Arsenal 0 – 0 Everton happymamay

Arsenal missed the chance to move four points clear of Premier League leaders Liverpool, drawing 0-0 with Everton at the Emirates Stadium.

Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Fulham at Anfield meant Arsenal would have boosted their title hopes with a win but they could not find a way past the inspired Jordan Pickford.

The Everton goalkeeper made two crucial saves in the first half, first stopping a rebound from Martin Odegaard, who also fired a shot over the bar in the early stages of the game, and then standing tall to deny a diagonal shot from Gabriel Martinelli.

Pickford picked up where he left off after half-time, making a superb save from Bukayo Saka’s shot around the post as the stubborn visitors continued to frustrate Arsenal.

The home side continued to apply pressure, but Everton, buoyed by the news that Friedkin’s group’s long-simmering possession was finally about to end, put up fierce resistance, blocking a succession of corner kicks as Arteta surprisingly opted to withdraw captain Odegaard for “tactical reasons” after the match ended. directly. hour.

As was the case at Craven Cottage last weekend, where they drew 1-1 with Fulham, Arsenal struggled to convert their dominance into clear-cut chances in the final minutes.

Arsenal wanted a late penalty after the clash between Vitali Mikulenko and Thomas Partey but the VAR decided otherwise, handing down four points in two games for Mikel Arteta’s side and allowing Everton to celebrate a hard-earned draw.

Arsenal remains in third place, one point behind Chelsea and six points behind Liverpool, and each of the two teams has a postponed match, while Everton raised its score to 15 points in fifteenth place.

Analysis: Arsenal lack a killer No.9

For the second consecutive Premier League game, a 1-1 draw with Fulham last weekend left Arsenal rueing a failure to convert dominance into goals. This was another match to highlight their need for offensive reinforcements. They lack killer number 9.

Kai Havertz has impressed in this role for the most part. His late goal in the win over Monaco on Wednesday saw him double his tally for the season. But that total includes just five in the Premier League, and he never looked like scoring a goal here, scoring a solitary shot during the 90 minutes.

Arsenal need more from a centre-forward and it seems unlikely they will get it from their replacement option in Gabriel Jesus, who has not scored in the competition since January. Like Havertz, he did not pose much of a threat after his participation in the second half.

Arsenal’s progress over the last two years has been driven by the ability to share goals around. It should be noted that they broke the club record with a total of 91 goals last season.

But to take the next step, it seems increasingly clear that they will need an attacking player capable of making the difference in games like this. Their efforts to sign Benjamin Sisko in the summer suggest they are aware of this. But as January approaches, they can’t let another window pass without bolstering their offensive line.

The story of the match in statistics…

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