Arsenal were held to a rather uneventful 0-0 draw against Everton at the Emirates on matchday 16 of the Premier League season.
For the second Premier League game in a row, Arsenal were forced to settle for a point.
After the Gunners’ 1-1 draw against Fulham, there was hope that Mikel Arteta’s side would bounce back against Everton however, that wasn’t the case.
On what was a trialling day for several players, Arsenal failed to break the deadlock at the Emirates in what was another disappointing result.
Arsenal player ratings vs Everton
David Raya – 6
Unlike Jordan Pickford, who impressed at the Emirates, Raya had very little to do against Everton, as the hosts dominated the game.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 8
After Lewis-Skelly’s masterclass against Monaco on his full Champions League debut, the teenager showed no sign of slowing against Everton.
The 18-year-old was one of the Gunners’ best on the pitch at left-back, dominating the Toffees and showcasing his innate ability at such a young age.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 7.5
On his return from injury, Gabriel amazed Arsenal fans against Everton shortly after the match commenced.
The Brazilian’s early recovery to deny Abdoulaye Doucoure ensured the Gunners took a clean sheet into the interval, reminding Arteta why he’s so important to the back four.
William Saliba – 7
Alongside Gabriel, Saliba makes up the spine of Arsenal’s lineup, with his display against Everton proving his importance.
The Frenchman was as tidy as ever when handed the task of keeping the physical presence of Dominic Calvert-Lewin at bay.
Jurrien Timber – 6
Timber seemed to struggle to remain on the flank when the Gunners went forward, drifting into the inverted role that was also claimed by Lewis-Skelly.
Having seen how deadly Timber and Saka’s partnership can be on the right, it was a shame not to see the Dutchman overlap more.
Mikel Merino – 5
The game took far too long to get going and a lot of it had to do with the tempo in midfield.
Merino offered very little to the Gunners when handed the chance to shine, failing to play a role in getting the hosts out of second gear.
Declan Rice – 7.5
In midfield alongside Odegaard and Merino, Rice was without a doubt the shining light, combining well with those ahead of him to get things moving for Arsenal.
Martin Odegaard – 3
Odegaard is undoubtedly Arsenal’s best creator on his day however, the Norweigan struggled immensely in all areas against Everton.
The midfielder failed to convert several promising chances and looked to be missing his usual spark, a really poor day at the office for the captain who was hooked after an hour.
Bukayo Saka – 8
On an afternoon that saw Arsenal’s spark go missing, Saka was inevitably there to bring the game to Everton when his teammates failed – a constant threat on the right.
Gabriel Martinelli – 4
Once again, Martinelli’s decision-making was his downfall.
The winger rarely troubled 39-year-old Ashley Young, a defender 16 years his senior. It was yet another dreary afternoon for the Brazilian, who is in desperate need of form.
Kai Havertz – 5
It’s become a regular occurrence to see Havertz drift away from positions typical of a player conforming to the number nine role.
The German was largely ineffective, extending his run without a Premier League goal to three games.
Substitutes
Jorginho – 7
Jorginho certainly injected some control into the midfield when he came on, with most of Arsenal’s play going through the 32-year-old.
Ethan Nwaneri – 5
Was limited by Everton to deny him a real chance of getting himself into the game.
Gabriel Jesus – 4
Jesus’ time at Arsenal is surely nearing its end, the Brazilian was concerningly poor when introduced as the number nine.
Leandro Trossard – 4
Another forgetful day at the office for Trossard, who failed to take advantage of Martinelli’s disasterclass.
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