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Everton 2-2 Arsenal: Olivier Giroud to the rescue with last-gasp strike but Gunners still need more firepower
- Arsene Wenger used Alexis Sanchez as lone forward and took him off at half-time
- Mesut Ozil was played wide on the left and was at fault for first goal
- Seamus Coleman put Everton ahead with a 19th minute header
- Steven Naismith made it 2-0 with a neat finish despite appearing to be offside
- Aaron Ramsey gave Arsenal hope with a close-range strike in 83rd minute
They left it late again, very late, but Arsenal took more than they arguably deserved from a Premier League game for the second week running, Olivier Giroud in this case scoring the 90th minute goal that earned them a point.
Everton’s Seamus Coleman and Steven Naismith had put the hosts 2-0 ahead in the first half, a score that stayed that way until the 83rd minute, when Aaron Ramsey pulled one back and set up this unlikely comeback.
It will feel like a defeat to Everton and their supporters for a few days yet.
MATCH FACTS
Everton: Howard, Coleman, Jagielka, Distin, Baines, McCarthy, Barry, Mirallas (Atsu 85),Naismith,Pienaar (Osman 10), Lukaku (McGeady 76).
Subs Not Used: Robles, Besic, Stones, Alcaraz.
Booked: Baines.
Goals: Coleman 19, Naismith 45.
Arsenal: Szczesny, Debuchy, Chambers, Mertesacker, Monreal, Flamini, Oxlade-Chamberlain (Campbell 74), Ramsey, Wilshere (Cazorla 74), Ozil,Sanchez (Giroud 46).
Subs Not Used: Koscielny, Rosicky, Martinez, Bellerin.
Booked: Mertesacker, Wilshere, Chambers, Flamini.
Goals: Ramsey 83, Giroud 90.
Att: 39,490
Ref: Kevin Friend (Leicestershire).
To Arsenal and their travelling fans, who celebrated lustily at the end, it will feel like a win. Certainly this demonstrated backbone, and that, allied with Arsenal taking their unbeaten run in all competitions to 11 games, can do nothing but boost confidence.
‘We gave a great response with complete desire to come back, and the spirit was fantastic … we got a point and it was deserved,’ said Arsenal’s manager Arsene Wenger.
He added that Everton’s goal - which replays showed to be offside, just - was ‘difficult to swallow. But we took it on the chin.’
The key tactical change that ultimately made the difference was replacing Alexis Sanchez, up front in the first half, with Giroud in the second. Wenger admitted Arsenal ‘looked more dangerous’ with the Frenchman instead of his Chilean team-mate but insisted Sanchez will find his form when fully fit. ‘He’s not completely ready physically,’ Wenger said. ‘But I’m not worried for him … when he’s at his best physically he’ll come back [to form].’
Wenger’s counterpart Roberto Martinez said: ‘For 75 minutes we gave a perfect performance … dynamic going forward, defending well … scoring two should have been enough … the disappointment was the result.’
The Spaniard, who said much the same last week after Everton drew 2-2 at Leicester, added: ‘How we can get our performances to be 90 minutes long [is crucial] … the performance overall against a very good Arsenal side was good.’
Arsenal last lost a competitive match on 6 April on this ground, 3-0 to Everton. Between then and Saturday, they won six straight Premier League games, an FA Cup semi-final and final, the Community Shield, and also drew away in midweek in the Champions League.
Martinez made two changes from Leicester last week. Coleman, fully fit after injury, returned at right-back in place of John Stones. Kevin Mirallas returned in place of Aiden McGeady and played in an advanced left-sided berth in a three-man attack with Naismith to his right and Romelu Lukaku right of that.
It is no secret among Everton fans that to make a sustained challenge on the top four they need to improve considerably against the ‘bigger’ teams in general, home and away. But Arsenal have grave concerns of their own when playing against top-five teams. As well as losing 3-0 in this fixture last season, they were thrashed 6-0 and 6-3 at Chelsea and Manchester City respectively and were caned 5-1 in [italics] that [off] drubbing across Stanley Park at Liverpool that set the red team from Merseyside on their tilt at the title.
Arsenal did not win an away game against any of the teams finishing in the top five in the 2012-13 season, or in the season before that. It was a long ago as October 2010 that Arsenal last beat a team who finished in the top five, when they beat City 3-0.
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