"Ganged up on him" - Gary Neville suggests Everton were very physical with Arsenal superstar in 1-0 defeat
Manchester United legend and prominent pundit Gary Neville believes Everton took a physical approach to dealing with Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka on Sunday (September 17).
The two teams clashed horns in a Premier League encounter, with the Gunners emerging 1-0 victors at Goodison Park. Leandro Trossard, who came on for Gabriel Martinelli in the first half after the Brazilian suffered a hamstring injury, scored the only goal in the 69th minute.
Trossard was assisted by Saka, who played a perfect cut-back from the right after a short corner and an intricate passing move. However, aside from nabbing the game-winning assist, the Englishman was largely subdued as Everton often sent two or three players his way whenever he had the ball.
This led Neville to make the following observation while on commentary duty for Sky Sports (as quoted by HITC):
“They have tended to Saka pretty well so far, Everton. Ganged up on him.”
Saka ended up receiving four fouls, the highest across both teams on the pitch. He was also involved in a game-high 15 duels, out of which he won seven. Everton full-back Vitaliy Mykolenko was second with 12 and five, respectively.
The Arsenal superstar, 22, also completed only two of his six dribble attempts and attempted no shots, but still ensured he left an impact. Saka found a teammate with 37 of his 41 pass attempts (90%) and laid out a key pass, while recording a tackle and two clearances as well.
He has now scored twice and assisted twice in five Premier League matches this term.
Arsenal finally break their Goodison Park jinx with hard-fought win
Prior to Sunday's match, Arsenal were winless at Goodison Park in nearly six years (four losses and one draw). Their most recent victory had come in October 2017 when the Gunners, then managed by the legendary Arsene Wenger, ran out 5-2 winners in a Premier League fixture.
Last season presented one of their more significant defeats at Everton's home as the 1-0 loss in February set off a run of three games without a win. This included a 3-1 home defeat to Manchester City, which played a part in Pep Guardiola's side clinching their third league title in a row.
However, with the jinx now finally behind them, Arsenal will hope to continue their unbeaten start to the season. They currently sit fourth in the league table with 13 points from five matches, level with Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, and two behind leaders City.
Mikel Arteta's side will next take on PSV Eindhoven in their first UEFA Champions League match in over six years on Wednesday, September 20.