On Saturday lunchtime two former Everton football staff members will meet for the last time at Goodison Park before their Premier League match against Arsenal and manager Mikel Arteta.
The Merseyside club suffered a derby loss to Liverpool recently yet Arsenal maintained their second position in the table by beating Fulham 2-1 at home.
A significant number of former Gunners who had played for Arsenal joined their former team mates at the Emirates Stadium for the Fulham match yet the player who produced the most memorable moment happened to be another Gunner returnee.
The strong reemergence of Mikel Merino through emergency number nine surprised viewers before Bukayo Saka scored his first comeback goal of 2025 via a header shortly after coming off the bench and then gave a touching moment sharing a hug with Arsenal's strength and conditioning coach.
The final-minute strike from Rodrigo Muniz failed to create a clean sheet for Arsenal and brought the final score to 2-1 yet secured their three points and kept their four-point lead against second-place Nottingham Forest.
The Arsenal team faces a certain fate regarding the Premier League title but they must maintain their stronghold on Champions League qualification which will relieve some pressure before facing Real Madrid.
The unbroken Premier League away record of Arsenal reaches eleven games before the team must face the daunting task against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu stadium. Merseyside remains a challenging location for Arsenal guests despite their long history with both Liverpool and Everton clubs.
As the manager looks to outsmart the student in his soon-to-be old home, it is encouraging to note that Arsenal has only won three of the previous 26 Premier League away games against Everton and Liverpool combined.
Everton's nine-game Premier League winning streak will undoubtedly be in ruins after Wednesday's heartbreaking 1-0 loss to rivals Liverpool, even though they were extremely lucky not to lose to 10 because of James Tarkowski's heinous tackle on Alexis Mac Allister.
Despite putting up a fight, Everton suffered their first Premier League defeat since January 15, ending a run of four consecutive draws and extending their winless streak in the top flight to five games. Still, the 15th-placed side maintains a comfortable 14-point cushion above the relegation zone.
While David Moyes's return has provided a spark, Everton’s defensive stability has wavered. Diogo Jota’s midweek goal for Liverpool marked the eighth straight match across all competitions in which the Toffees have conceded, including six of their last seven games at Goodison Park.
Earlier this season, Everton were edged 1-0 by Arsenal at home, snapping a five-game unbeaten streak against the Gunners at Goodison. However, having battled to a 0-0 draw at the Emirates in December, Everton now have a rare chance to keep Arsenal scoreless in both league encounters for the first time in 112 years.
