Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta claimed that being back in the lead at Christmas gave him the belief and confidence to ultimately turn that advantage into success.
The Gunners topped the Premier League on December 25 for the third time in the past four years and fifth time in the competition’s history, but have yet to translate that into a title win.
Viktor Gökeres’ first-half penalty gave Everton a 1-0 win and reclaimed top spot from Manchester City, who had overtaken them earlier in the day.
“The level of performance and its consistency gives me belief and confidence,” Arteta said.
“It means the team is there consistently because that is very difficult to do in this league.
“We are enjoying the process of winning. We have to go to difficult places and there will be difficult moments. We have already dealt with a lot and are getting there.”
Arteta calls Gokeres penalty kick ‘great decision’
Gökeres’ first goal in six games was largely gifted to him by an inexplicable handball from Jake O’Brien, and then by captain Martin Odegaard selecting him over Bukayo Saka.
Arteta is happy for his players to take responsibility for their on-field decisions.
“It’s a great decision. I’m very happy for him,” he added.
Arsenal’s Victor Gokeres celebrates after scoring a penalty
“They took possession of the pitch between Martin, Bukayo and him and decided who was going to take over and he put the ball in the net.
“I love it when players have ownership and make their own decisions.
“(It) showed the confidence of a player who practices every day and is incredibly good.”
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Watch for free: Highlights of the Premier League match between Everton and Arsenal.
“Gyokeresu who is struggling physically”
Jamie Redknapp has insisted Victor Gokeres should not struggle as physically at Arsenal as he did after his summer arrival.
Gokeres scored his fifth Premier League goal of the season, helping the Gunners beat Everton 1-0 and return them to the top of the Premier League, but he continued to struggle from open play and relied on penalties to find the back of the net.
“He (Gökeres) was fine. Now he is finding it difficult. This is his fifth goal of the season. He has played in the English league before so it shouldn’t be like that, but he is struggling physically considering he is a big player.”
“I’ve never seen him win a duel. In terms of his finesse and drawing other players into the game, it’s not good enough. He finds it difficult. He needs a little confidence.”
“He’s never going to be Bergkamp. He’s a battering ram that scores goals, creates big moments and wins games. We won the game, but we won on penalties. You want to see him win games with really important goals that make the difference.”
“For now, he’s okay. I don’t think there’s anything more I can say.”
Analysis: A step in the right direction for Gokeres, who lack firepower?
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Arsenal and Victor Goqueres scored a big goal after converting a penalty after Everton’s Jake O’Brien handled it in the box.
Sam Blitz of Sky Sports:
Much of the pre-match talk was about the future of Viktor Gokeres, with the Swedish forward yet to reach his level under pressure with Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Merino and Kai Havertz returning from injury.
This recent win against Everton, with a penalty in the first half, was a step in the right direction rather than a question mark.
It was a positive goal, but there were other chances. Much has been made about his Arsenal team-mates not noticing his runs, but William Saliba created a good chance in the first half.
In the second period, Leandro Trossard unleashed him with a trademark shot down the left flank, which managed to get past two Everton defenders. It was much closer to the ‘battering ram’ forward the Premier League promised, and his three shots on Merseyside were more than he had achieved in his previous 180 minutes playing in the Premier League for Arsenal.
Arsenal’s players knew they needed to give him goals and the penalty summed it up. It reminded me of October 2023, when the Gunners’ regular penalty taker conceded the spot-kick to give Kai Havertz his first Arsenal goal.
The German finished with 13 goals that season as Arsenal came within two points of the title. Gökeres currently has five players but, crucially, he seems to have a deeper understanding with the team.
Mr Moyes: We’ve seen penalties given for that.
Gokeres’ penalty sealed the match, but VAR ruled there had been no foul, although the hosts had rightly claimed a spot-kick for their side when he kicked Tierno Barry as he attempted to clear William Saliba in the second half.
Everton manager David Moyes responded diplomatically.
“I don’t know. Looking back, I think they said there wasn’t enough contact,” he said.
“I’ve seen that if you kick someone through the leg or through their Achilles tendon, there’s going to be some disciplinary action. Maybe it was seen and could have been given, but for VAR not to send him to the screen, I’m sure they felt that wasn’t enough.”
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Arsenal defender William Saliba’s challenge on Everton’s Tierno Barry is checked for a potential penalty but is cleared.
Moyes could only lament O’Brien’s moment of madness after he flung his arms up in the corner.
“I’m disappointed in the goal we conceded. We gave away a stupid penalty,” he added.
“If you think about it, we pushed Arsenal to the brink. If they had scored a great goal, we might have raised our hands, but they didn’t. It was a poor decision on our part.”
“Overall, I think we fought incredibly hard to get something out of the game and challenged Arsenal for a long time.
“I can’t say the players weren’t committed or they weren’t determined. In those aspects they were great. In terms of quality, you can probably ask questions.”
