Leandro Trossard fires unconvincing Arsenal to rare away victory
Arsenal’s long-standing Premier League drought at Everton finally came to an end as Leandro Trossard delivered a 1-0 victory for the title-chasing Gunners yesterday.
Mikel Arteta’s squad had to put in a strenuous effort to secure their first win at Goodison Park since 2017. The Belgian forward, Trossard, settled a scrappy match midway through the second half.
While Arsenal did not display their trademark fluent play, they managed to secure their fourth win in five games this season by matching Everton’s physicality.
Arteta had warned his players that they could only break their Everton curse by giving their all, and they indeed rose to the challenge.
Following their previous game, where they secured a late victory against Manchester United before the international break, this encounter proved another tense affair for Arsenal.
However, Trossard’s goal propelled the unbeaten North Londoners into fourth place, just two points behind league leaders Manchester City, as they seek to avenge last season’s late collapse in the title race.
On the other hand, winless Everton finds themselves in the relegation zone once again, gearing up for yet another battle to avoid relegation after narrowly escaping it in the past two seasons.
The news of Farhad Moshiri’s agreement to sell his 94 percent stake to the American investment fund 777 Partners marked the beginning of a new era for Everton. This takeover would bring an end to Moshiri’s tumultuous tenure since his initial investment in 2016.
In contrast, Arteta, a former Everton midfielder, faces no such concerns as Arsenal prepares for their return to the Champions League after a six-year absence, with a match against PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday.
The Spaniard’s decisions paid off, as goalkeeper David Raya, making his Arsenal debut following a move from Brentford, kept a clean sheet. This change was one of two, with Fabio Vieira earning his first start since April in place of Kai Havertz.
Although Gabriel Martinelli thought he had opened the scoring for Arsenal in the 19th minute, his goal was disallowed for offside against Eddie Nketiah in the build-up. Everton barely had a touch inside Arsenal’s penalty area for the first half-hour.
Arsenal continued to assert control, and Bukayo Saka delivered a precise pass to Trossard in the 69th minute, resulting in a composed finish into the far corner for Trossard’s first league goal of the season.
Earlier in the day, Chelsea faced further disappointment with a 0-0 draw against Bournemouth, extending their dismal start to the season. After a previous loss to Nottingham Forest in their last league game, Chelsea dominated possession in the first half but couldn’t convert their chances. Bournemouth had moments as well, but Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez made crucial saves.
Chelsea almost secured a late winner, but Bournemouth’s goalkeeper Neto pulled off a brilliant one-handed reflex save to deny Cole Palmer’s deft volley five minutes from the end of normal time.
