Saka took the corner short to Odegaard, who fizzed it infield to Vieira on the edge of the area. He moved it back outside to Zinchenko, who found Odegaard, who played in the underlapping Saka on the right side of the area. Saka cut the ball back to Trossard, who opened his body to guide a first-time shot across goal. Time stood still as the ball flew across Pickford… and then it clattered off the inside of the far post and into the net. That’s such a good finish, not least because the ball popped up slightly as it reached Trossard.
Updated at 13.03 EDT
52 min The longer this stays 0-0, the more empowered Arsenal will be if they do win it. It’s football’s eternal dilemma: would you prefer a stress-free 4-0 win or a stressful 97th-minute winner? The latter, clearly, but only if you know it’s going to happen, which you don’t.
Updated at 12.44 EDT
49 min “Losing Martinelli for any length of time would be a pretty big blow to Arsenal,” says Joe Pearson. “He’s played nearly every minute of every match so far this season (excluding this one, of course).”
It would, though Trossard is a very good replacement. The odd short-term injury might not be a bad thing, as it might help Arteta trust his back-up players more. He’ll have to rotate more in the Premier League this season.
Updated at 12.41 EDT
Half time: Everton 0-0 Arsenal
The last touch of an intriguing, uneventful half is a niggly foul by Saka, who has temporarily misplaced his joie de vivre, on Onana. That’s another small victory for Everton, who have frustrated Arsenal with their defensive excellence. Gabriel Martinelli had a goal disallowed for a modern offside; that aside, Arsenal created little. Everton created even less, but they’ll hope to change that in the second half.
Updated at 12.22 EDT
45+3 min “Gary Neville’s increasingly tenuous reasoning as to why that was not offside reminded me of how I try to keep face when my kids find out that I’m completely wrong on something,” writes Niall Mullen. “No, I did smash a glass but only because you and your sister were making too much noise.”
Updated at 12.18 EDT
45 min Arsenal must be starting to experience deja vu, though there is an upside to that as well: by winning the game they can change the narrative, the record or whatever we’re calling it these days, thus telling their subconscious that this season is different.
It’s a really important second half for them. If they don’t win today it’ll be a big blow, even this early in the season, and another failure the wrong side of Watford Gap.
Updated at 12.16 EDT
42 min “Another VAR LOL,” says David Bowen. “Would anyone in the ground or watching on the old telebox really be overcome with righteousness injustice if that goal stood? Or put it another way, if there was a cricket style DRS would any Everton player referred that? Actually they were appealing so they might have done. Oh I don’t know any more Rob. Do you? Does anyone?”
No. One of the most miserable things about VAR is watching grown men – on the pitch and in the crowd – trying it on the moment the ball hits a defender’s hand, even if that defender is on all fours, unconscious, 0.0001 millimetres away from the ball, and two yards outside the penalty area. The hell with it.
Updated at 12.14 EDT
38 min “Not that hard,” says Rick McGahey of the disallowed goal. “In an offside position. Yes. Was ball played “deliberately” by opponent? No, a deflection and not off an attempt to play the ball (an attempt would be ‘deliberate’ even if it didn’t go where it was meant to). So, attacker in offside position, didn’t get ball from a deliberate play by opponent, offside.”
Isn’t that exactly what I said? I agree with you, though I’m not sure about the need for a touch to be deliberate. Gabriel was playing the ball nowhere near Nketiah, so shouldn’t the deflection just be part of football’s natural variables? Not sure, I’d need to think about it. It’s befuddled me since that Karim Benzema goal was disallowed in the Champions League final.
Updated at 12.09 EDT
32 min “Ramsdale will always be a fan favourite and he is a top-class goalkeeper,” says Chris Lambert. “Whatever Arteta sees in the background he could never publicly discuss replacement – he’d catch far too much flak. If that is his plan, it’ll be executed by the inch not the mile.”
Surely it’s better to rip the plaster off like Guardiola did with Joe Hart? Then again, I suppose Alex Ferguson was a master of getting rid of players in stages. My instinct is it’s a bad idea, if that is what Arteta is doing. Maybe he does just want two high-class goalkeepers and thinks he can keep them both happy.
Updated at 12.04 EDT
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