It’s deja vu for Arteta as poor run continues
Everton 2 Arsenal 1
MIKEL ARTETA’S Arsenal misery intensified with yet another damaging defeat for his struggling side.
There will be no merry Christmas for the Gunners as a loss at Everton made it seven league matches without victory to increase the manager’s woes.
While his former club are upwardly mobile again after three victories in eight days moved them to second in the table the Spaniard is struggling to see where his next three points are coming from.
If there is any encouragement for Arteta it is that before victories over Chelsea, Leicester and now the Gunners Carlo Ancelotti’s team were on a run of one win in seven.
But to turn things around they are going to have to either improve on just the three shots on target — one Nicolas Pepe’s firsthalf penalty equaliser — they managed on Merseyside or take a leaf out of the Toffees’ book.
Ancelotti’s men scored two from just one attempt on target as Rob Holding’s own goal opener was followed by Yerry Mina’s header on the stroke of half-time.
Arsenal were not helped by the absence of top scorer PierreEmerick Aubameyang with a tight calf but they conceded possession from the off and lacked any intensity or desire to break up their opponents’ play.
They went behind for the seventh successive league match when Alex Iwobi’s cross was glanced on by Dominic CalvertLewin.
The ball’s trajectory would have taken it well wide but it was diverted past Bernd Leno by Holding’s thigh.
Tom Davies brought down Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the box and Pepe sent Jordan Pickford the wrong way from the spot for the 35th-minute equaliser but, on the stroke of half-time equally-bad defending allowed the home side to go ahead again.
Leno’s save from Cavert-Lewin was more than good enough but from Gylfi Sigurdsson’s resulting corner Mina rose highest to beat the goalkeeper at his near post.
Arteta admitted afterwards: ‘That was bad again. Without conceding much, we lost the game — with two key moments, an own goal and a set-piece.
‘We reacted well, dominated the game and created enough chances at least not to lose. We hit the bar and I think the luck is not on our side.
‘We are up against a big fight but you can see how hard they are trying, the spirit is there.’
Calvert-Lewin said of Everton’s triumph, which leaves them five points behind Liverpool: ‘We dug in. Sometimes we didn’t have the ball for long periods, but we never panic and the chances came.’