LONDON, FEB 24 - Arsenal have maintained their unbeaten start to 2020 with a spirited 3-2 victory over Everton in which their captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang led from the front with two superb goals. Arsenal have now gone 10 games unbeaten in all competitions.
Their delighted manager, Mikel Arteta, was full of praise for Aubameyang and said: “I am so happy with him. Obviously because he is scoring very important goals for us, but also as a captain, he’s giving a great example to everyone else. That a player of his calibre is able to work the way he is defensively (too) and he’s willing and happy to do it’’.
When asked whether wins such as this would help Arsenal in the fight to keep him (at the club), Arteta said: “Hopefully not just the win but what we are trying to do, that he really enjoys being on the pitch every time he goes on, that he feels very much part of what we’re trying to build here’’.
He went on to say: “I think he’s with that mindset at the moment. It’s been tough for him, a player like him, there have been lots of disappointments in the last few months and years, because he has big expectations. You know he wants to play for the biggest clubs in the biggest competitions and be up there with the best players in the world. We have to support him and give him everything at the club so he feels fulfilled here. That’s the challenge I have’’.
Everton took a very early lead when after just 49 seconds, David Luiz failed to clear Gylfi Sigurdsson’s free-kick and Dominic Calvert-Lewin sent an acrobatic bicycle-kick past Bernd Leno.
Arsenal’s equaliser came in the 27th minute when 18-year-old Bukayo Saka, on as substitute for the injured Sead Kolasinac, sent an inch-perfect cross for Eddie Nketiah to leap up to volley home from close range.
Just six minutes later, Arsenal were ahead. Luiz sent a precise through pass to Aubameyang who made good ground to calmly shoot beyond Jordan Pickard. Just when it seemed Arsenal would end the first half in the lead, Everton made it 2-2 in added time. Following a corner, Sigurdsson could not get a clean connection on the ball which was then headed on by Yerry Mina for Richarlison to scrape in a shot with the bottom of his studs but the handling of Arsenal’s goalkeeper was wretched.
The game remained well balanced throughout the second half the difference was that the visitors failed to take their chances to score while Arsenal had once again gone in front in the first minute of the restart. Aubameyang helped himself to his second and his 19th goal of the season, heading into the net when he met Nicolas Pepe’s cross, beating defender Djibril Sidibe.
Everton missed a chance when Calvert-Lewin failed to beat Leno from point-blank range in the 71st minute after Alex Iwobi had earlier put his curling effort inches wide. Arsenal survived a late attack on their goal and Calvert-Lewin almost scored a last-gasp equaliser when his header went agonisingly wide of the post.
Everton Manager, Carlo Ancelotti said: “I’m very disappointed to have lost. If you want to win against top teams, then you have to attack and defend well. Defensively we were poor. We have to defend better. We are clear on what we have to do. We have to work on it this week’’.
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