Everton 1-1 Arsenal: Match report & 3 talking points as limp Gunners give up more points | OneFootball

Everton were well worth their share of the spoils from a 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.

Iliman Ndiaye's second-half penalty cancelled out Leandro Trossard's opening goal of a contest which referee Darren England mistakenly ended early.

Few impartial onlookers could blame the official for unwittingly trying to wrap up this low-quality spectacle with a few seconds to spare, but it was telling that Everton's players fiercely pleaded for the game to continue while Arsenal's lacklustre contingent meekly looked at the clock.

Yet another draw for Everton, tough to beat in the David Moyes 2.0 era, takes them 15 points clear of the relegation zone. Arsenal are 11 adrift of league-leading Liverpool who travel to Fulham on Sunday.

How the game unfolded

"Now we have the most important, beautiful part of the season," Arteta declared ahead of kick-off. Yet, Liverpool's yawning lead at the Premier League summit robs any Arsenal league game of importance. There wasn't a great deal of beauty on display at Goodison Park either.

That's not to say that entertainment was in short supply. The lunchtime kick-off bathed in a chilly sunshine was littered with typically groggy displays, giving way to a suitably chaotic flow from one end of the pitch to the other.

Raheem Sterling led one such surge for Arsenal in the 34th minute, carrying the ball to the edge of Everton's box before laying it off to Trossard. The versatile Belgian, lining up through the middle this weekend, jinked onto his left foot and coolly picked out the bottom corner.

Trossard squandered the chance to double his and Arsenal's tally in first-half stoppage time before he was surprisingly joined by Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli for the second 45 minutes. Yet, neither winger had been afforded a touch of the ball by the time the referee awarded the hosts a penalty.

In the space of 60 seconds, David Raya charged past a loose ball and Myles Lewis-Skelly charged into Jack Harrison, gifting Everton a spot kick which Iliman Ndiaye converted.

The Gunners quickly regained control of the contest but it was a sterile sense of superiority. Arsenal's possession crept beyond 75% yet the vast majority of that was strictly in front of Everton's blue rearguard. Rarely did the visitors find any space between the hosts' tight stitching and there was scarcely any hope of sneaking behind a team which boasts a stern defensive record.

Check out player ratings from Everton 1-1 Arsenal here.

All hopes on European glory

Mikel Arteta set his stall out with Arsenal's starting XI / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages

The Arsenal team which finished Saturday's contest may very well look a lot like the one that lines up against Real Madrid at the Emirates on Saturday. The XI which trotted out in the Merseyside sunshine almost certainly won't see the light of day again.

A painfully pedestrian midfield trio of Declan Rice, 33-year-old Jorginho and Mikel Merino - the third-slowest player across the entire Premier League - trundled around the middle third for 70 largely uninspiring minutes. Raheem Sterling actually enjoyed one of his better outings yet was hooked alongside Ethan Nwaneri in what appeared to be a pre-planned move to ease Saka and Martinelli back to full fitness.

With Martin Odegaard also shackled to the sidelines until the closing stages, Arsenal played most of the contest at the tempo of a lackadaisical training match, gently strolling through the motions as they emphatically failed to get the better of an Everton outfit that may not be blessed with elite individuals, but never lack in endeavour.

Leandro Trossard stakes his claim

When Arteta was robbed of his four first-choice forwards at the turn of the year, his first solution for the centre-forward role was Trossard. The former Brighton flier lasted less than 70 minutes against Leicester City, before Mikel Merino began his stint as a patchwork striker with a late brace.

Trossard had not been used through the middle since until Saturday, when he added to his strong record at centre-forward. The crisp finish beyond Pickford was the fifth goal Trossard has scored when starting as a striker for Arsenal.

When including the eight assists he has provided from this position, the 30-year-old boasts a mightily impressive record of directly contributing to one goal every 64 minutes as a No.9.

Such a return may prompt Arteta to deploy Trossard up front on Tuesday night.

Jakub Kiwior stress tested

Jakub Kiwior was under scrutiny this weekend / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages

There aren't many parallels between Kylian Mbappe and Beto. Real Madrid's latest Galactico values his personal brand so highly he once refused to appear in a KFC advert, while Everton's humble No.9 used to work at a Portuguese branch of the fried chicken establishment and always makes a point to go back to the same outlet when he's in the area.

Yet these two contrasting characters represent Kiwior's immediate opponents.

The Polish centre-back is the most obvious replacement for the injured Gabriel when Real Madrid come to town on Tuesday night and lined up alongside William Saliba at Goodison Park here. Beto is more of a physical presence compared to his French counterpart, but is just as eager to run in behind Arsenal's backline.

Kiwior was predictably buffeted around by Beto and never looked entirely comfortable in possession. The vast majority of the blame for Everton's penalty lies squarely on the shoulders of Lewis-Skelly, but Kiwior didn't do his teenage teammate any favours by unexpectedly ducking beneath the ball.

The Pole has been guilty of far more blundersome performances in the past, but it wasn't a showing to fill many with hope ahead of a matchup against Mbappe.