Everton 1-0 Arsenal: Should the Gunners have had a penalty? | OneFootball

Arsenal have tasted defeat for only the second time in the Premier League this season.

Going into their match away at Everton in Saturday's early kick-off, Mikel Arteta's side knew they could extend their advantage at the top to eight points for at least a full day.

But the Sean Dyche revolution at Goodison Park instead got off to the best of starts, the Toffees winning by a scoreline of 1-0.

James Tarkowski, who worked with Dyche at Burnley, scored the only goal of an action-packed game on Merseyside.

Everton were magnificent throughout the entirety of the match on home soil, the performance the polar opposite to the ones seen towards the end of Frank Lampard's tenure.

Amadou Onana was exceptional in the middle of the park, while Dominic Calvert-Lewin was a constant thorn in Arsenal's side with his physical presence up top.

Tarkowski's second half goal from a corner kick was a just reward for Everton, although the Toffees rode their luck a tad shortly after the thumping header.

With the Gunners pressing hard to grab a quickfire equaliser, they appeared to have a great shout for a penalty.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 04: Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, reacts during the Premier League match between Everton FC and Arsenal FC at Goodison Park on February 04, 2023 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Neal Maupay appeared to trip Gabriel Magalhaes inside the box, the momentum from the challenge sending the Brazilian flying into Idrissa Gana Gueye.

The referee instead awarded a free-kick to Everton, but then VAR reviewed the incident for a potential penalty for Arsenal.

Replays looked ominous for Everton, as there was clear contact made by Maupay on the edge of his own box.

Sadly for the watching Gooners, a spot kick was not awarded, even though there seemed to be clear evidence of an infringement.

Check out footage of the incident...

It's one of those where, if it had been given by the referee, there's absolutely no way the VAR team would have stepped in and asked him to overturn the decision.

Controversial, very controversial indeed.

So now Arsenal fans will have to sit back and cheer on Tottenham Hotspur in their match against Manchester City.

If the Citizens emerge with a victory on the road, the gap at the top will be cut to just two points...

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