Premier League 2018-19: 3 reasons why Arsenal lost to Everton
Arsenal's terrible away form continued and this time it were Everton, who handed a major blow to the Gunners' chances of a top-four finish. Arsenal have now won just two of their last 12 away matches in all competitions, with the two victories coming against Blackpool and Huddersfield. However, Arsenal have been great in their backyard and have won their last seven outings in all competitions at home. This major mentality shift is yet to be resolved by Unai Emery as the manager still looks clueless on how to improve his team's form away from the Emirates.
Arsenal are still in pole position to finish the season in the fourth spot in the Premier League table but what makes their run-in difficult is that they have to play three more mid-table teams - Wolves, Leicester City and Watford - away from home. These three teams have decent records against the 'Big Six' at home, with Wolves the best team out of the lot.
Though the Gunners do not have to play any of their top six rivals till the end of the season, their abysmal away form means they have their work cut out if they want to finish in the top-four. Emery's team cannot afford to drop any more points and the three reasons why Arsenal lost to Everton last night are as follows.
#3 Inactivity down the wings
Everton had an upper hand against Arsenal when it came to attacking down the wings. The likes of Bernard and Richarlison ran riots through the flanks, always keeping Arsenal's wing-backs and centre backs on their back foot. This is exactly where Everton won the game.
Arsenal had to burn their midnight oil in order to cope with Everton's intensity and the home side had 23 shots attempted, compared to Arsenal's 9, which shows how terrific Everton's forwards were. The Goodison Park rose to the occasion as well, providing their players with an incredible atmosphere to play in.
Arsenal commenced the game with Mesut Ozil and Henrikh Mkhitaryan on either side of the flanks but both the players lacked the energy and strength to outrun or outperform Everton's full-backs, and as a result, Arsenal's creativity last night was close to nil.
When Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alex Iwobi came on for Mkhitaryan and Ozil, the game seemed to be tilting towards Arsenal as Everton's full-backs had a tough time catching up with Iwobi's dancing feet and Aubameyang's pace. But unfortunately, it just was not enough.