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Yerry Mina’s header before the break was enough for Everton to win all three points over Arsenal to further compound the misery on Mikel Arteta’s side.
While his former club is upwardly mobile again after three wins in eight days that took him to second place in the table, the Spaniard is struggling to see where his next three points come from.
If there is any encouragement for Arteta it is that before the victories over Chelsea, Leicester and now Gunners Carlo Ancelotti’s team had a one win out of seven streak.
But to turn things around, they will have to improve just three shots on goal, a Nicolas Pepe penalty draw in the first half, which they achieved in Merseyside or take a page from the Toffees book that scored two of just one. Rob Holding’s first goal attempt was followed by a header from Yerry Mina at the half-time break.
YERRY CHRISTMAS.#UTT pic.twitter.com/vZYIcPh0ov
– Everton (@Everton) December 19, 2020
They were not helped by the absence of top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on a tight calf, but they conceded possession early on and lacked intensity or desire to break up their opponents’ game.
Everton played most of the first 20 minutes in front of a low block of nine outfield players from Arsenal, rarely getting someone behind to open for the visitors.
As a result, a frustrated Dominic Calvert-Lewin, beginning to feel isolated with Gylfi Sigurdsson playing one more role of No. 10, began to sink deeper, which played even more into the hands of the Gunners.
But after putting his top scorer back in a decent position, Alex Iwobi swung over a center where the forward was able to shoot his head.
The trajectory of the ball would have deflected him well, but Arsenal’s luck was against him and he was deflected by the thigh of Bernd Leno’s Holding as Arteta’s team fell behind for the seventh consecutive league game.
Eddie Nketiah took advantage of a shot when he had more time to consider his options before Arsenal got a draw.
Mina’s poor defensive header put Tom Davies, back on the injured Allan’s side, in trouble and as he tried to kick the cleared ball, Ainsley Maitland-Niles came in and the Everton midfielder struck with his right foot knocking his opponent down.
Pepe sent Jordan Pickford down the wrong path from place to tie in the 35th minute, but at halftime an equally poor defense allowed the hosts to go ahead again.
Cavert-Lewin’s Leno save was more than enough, but from Sigurdsson’s resulting corner, Mina rose higher to beat the keeper at his near post, his fourth consecutive Premier League goal in the 45th minute.
The first half could only have been worse for Arsenal if Dani Ceballos had been sent off for an apparent rake of his cleats on Mina, but escaped punishment.
Since Arteta took over, Arsenal have failed to win any of their previous 10 league games when trailing at halftime and while they started the second half more positively, they created little else.
The closest they came was when goalkeeper Pickford failed to claim a cross and the fumble was directed into goal by David Luiz only to deflect Abdoulaye Doucoure and the post.
Even the first appearance since March of 19-year-old forward Gabriel Martinelli, a 10-goal scorer in 26 appearances last season, and the late introduction of Alexandre Lacazette did not improve the fortunes of the visitors who did not force Pickford to make a save until the fifth minute of added time.
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