Everton 0-1 Arsenal
by Layth Yousif
at Goodison Park

LEANDRO TROSSARD’S second-half strike was enough to beat an insipid Toffees side in front of 39,217 fans at Goodison Park on Sunday.

It was a grey afternoon for the blue half of Merseyside in more ways than one, as the Gunners’ Belgian international broke the deadlock after a six-man move in the 69th minute against an obdurate, if limited home side.

While the pre-match discussion may have been about boss Mikel Arteta’s decision to promote David Raya to become his No1 keeper, usurping previous incumbent Aaron Ramsdale, Trossard, the former Brighton attacker, ensured the day ended with renewed talk about Arsenal’s title chances, as the Gunners eased back into the top four.

It was a good day all round for Arteta, who also made the correct call to replace the underwhelming Kai Havertz with Fabio Vieira, while Declan Rice had another outstanding match.

Speaking after the game, Arteta explained his choice on why he opted for Raya over Ramsdale, saying: “[It’s] the same rationale that Fabio [Vieira] played here or that Eddie [Nketiah] played ahead of Gabriel Jesus.

“I haven’t had a single question on why Gabriel hasn’t started. He has won more trophies including me in that dressing room but they don’t [ask why].”

Yet it was Trossard who took the plaudits afterwards as Arsenal clinched their first triumph over Everton at Goodison since October 2017.

Despite the Belgian’s goal only being his second for the club since swapping the south coast for north London back in January, the 29-year-old made the most of his time on the pitch, after replacing the injured Gabi Martinelli midway through the first half, moments after the Brazil star had a goal chalked off by VAR for offside.

Toffees keeper Jordan Pickford was the far busier of the two keepers, also foiling Martin Odegaard on two occasions.

While Raya, a summer loan signing from Brentford, was reduced to giving glimpses of his excellent distribution — so little was he troubled by Sean Dyche’s uninspiring side amid a depressingly moribund Goodison — in spite of, or perhaps in light of the club’s takeover by a sports group, whose less than opaque new owners have plenty of questions to ask, while presumably viewing this proud Merseyside institution that dates back to 1878 more as a distressed asset than a wonderful community club with a soul, with loyal, long-suffering fans deserving far better.

Speaking after the match, Dyche said of his side’s lacing cohesion on and off the pitch: “Last season nothing was solved. I’ve said there is massive work to be done.”

For Arsenal’s part, while you could stake a powerful case that Arsenal’s previous first choice netminder Ramsdale had done little to deserve being dropped — in fact the former Sheffield United shot stopper had only just returned from England duty, in which he featured at Hampden Park, ironically ahead of Pickford, during the Three Lions impressive 3-1 victory over the Auld Enemy — the decision by Arteta sent a powerful message to his squad, and the watching world. So, too did Arsenal’s impressive result.

For troubled Everton, alas, you simply fear the worst.