Everton fell to a second straight Premier League defeat on Saturday, losing 2-0 at Arsenal after another underwhelming display in front of goal and two preventable goals conceded.
Going to the champions, where Everton have not won in front of fans for 30 years at either the Emirates or Highbury, was always going to be difficult. Yet after a battling if imperfect start to the season, it was disappointing to see David Moyes' side fail to build any momentum until long after the result was settled.
With only two goals scored in the last seven league meetings with Arsenal, and the Blues yet to win this season after conceding first, going behind after just six minutes and 18 seconds was a body blow. Moyes saw more signs of life in the second half than the first.
Moyes' assessment of attacking output
"We didn't really get to a level which I think would have been good enough to win on the day," the manager told the media after the match.
"We gave away a goal very early, which meant we were sort of half chasing. It felt like we'd got a bit better in the second half and got back into it a little bit more, got a bit closer to Arsenal in the second half, but then they come up with a second goal."
Creating just 0.62 expected goals (xG) and hitting the target only three times, there is little arguing with Moyes' assessment of Everton's attacking output.
First-half struggles and Arsenal's control
Everton were far from their best in a first half that saw them concede a sloppy set-piece goal with less than seven minutes on the clock. The biggest chance for the away side (0.32 xG) fell to Thierno Barry, who stabbed a weak effort straight at goalkeeper David Raya rather than trying to round him. Aside from that 44th-minute effort, created by an errant Ben White back pass, Everton created just 0.04 xG in the first half, completing 31 of 45 passes in the final third (68.9%).
Arsenal took control through overloads in central areas, with Myles Lewis-Skelly drifting inside from left-back to form a box midfield alongside Declan Rice. As Everton dropped deeper, White pushed higher with Noni Madueke drifting inside to create a 2-2-2-4 in attack. Martin Odegaard attempted more passes than any other player (99), creating two chances and completing 31 passes into the final third.
Second-half improvement too late
Until Mykolenko and Johnson were replaced by Hayden Hackney and Tyler Dibling around the 70-minute mark, Everton failed to have a single shot after the break and played just 14 passes into Arsenal's defensive third. The second goal arrived before Moyes made his substitutions, with White beating Mykolenko to cross for Gabriel's headed goal.
There were signs of improvement after Garner moved to left-back and Hackney stepped into midfield, with Dibling providing better balance on the right. Hackney made 10 passes into the final third despite entering in the 74th minute, and Garner was influential as Everton created their only real chances, with Dewsbury-Hall heading wide and Hackney, Barry and Carlos Alcaraz getting shots away late on.
Full-back balance and individual highlights
Finding the right balance in the full-back positions continues to be a problem for Moyes. Madueke's positioning inside the overlapping White could be a template other sides use against Everton, and with Mykolenko now out injured again, another solution will be needed at left-back.
Harrison Armstrong was a standout, winning eight of 10 duels, covering more distance (12.6km) and running further (3.1km) than any other player. He made the fourth-most touches for the Blues (55) and completed 30 of 34 passes. Tyrique George also impressed defensively, winning two of three tackles, and his work rate made a strong case for keeping his place when Jack Grealish returns from illness.
Ultimately, failing to find a solution to Arsenal's numerical superiority in midfield proved too much, and the Blues barely threatened until the final 15 minutes. With options at a premium, Moyes will need all of his players to step up if positive momentum is to be regained.
