Everton 2-1 Arsenal: Demarai Gray stoppage-time goal earns victory for Rafael Benitez’s men
Demarai Gray’s superb injury-time strike earned Everton a first win in nine games to end a bruising week with a stunning comeback against Arsenal.
After being thumped 4-1 by Liverpool and director of football Marcel Brands leaving the club, Rafael Benitez’s team responded with a much-improved display that showed the character and resilience fans were looking for.
Richarlison had brought Everton level with 11 minutes of normal time remaining after Martin Odegaard scored the game’s opener from Kieran Tierney’s cross in first-half stoppage time.
That the winner came after Richarlison had also had two goals ruled out for offside by the video assistant referee before getting the equaliser will only have added to the home fans’ delight.
The scenes at the final whistle were a complete turnaround from last Wednesday, when the mood turned ugly after a 4-1 defeat by their city rivals.
Victory lifts Everton to 12th in the table, eight points above the relegation zone.
Gray proves cut-price talisman again
Few fans can have expected such a performance after recent showings – had Everton failed to win this would have been their worst run of form since 1994.
Instead it was reminiscent of the club’s early season form when they chalked up successive comeback wins at home and climbed to fourth.
And it was the perfect response to dozens of fans who left their seats after 27 minutes in protest about how the club is being run, with the timing a reference to the club’s 27-year wait for a trophy.
The result also vindicated Benitez’s insistence that the club would return to winning ways once injured players returned, even if Lucas Digne was left out as Yerry Mina returned to the side.
In keeping with their success earlier in the season, it was Gray who was Everton’s most dangerous player, but he was aided by Richarlison, who showed great perseverance to score at the third time of asking.
His header in a poor first half, moments before Odegaard scored for Arsenal, was clearly offside but the frustration for the Brazilian and the 35,000 Everton fans inside a raucous Goodison Park was palpable when a second goal was ruled out because his toe was inches beyond the Arsenal defensive line.
When his headed goal eventually came after Gray hit the bar, it changed the mood among a set of fans who have been angered by a familiar run of form under majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri, despite the British-Iranian spending close to £500m over the past six years.
But there was further delight to come when Gray found the top corner for his fifth goal of the season.
Having arrived for only £1.7m in the summer, he is proving to be a cut-price talisman.
Arsenal show discipline but lack inspiration
Mikel Arteta’s return to a club where he spent five years as a player proved a fruitless one.
Having made four changes from the loss at Manchester United last Thursday, including the return of Bukayo Saka, Granit Xhaka, Tierney and Alexandre Lacazette up front in place of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, he was rewarded with a disciplined performance.
But a third defeat in four games, following an eight-game unbeaten run, will lead to further questions about his side, who were outfought and looked uninspired for large periods of the game.
There was a welcome return for Tierney, who in his first game since mid-October was instrumental in Arsenal taking the lead, while Saka was a threat down the right in place of Emile Smith Rowe.
There was little else to show for a first half in which the Gunners came up against a solid Everton defence, typified by some robust challenges by Ben Godfrey, who was also subject of a VAR check for a red card after his boot came into contact with Takehiro Tomiyasu.
After sitting on their lead in the second half, they were only stirred into life again after Everton’s goals.
Late chances fell to Odegaard, whose shot was blocked by the brilliant Godfrey, Eddie Nketiah, who hit the post, and Aubameyang, who skewed wide after Gray’s eventual winner.
The defeat means the Gunners remain seventh and missed out on a chance to go above Tottenham into fifth.
Player of the match
GrayDemarai Gray
Everton
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Squad number11Player nameGrayAverage rating
8.08
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Squad number7Player nameRicharlisonAverage rating
7.74
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Squad number16Player nameDoucouréAverage rating
6.64
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Squad number23Player nameColemanAverage rating
6.58
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Squad number21Player nameAndré GomesAverage rating
6.55
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Squad number6Player nameAllanAverage rating
6.37
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Squad number5Player nameKeaneAverage rating
6.36
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Squad number24Player nameGordonAverage rating
6.27
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Squad number14Player nameTownsendAverage rating
6.20
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Squad number22Player nameGodfreyAverage rating
6.06
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Squad number1Player namePickfordAverage rating
5.91
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Squad number4Player nameHolgateAverage rating
5.88
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Squad number13Player nameMinaAverage rating
5.74
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Squad number17Player nameIwobiAverage rating
5.27
Arsenal
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Squad number3Player nameTierneyAverage rating
5.91
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Squad number8Player nameØdegaardAverage rating
5.63
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Squad number32Player nameRamsdaleAverage rating
5.44
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Squad number18Player nameTomiyasuAverage rating
5.18
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Squad number7Player nameSakaAverage rating
5.04
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Squad number4Player nameWhiteAverage rating
4.99
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Squad number6Player nameGabriel MagalhãesAverage rating
4.76
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Squad number35Player nameGabriel MartinelliAverage rating
4.73
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Squad number34Player nameXhakaAverage rating
4.00
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Squad number5Player nameParteyAverage rating
3.89
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Squad number9Player nameLacazetteAverage rating
3.85
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Squad number20Player nameNuno TavaresAverage rating
3.57
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Squad number30Player nameNketiahAverage rating
3.49
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Squad number14Player nameAubameyangAverage rating
2.70
Line-ups
Everton
Formation 4-4-1-1
- 1Pickford
- 23Coleman
- 13MinaSubstituted forHolgateat 31′minutes
- 5Keane
- 22GodfreyBooked at 51mins
- 24GordonSubstituted forIwobiat 87′minutes
- 16Doucouré
- 6Allan
- 11GrayBooked at 90mins
- 14TownsendSubstituted forAndré Gomesat 66′minutes
- 7Richarlison
Substitutes
- 2Kenny
- 4Holgate
- 8Delph
- 15Begovic
- 17Iwobi
- 20Tosun
- 21André Gomes
- 25Gbamin
- 32Branthwaite
Arsenal
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 32Ramsdale
- 18Tomiyasu
- 4White
- 6Gabriel
- 3TierneySubstituted forTavaresat 65′minutes
- 5Partey
- 34XhakaBooked at 63mins
- 7Saka
- 8ØdegaardBooked at 74mins
- 35MartinelliSubstituted forNketiahat 71′minutes
- 9LacazetteSubstituted forAubameyangat 85′minutes
Substitutes
- 14Aubameyang
- 16Holding
- 17Cédric Soares
- 19Pépé
- 20Tavares
- 23Sambi Lokonga
- 25Elneny
- 30Nketiah
- 33Okonkwo
- Referee:
- Mike Dean
- Attendance:
- 38,906
Match Stats
Live Text
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Match ends, Everton 2, Arsenal 1.
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Second Half ends, Everton 2, Arsenal 1.
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Attempt missed. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the left. Assisted by Eddie Nketiah.
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Attempt saved. Alex Iwobi (Everton) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Richarlison.
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Attempt blocked. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) header from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Martin Ødegaard with a cross.
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Foul by Thomas Partey (Arsenal).
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Richarlison (Everton) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
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Demarai Gray (Everton) is shown the yellow card for excessive celebration.
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Goal! Everton 2, Arsenal 1. Demarai Gray (Everton) right footed shot from outside the box to the bottom right corner. Assisted by André Gomes.
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Attempt blocked. Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Eddie Nketiah.
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Attempt saved. Abdoulaye Doucouré (Everton) left footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
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Substitution, Everton. Alex Iwobi replaces Anthony Gordon.
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Foul by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal).
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Mason Holgate (Everton) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Attempt saved. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) left footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal. Assisted by Takehiro Tomiyasu.
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Substitution, Arsenal. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang replaces Alexandre Lacazette.
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Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal) hits the left post with a header from the left side of the six yard box. Assisted by Bukayo Saka with a cross.
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Attempt blocked. Martin Ødegaard (Arsenal) left footed shot from the centre of the box is blocked. Assisted by Eddie Nketiah.
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Goal! Everton 1, Arsenal 1. Richarlison (Everton) header from the centre of the box to the top left corner.
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Attempt saved. Demarai Gray (Everton) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.