Arsenal hope to maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier League season as they travel to struggling Everton on Sunday afternoon.
Mikel Arteta’s are riding high after clinching a late victory over Manchester United in their last match before the international break to make it 10 points from their opening four matches and they’ll look to take that momentum into today’s encounter. Manchester, Liverpool and Tottenham are setting the early pace at the top of the table so it would be a big error if Arsenal were to drop points at Goodison Park.
Sean Dyche’s side, meanwhile, picked up their opening points of the season with a 2-2 away draw against Sheffield United. The Toffees won this fixture 1-0 last season in Dyche’s first game in charge and will be hoping for a repeat performance to kickstart their league campaign.
Follow all the action from Goodison Park below. Get all the latest football betting sites offers here and the latest Premier League odds here.
Everton vs Arsenal
-
Everton host Arsenal at Goodison Park
-
DISALLOWED! Martinelli’s early goal ruled out for offside (EVE 0-0 ARS)
-
Aaron Ramsdale dropped by Mikel Arteta as David Raya starts in goal for Arsenal
Everton FC 0 – 0 Arsenal FC
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
17:03 , Ben Fleming
31 mins: Doucoure makes a surging run up the pitch as Everton begin to get going in this game. The midfielder jinks inside the box but goes down far too easily under no real challenge from the Arsenal defence.
In the end, Gueye tries his luck from range but it’s a comfortable save for Raya down to his right.
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
17:01 , Ben Fleming
30 mins: Ashley Young gets forward from right-back as he floats a ball into the box. Raya does well, though, as he comes off the line to claim the ball in the air.
He’s not had much to do so far on his Arsenal league debut.
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
16:59 , Ben Fleming
28 mins: Just 24 per cent possession for the hosts who have really struggled to make any inroads up the pitch. Not a single shot on goal either…
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
16:56 , Ben Fleming
24 mins: From bad to worse for Martinelli. Having had a goal chalked off, the Brazilian is now substituted having picked up an injury just moments later.
Trossard comes on in his place.
DISALLOWED! Everton 0-0 Arsenal
16:50 , Ben Fleming
21 mins: Martinelli has the ball in the back of the net and it won’t stand!
The Brazillian thought he had put Arsenal ahead with a lovely, curling finish into the far corner, but the Nketiah is deemed to be offside in the build-up and the goal is chalked off after a VAR check.
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
16:49 , Ben Fleming
18 mins: White hangs a ball up to the far post but the onrushing Vieira is unable to control the bal l with an outstretched boot and Everton can clear.
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
16:46 , Ben Fleming
14 mins: Not a lot to report as the clock ticks towards the 15-minute mark in this encounter. Raya has his first touches in an Arsenal shirt and it’s a nice long ball from the Spaniard – looking for Saka – but the forward can’t get past Mykolenko and the play breaks down.
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
16:41 , Ben Fleming
10 mins: The corner is eventually taken and the loose ball is eventually recycled to Vieira inside the box. The Portuguese midfielder is starting his first league game of the season but snatches at the effort on this occasion and it sails over the bar.
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
16:39 , Ben Fleming
8 mins: Everton doing a good job of quelling the early Arsenal pressure. Saka, though, is fed a nice ball down the right channel but Branthwaite is alert to the danger as he diverts the ball out for a corner.
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
16:34 , Ben Fleming
3 mins: Arsenal win an early corner as they make a positive start to this encounter. Saka floats it in but it’s headed away powerfully by Tarkowski.
Kick-off! Everton 0-0 Arsenal
16:31 , Ben Fleming
1 min: Arsenal get us underway in Merseyside.
Kick-off moments away
16:28 , Ben Fleming
The players are out of the tunnel and onto the pitch, with kick-off right around the corner!
16:22 , Ben Fleming
Some pre-match stats with kick-off fast approaching:
-
Everton have won four of their last five home league games against Arsenal (D1), including each of the last three in a row. They last won four consecutively against the Gunners between March 1910 and March 1913.
-
Both of Everton’s Premier League home games this season have been 1-0 defeats. Only three times in their league history have they lost each of their first three at Goodison Park (1958-59, 2005-06 and 2008-09), while among those only in 2005-06 did they fail to score a single goal.
-
Since the start of last season, Arsenal have kept more away clean sheets than any other side in the Premier League (11). They’ve also won a joint league-high 13 games on the road, while only Manchester City (17) have conceded fewer goals than the Gunners (18, excluding promoted sides).
-
Sean Dyche has won just two of his 16 Premier League games against Arsenal (D3 L11), with his sides scoring just seven goals in these matches and never more than once. However, one of those wins was in his first match in charge of Everton in February last season.
Mikel Arteta speaking to Sky Sports before the game
16:15 , Ben Fleming
On Raya replacing Ramsdale: “We wanted to be a squad which had two quality players in each position with different characteristics.
“To maximise that they have to play games and we have a lot of games coming up. Everyone will get a lot of game times in the next few weeks.”
The Arsenal boss not giving a lot away on the decision to drop the Englishman to the bench.
Gabriel Jesus ‘changed Arsenal’s world last season’, says Mikel Arteta
16:09 , Ben Fleming
Mikel Arteta lauded “tremendous” Gabriel Jesus who he claims “changed Arsenal’s world last season”.
Gunners boss Arteta could start the Brazil striker for the first time this term at Everton on Sunday after he recovered from a spate of injuries.
Jesus has made two substitute appearances in the Premier League this season, scoring last time out in the 3-1 victory over Manchester United on September 3.
But Arteta insists the former Manchester City forward’s game is about more than goals.
“He is a tremendous player,” said Arteta, whose side finished runners-up in the Premier League in 2022-23.
“A really important player for us. He changed our world last season. You could all see that. He is going to be a really important player for us.
“I think he brought a different energy, a different belief, a different threat, a different fear to opponents.”
Read more of Arteta’s thoughts below:
Gabriel Jesus ‘changed Arsenal’s world last season’, says Mikel Arteta
Yesterday’s action
16:02 , Ben Fleming
Over at Old Trafford, there was another concering performance for Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United as they slumped toa 3-1 defeat against the impressive Brighton.
Goals from Danny Welbeck, Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro saw Roberto De Zerbi’s men move up to third.
The home fans greeted Ten Hag’s side with boos after the full-time whistle having suffered their third defeat in just five league games.
Read Richard Jolly’s report from Old Trafford:
Shambolic Manchester United endure crowd dissent after humbling defeat to Brighton
Yesterday’s action
15:55 , Ben Fleming
We have just over half an hour before kick-off at Goodison Park, so let’s take a quick look back at a couple of yesterday’s results.
In the early kick-off on Saturday, Liverpool came from behind to secure a late 3-1 victory against Wolves.
Andrew Robertson and Hugo Bueno’s own goal saw the Reds escape Molineux with a victory which looked unlikely at half-time.
Hwang Hee-Chan’s early opener gave Wolves the lead as the hosts dominated and only a woeful miss by Matheus Cunha stopped them going further ahead.
Liverpool were wretched in the first half but slowly improved, levelling through Cody Gakpo before breaking Wolves’ resistance with four minutes left for a third comeback win of the season.
Read the full report below:
Liverpool leave it late to come from behind and beat Wolves
Two changes for Everton as McNeil starts
15:45 , Ben Fleming
Sean Dyche also makes two changes to his side after their 2-2 draw against Sheffield United before the international break. Vitalii Mykolenko replaces Nathan Patterson at right-back, while Dwight McNeil comes in for his first league start of the season on the right of midfield with James Garner dropping to the bench.
Everton’s bench is as follows: Calvert-Lewin, Godfrey, Virginia, Garner, Patterson, Dobbin, Onyango, Chermiti.
Ramsdale and Havertz dropped by Arsenal
15:40 , Ben Fleming
So the big team news comes from Arsenal as both Aaron Ramsdale and Kai Havertz drop to the bench. Ramsdale was in action for England during the international break but finds himself on the bench for today’s match as summer signing David Raya makes his first Premier League start for the club.
Havertz, meanwhile, has endured a tough start to life at Arsenal since his summer move and is replaced by Fabio Vieira in central midfield who makes his first league start of the season.
Arsenal’s substitutes are: Nelson, Jesus, Smith Rowe, Havertz, Tomiyasu, Ramsdale, Jorginho, Kiwior, Trossard.
Starting lineups confirmed!
15:32 , Ben Fleming
And the confirmed starting XI’s are in:
Everton (4-4-1-1): Pickford; Mykolenko, Tarkowski, Branthwaite, Young; McNeil, Gueye, Onana, Danjuma; Doucoure; Beto.
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Rice, Vieira; Martinelli, Nketiah, Saka.
Everton sale to American firm agreed
15:28 , Ben Fleming
Before we get team news, a reminder of some big news concerning Everton from a few days ago as Farhad Moshiri agreed a deal to sell Everton to American investment firm 777 Partners.
The British-Iranian businessman, who owns 94.1 per cent of the shares, will sell his entire stake to 777, who have also invested in Sevilla, Hertha Berlin, Genoa, Vasco da Gama, Standard Liege, Red Star and Melbourne Victory.
It will bring an end to Moshiri’s disastrous reign in charge at Goodison Park in which Everton have spent around £700m on players in seven years, only just avoided relegation in the last two seasons and are winless in the Premier League now.
Moshiri, who has seemed short of funds since his long-time business partner, Alisher Usmanov, was sanctioned after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, had been searching for investors to help fund Everton’s new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock, which will cost £500m and is due to open in 2024.
Read more below:
Everton sale to American firm agreed
Mikel Arteta keen to end Arsenal’s Everton hoodoo despite ’emotional connection’
15:22 , Ben Fleming
Mikel Arteta admitted he has an emotional connection with Everton and expects his former side to put up a battle when Arsenal travel to Goodison Park in the Premier League on Sunday.
“I’m really excited about it, the last six years we have not won there so we are going to have to earn it,” Arteta said. We know we are going to have to be at our best to beat them there and that’s something we haven’t managed to do so that’s where we are going to start.
“It is a big emotional connection I have to that football club with many years I spent there, the incredible memories that I have so I’m always grateful. It’s a big part of my playing career and as a coach I have to play against them and we have to beat them.
“We’ve been here and we’ve been to grounds before where we haven’t won before and we’ve done it so it’s about understanding the importance and knowing what we lacked in those games and putting it right. Sometimes you cannot avoid a battle (with Everton), the style of play they have is very clear and they’re very good at that.
“We have a different one and it’s about trying to impose your way of playing and the tactic is just to make sure your opponent’s strengths are hiding and that ours are coming out every single time to fulfill the potential of your players, and that’s what I think both managers and players will try to do.”
Early team news
15:15 , Ben Fleming
Arsenal, by contrast, have few injury concerns. Summer-signing Jurien Timber is set for a long spell on the sidelines, while Sunday’s game may well come too soon for Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny who are recovering from groin and knee injuries respectively.
Early team news
15:12 , Ben Fleming
Everton continue to grapple with a host of injuries to key players with Dele Ali and Seamus Coleman long-term absentees. Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Jarrad Branthwaite, Jack Harrison and Andre Gomes could all make a return to the starting XI following their various injuries, while James Tarkowski is expected to recover from a facial injury sustained against Sheffield United.
Where can I watch it?
15:07 , Ben Fleming
Everton vs Arsenal will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. It will be streamed live on the Sky Go app and desktop website for subscribers. The match starts at 4:30pm.
Is Everton vs Arsenal on TV today? Kick-off time, channel and how to watch Premier League fixture
14:59 , Luke Baker
Arsenal look to maintain their unbeaten start to the Premier League as they travel to take on struggling Everton.
Mikel Arteta’s side snatched a late victory over Manchester United before the international break to make it ten points from a possible twelve in their opening four games as they look to keep pace with Manchester City at the top of the table.
Sean Dyche’s side, meanwhile, picked up their opening points of the season prior to the international break with a 2-2 away draw against Sheffield United. The Merseyside club won this fixture 1-0 last season in Sean Dyche’s first game in charge and will be hoping for a repeat performance to kickstart their league campaign.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the game
Everton vs Arsenal TV channel and how to watch today
Everton vs Arsenal
14:54 , Luke Baker
Welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of Everton vs Arsenal in the Premier League.
The Gunners will be desperate to continue their unbeaten start to the season, while the Toffees already appear to be in crisis and need to start picking up points.
Stick with us for all the action