already slim chances of ending their 21-year wait for a Premier League title took another hit on Saturday following a 1-1 draw against Everton at Goodison Park.
Leandro Trossard gave the Gunners a deserved lead midway through the first half, but a controversial penalty converted by Iliman Ndiaye early in the second half denied Mikel Arteta’s men all three points. The result leaves Arsenal 11 points behind league leaders Liverpool, who also have a game in hand and now require just 11 points from their final eight fixtures to secure a record-equalling 20th English top-flight title.
Arteta, who spent six years as a player at Everton, admitted his disappointment after the final whistle.
“Especially with the result, very unhappy,” he said. “This is a very tough place to come, against a team that’s physical and direct. If you don’t deal with it, it’s hard to get momentum. The start of the second half was very poor.”
Despite the looming Champions League quarter-final clash against Real Madrid on Tuesday, Arteta fielded a rotated side. Star players including Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, Jurrien Timber and Thomas Partey all started on the bench, while Gabriel Magalhães, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus missed out through injury.
Arsenal were dominant in the opening 45 minutes and took the lead through a swift counter-attack. Raheem Sterling surged through midfield before teeing up Trossard, who calmly slotted home his first league goal since January past Jordan Pickford.
However, Arsenal’s season-long struggle to convert dominance into goals came back to haunt them once more.
Seconds into the second half, Everton were awarded a contentious penalty when Myles Lewis-Skelly was judged to have fouled Jack Harrison. Following a lengthy VAR review, referee Darren England’s decision stood, and Ndiaye held his nerve to send David Raya the wrong way.
Raya was later called into action to deny Abdoulaye Doucouré, as Everton pushed to capitalise on their momentum. But in the closing stages, it was Arsenal who looked the more likely to snatch a winner. Substitute Ødegaard and Mikel Merino both missed golden chances, firing wide in the dying minutes.
Everton, whose only defeat in their last 11 league games came against Liverpool in a heated Merseyside derby, did their rivals a significant favour by halting Arsenal’s title chase. The point lifts the Toffees to 14th, now 15 points clear of the relegation zone.
Speaking after the match, Everton boss David Moyes expressed relief at the club’s growing safety margin.
“We’re getting closer. It would be very hard for the other sides to get to where we are now,” he said. “I thought if I take Everton down it would be an absolute disaster! Thankfully, the players have responded really well.”
With Everton looking up the table and Arsenal shifting focus to Europe, the Premier League title now looks firmly within Liverpool’s grasp.
