Arsenal 0 Everton 0: Title hopefuls frustrated again, a need for speed, and faith in Lewis-Skelly

Arsenal’s attempt to gain ground on their Premier League title rivals was frustrated for a second week running as they were held to a goalless draw by Everton.

Last week, a late VAR decision meant Mikel Arteta’s side did not take all three points from their trip to Fulham and they had to settle for a point again this time out, with Everton proving stubborn opponents at the Emirates.

Though the home side dominated, they were unable to find their creative best and force a way through.

Another missed opportunity to make up ground

The postponement of the Merseyside derby last weekend meant Arsenal had the opportunity to make up ground on Liverpool, but could not fully capitalise as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Craven Cottage.

This weekend, Liverpool did play but were held to a 2-2 home draw by Fulham, but again, Arsenal could not make the most of their title rivals’ slip-up.

Arsenal are six points behind Arne Slot’s team, who have a game in hand, but missing multiple chances to reel them in further could be costly.

They were five points off Liverpool when they met in February’s 3-1 win and managed to finish seven points ahead, but they cannot allow the current pattern of games to continue if they are to gain real momentum in this title race.

Manchester City now have a chance to go level on points with Arsenal despite their torrid recent form, while Chelsea could go four points clear in second when they face Brentford.

Arsenal’s need for speed

While Arsenal have dominated their past three games, they have all harked back to something Arteta said this time last year.

After Arsenal’s 2-1 loss to Fulham on New Year’s Eve 2023, he said: “We weren’t efficient enough. We didn’t have enough ball speed, enough movement, enough threat.”

Those words have felt accurate when watching the past week’s matches against Fulham, Monaco and Everton, with frustrations becoming evident at the Emirates.

Pockets of the ground were urging both Mikel Merino and Declan Rice to move the ball forward more quickly at the start of the second half. Arteta responded soon after by replacing Rice and Odegaard with Jorginho and Ethan Nwaneri before Thomas Partey and Gabriel Jesus came on.

Too often until that point, Arsenal were happy to slowly work the ball up the pitch. For instance, when Bukayo Saka would make off-ball runs in behind, the player on the ball would pass to his nearest team-mate rather than in behind for Saka.

The substitutions did not change the flow of the game, but Arsenal did generate half-moments that should have been capitalised on. The big issue, however, is their players were struck by indecision in the critical moments.

Lewis-Skelly pushes his case to be starting left-back

Fresh from his first Champions League start against Monaco, Myles Lewis-Skelly impressed again on his full Premier League debut for Arsenal.

With Everton happy to concede possession, the 18-year-old was not confined to being a left-back. In the opening stages, he was the player to help Arsenal progress through the thirds.

Acting as the release valve for Arsenal’s centre-backs and Declan Rice when they were pressed, he played three nice passes that led to chances in the first 15 minutes. Two were for Gabriel Martinelli and another was for Martin Odegaard, only for the captain to drag his effort wide.

The personality that is so often associated with Lewis-Skelly was also displayed when he decided to drive forward with the ball under pressure and pop up further on the right to instigate attacks with Saka. The best example also resulted in an Odegaard shot, which was deflected behind for a corner.

There were some moments in the second half that did show his age, however, as he was lucky that his decision to let a loose ball run inside the box wasn’t punished. He may also need some time to get to grips with everything that happens during a throw-in, but that is a fairly minor job requirement.

Speaking to TNT Sports after the Monaco game, Saka said he told Lewis-Skelly “this is your level” before and during that Champions League win. His performance was proof of that, but to back it up three days later and be one of Arsenal’s brightest sparks in a Premier League fixture shows how impressive the England Under-19 international is.

What did Mikel Arteta say?

“I feel very disappointed not to win the game,” Arteta said in his post-match press conference.

“Obviously there was only one team who deserved to win — Arsenal. We gave nothing away, no shots (on target) conceded, we dominated the play, didn’t allow them to run, no set pieces, high press excellent. We generated the chances. But in the last 20 meters we were missing to score goals, which is what you have to do with all the dominance because we have never been able to dominate it that way.

“At the end you have to generate the highest possible winning probability. We certainly did that. At the end if you draw the game you always want more. We want more. But I cannot ask much more from the boys apart from putting the ball in the net.”