Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford made his thoughts about Arsenal clear after the Gunners’ win at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Pickford was barely tested when Arsenal visited Merseyside, not making a single save against Mikel Arteta’s team.
It was only a Viktor Gyokeres penalty that got the better of the England international, as the Swede’s goal drought was brought to a long-awaited end.
Though Arsenal didn’t trouble Everton as much as they wanted to, Pickford noted that the Gunners hurt the Toffees in a way that meant one goal was enough to win the match.
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Give us your three-word review on Arsenal’s win over Everton
Jordan Pickford says every Premier League team struggles against Arsenal’s defence
Everton struggled to break Arsenal down, particularly without several star names in the matchday squad.
The Gunners’ defensive work was highlighted by Pickford post-match, noting that Everton suffered in a way that every other Premier League team would.
“You will have games where you create loads of chances, you will have games where you only create one or two chances,” Pickford told Everton’s official website.
“You have got to be clinical, but Arsenal, they don’t give many opportunities away.”
“Look at their record this season, I think they’re on like eight or nine clean sheets with only six goals conceded.”
David Raya earned his eighth clean sheet of the Premier League season against Everton, and Pickford’s comments suggest he wasn’t too surprised.
“They don’t give many opportunities away. If you do get one, how do you put it away?” the Everton goalkeeper asked.
“That’s not just Everton, that’s probably every team that’s played against them this season.”
It was high praise from Pickford, who was complimentary of Arsenal, just as David Moyes was at full-time, praising Declan Rice.
Statistic shows how well Arsenal marshalled Everton
Everton were starved of goalmouth action against Arsenal, supporting Pickford’s evaluation of what it’s like to play the Gunners right now.
Is Arsenal’s defensive strength enough to win the Premier League this season? If not, why?
It was a record-matching performance from Arteta’s side, who forced Everton to do something for only the second time in the Premier League since 2003/04.
The Toffees didn’t have a single shot in the first half of a league home game, which is a rarity; the other instance of it happening was back in 2022.
It wasn’t the most exciting attacking performance from either side, but Arsenal won and maintained their defensive superiority, making it a good day at the office for Arteta and co.
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