LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 15: William Saliba and Emile Smith Rowe celebrate after the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal FC at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 15, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)
3 standout players in dominant Everton home win
by Krish Ajmani
With the game in hand finally here, the pressure was palpable for fans and players alike. Arsenal were up to eight points clear earlier in the season. That lead shrunk to only two points. But with their dominant win against Everton, the cushion is back up to five, with the team able to take advantage of their extra game.
The majority of the first half was a struggle. Arsenal poked and prodded around the Everton box but couldn’t get through. Going the other way, the Toffees looked lethal on the break, attacking quickly and often outnumbering the defenders in red and white. Bukayo Saka’s opening goal came late in the first half and from then on, the game split open and became much more manageable.
3 standout players in dominant Everton home win
Impressive performances could be found all over the pitch. Yet a few were a cut above the rest. Here are three players that stood out in a dominant Everton home win.
1. William Saliba
Negotiations continue between Arsenal and William Saliba over a new contract. It is the next priority for the club after Bukayo Saka’s deal. He wants to stay. [@FabrizioRomano] pic.twitter.com/PGpAUbnomK
— Gunners (@Gunnersc0m) February 28, 2023
Much has been made of William Saliba’s form after the World Cup and rightly so. The Frenchman has not been at his best. He has switched off at times or lost duels he wouldn’t have in the first half of the season. Against Everton, however, he was back to his best.
The centre-back was aerially dominant, confident in his duels and commanded the wide channels well. He did not make a single mistake. When defending in a high line against a team that can break quickly, that is absolutely crucial.
Saliba also impressed on the ball. He moved it quickly, getting it out to Saka and Jorginho without wasting time. Even when just shifting the ball across the backline, he does it with pace. Saliba had his best game for Arsenal since coming back from the World Cup. Long may it continue.
Continued on the next slide…
@FabrizioRomano] <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/02/3-standout-players-in-dominant-everton-home-win/"https://t.co/PGpAUbnomK">pic.twitter.com/PGpAUbnomK
<p>— Gunners (@Gunnersc0m) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/02/3-standout-players-in-dominant-everton-home-win/"https://twitter.com/Gunnersc0m/status/1630587894099324930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>February 28, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Much has been made of William Saliba’s form after the World Cup and rightly so. The Frenchman has not been at his best. He has switched off at times or lost duels he wouldn’t have in the first half of the season. Against Everton, however, he was back to his best.</p>
<p>The centre-back was aerially dominant, confident in his duels and commanded the wide channels well. He did not make a single mistake. When defending in a high line against a team that can break quickly, that is absolutely crucial.</p>
<p>Saliba also impressed on the ball. He moved it quickly, getting it out to Saka and Jorginho without wasting time. Even when just shifting the ball across the backline, he does it with pace. Saliba had his best game for Arsenal since coming back from the World Cup. Long may it continue.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/02/3-standout-players-in-dominant-everton-home-win/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 standout player </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2>2. Gabriel Martinelli</h2>
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<img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-132713" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/02/3-standout-players-in-dominant-everton-home-win/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2036,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1470608676.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2036" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1470608676.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1470608676-768x489.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Gabriel Martinelli has rediscovered his goalscoring form. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)</p>
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<p>Like his teammate Saliba, Gabriel Martinelli’s previously impressive form had tailed off. <a title="Why Gabriel Martinelli is feeling the effects of Gabriel Jesus’ injury" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/02/3-standout-players-in-dominant-everton-home-win/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/19/gabriel-martinelli-feeling-effects-jesus-injury/" rel="">Gabriel Jesus got the best out of him</a>, combining and rotating with his compatriot to get Martinelli closer to goal. With Jesus’ injury and Eddie Nketiah’s distinct playing style, the winger has looked isolated at times.<a title="3 ways to spark Arsenal’s left-hand side into life again" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/02/3-standout-players-in-dominant-everton-home-win/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/02/22/3-ways-to-spark-arsenal-left-side-into-life-again/" rel=""> The left-hand side, once a strength of this Arsenal team</a>, has looked dysfunctional in recent weeks, with none suffering more than Martinelli.</p>
<p>Yet Leandro Trossard’s inclusion in the team has led to the Brazilian finding form again. The former Brighton man has started over Nketiah. When lining up through the middle, Trossard drifts over to the left, switching positions with Martinelli. This led to his goal against Leicester and his first against Everton. During Arsenal’s most recent win, Arteta had Trossard and Martinelli completely switch positions to solidify this advantage. Martinelli’s second goal came from his new position as a striker, attacking a Nketiah cross to stab home.</p>
<p>His movement off the ball also created issues. The energetic youngster attacked space in behind when possible. It was his run that created space for Saka for the opening goal. He made dangerous runs off the shoulder of the last defender, giving Everton a massive headache to deal with.</p>
<p>The player’s defensive work rate cannot be faulted either. Although this has become standard in Arteta’s side, he still merits praise for sprinting back to help both Oleksandr Zinchenko and the rest of his team. It looks like the manager is gradually figuring out ways to get the best out of Martinelli. Good news indeed.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/02/3-standout-players-in-dominant-everton-home-win/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 standout performer </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2>3. Oleksandr Zinchenko</h2>
<div id="attachment_130714" class="wp-caption alignnone">
<img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="wp-image-130714 size-full" src=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/03/02/3-standout-players-in-dominant-everton-home-win/"https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/fetch/c_fill,g_auto,f_auto,h_2134,w_3200/https%3A%2F%2Fpaininthearsenal.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fgetty-images%2F2017%2F07%2F1244549044.jpeg" alt="" width="3200" height="2134" srcset="https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1244549044.jpeg 3200w, https://paininthearsenal.com/wp-content/uploads/getty-images/2017/07/1244549044-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 3200px) 100vw, 3200px"><p class="wp-caption-text">Oleksandr Zinchenko’s influence has been distinct in recent weeks. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)</p>
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<p>The entire backline was back to their best against Everton. For Zinchenko, his best comes with what he does on the ball. If the Ukrainian played well, Dyche’s back line had no chance. This eventually came to fruition.</p>
<p>Zinchenko controlled the game from the first minute until he was subbed off. Given a free role by Arteta, the left back drifts wherever he wants. The ball stays glued to his foot as he floats around the field, pushing the boys in blue back while searching for weaknesses. He found one for Saka’s goal.</p>
<p>The Everton back line was unbalanced for just a second, a narrow corridor to the starboy opened up and Zinchenko found him with a perfectly weighted ball. This play is emblematic of the ex-Man City player. Nominally a left-back, he found himself in the right half-space, creating an assist for the team’s right winger.</p>
<p>For the rest of the game, Zinchenko continued to play well, passing the ball and breaking lines with ease. When at his best, the left-back is unplayable.</p>
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<p>Arsenal did well to win their game in hand against a difficult opponent in Everton. With the spectre of their loss still overshadowing them, the team rallied together to defend bravely and attack with intelligence. The second-half performance was peak Arsenal. Control was the keyword of the day as the players dominated the game after the break. While the players above stood out, nearly every performance was solid, if not dazzling. Add to that the injured players working their way up to full fitness and Arsenal’s prospects look very exciting indeed.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
