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James Tarkowski’s winner kicked off the Sean Dyche era at Everton with a morale-boosting win against the Premier League leaders Arsenal

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Sat 4 Feb 2023 09.52 ESTFirst published on Sat 4 Feb 2023 06.20 EST
Everton's James Tarkowski peels away after heading the winner.
Everton's James Tarkowski peels away after heading the winner. Photograph: Peter Powell/EPA
Everton's James Tarkowski peels away after heading the winner. Photograph: Peter Powell/EPA

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Mikel Arteta’s turn. “It was a really tough match … we knew it was going to be tough … we started the game pretty well but after 20 minutes we started to lose a little bit of control and played the sort of game they wanted to play … one set piece, that’s what they do, and they slowed the game down … we have to create much more than we did today … we needed more composure … I told them today I love them much better than the week before, the month before, six months before, because it is easy to be next to someone who is winning and playing well but now is the moment to be next to them because they deserve it … I’m so proud of the players … this is not going to be a rose pathway, it’s going to be tricky, difficult, you will have to react to disappointment, dig in and play better than we did today.”

Sean Dyche speaks to BT Sport. “The players have taken a lot on this week and I thank them for that because it’s not easy … the minimum requirement is maximum effort and there was plenty of that today … the basic requirements never change, you have to win your battles and your races … we can still improve but that comes with confidence and that comes with results … we are committed to the cause … it gives us a platform to move forward … the players have given a lot this week and to get that performance right, I’m delighted for them.”

That’s a huge three points for Sean Dyche and Everton! They climb out of the bottom three, for a couple of hours at least. Goodison Park is in party mode. “What an atmosphere!” their goalscoring hero James Tarkowski tells BT Sport. “Fair play to the fans. There have been tough times. A change of management, but we’ve bought into it straight away. Hopefully this is the turning point. We’ve got to get our heads down and crack on.” As for Arsenal, there goes a chance to tear eight points clear of Manchester City. Should Pep Guardiola’s side win at Spurs tomorrow, their lead will be just two. The title race – and the battle to avoid the drop – starts here!

Pos Team P GD Pts
1 Arsenal 20 28 50
2 Man City 20 33 45
16 West Ham 20 -8 18
17 Everton 21 -12 18
18 Wolverhampton 20 -18 17

FULL TIME: Everton 1-0 Arsenal

Goodison erupts with glee! A new manager bounce! What a result for Sean Dyche, one that has huge significance at both ends of the table!

90 min +6: Everton continue to break up the play in the professional style. This is marvellous game management as they look to secure three precious points.

90 min +5: Maupay and Zinchenko are both yellow carded for an off-the-ball incident. They were wrestling like big children. It nearly kicks off, but not quite.

90 min +3: Trossard clumsily skittles Gueye and Arsenal’s attempt to launch an attack is needlessly over. The clock ticks on, with the Everton faithful hollering at top volume, doing all they can to heave their lads over the line.

90 min +2: Saka wins Arsenal a corner on the right. He takes it himself. He pulls it back for Zinchenko, all alone on the edge of the D. Zinchenko’s effort, intended for the top left, is decent but always flying over the bar. Pickford had it covered.

90 min +1: Onana works his way down the left wing, hassling Tomiyasu all the way. He ends up winning a throw, and the clock ticks on in Everton’s favour.

89 min: Tarkowski is the corner hero at the other end this time, heading Arsenal’s desperate one clear. Arsenal come back at Everton, but Zinchenko shanks a dismal long-distance effort wide left.

88 min: Saka slips Vieira into space down the right. Vieira reaches the byline and attempts to cut back, but the ball’s blocked out for a corner. Saka to take.

84 min: Maupay sends a dribbler of a shot into the arms of Ramsdale from 25 yards. Sean Dyche is signally not happy with his decision-making process. Maupay can expect to receive some beneficial advice later on.

83 min: McNeil wins a corner for Everton down the left. Iwobi swings it towards the near post. Saliba heads clear under pressure. That’s as well as Arsenal have dealt with a corner today.

82 min: Trossard glides in from the left only to curl wastefully wide right and high. Arsenal are beginning to show a little desperation.

80 min: Saka crosses from the right. Trossard can’t control on the corner of the six-yard box. Another goal kick. Everton edge ever closer to three precious points.

79 min: Xhaka drives down the left and crosses long for Saka, who snatches at his shot under pressure from Maupay. Goal kick.

75 min: McNeil dribbles with purpose down the left and wins a corner. Iwobi takes. Arsenal make a meal of clearing it, but nobody can slam it home from the middle of a melee. Eventually the flag goes up for offside, but Arsenal looked extremely uncomfortable defending that corner. They’ve been extremely uncomfortable defending them all afternoon.

71 min: Trossard takes another corner, and yet again fails to get the ball past the first man. “Where is Mary Waltz?” demands Jeff Sax. “She must be ecstatic.” Pretty much. In an email headed “expert analysis”, she writes: “My play by play of the goal. OOOOOMYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYyGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDDD.”

69 min: Onana is booked for a late side on White. Then Maupay shoves Xhaka in the chest. For a second, it looks like kicking off, but Xhaka, of all people, is the man who calms everyone down. Everton playing well, Xhaka a peacemaker, it’s a new dawn all right.

67 min: Iwobi is robbed in the middle of the park and Odegaard races towards the Everton box. He shapes to shoot, but Coady times his challenge perfectly and the opportunity is gone.

65 min: The ball bagatelles around the Everton box. Maupay comes barging in on Gabriel, who in turn skittles Gueye. VAR double-checks for a penalty, but while all the challenges were hard, they were also fair. We play on.

64 min: Trossard grooves his way down the left and wins Arsenal a corner. He takes it himself … and hits the first man. That’s not good at all.

63 min: Mykolenko has been hassling Saka all afternoon, but now he oversteps the mark, cynically tripping him and going into the book.

62 min: Everton were preparing a change and make it anyway. Calvert-Lewin is replaced by Maupay. “Goal!” screams Jeff Sax. “There can be no doubt that Lampard has no clue about managing.”

James Tarkowski runs off to celebrate his goal. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA
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GOAL! Everton 1-0 Arsenal (Tarkowski 60)

Iwobi wins a corner down the right. McNeil hits it long. Tarkowski rises at the far post, overpowering Odegaard and slamming a header home from close range. Simple as that! McNeil to Tarkowski, then. A goal made in Burnley.

James Tarkowski heads the opener for Everton. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/Reuters
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58 min: Martinelli powers his way down the inside-left channel, then sends Nketiah away down the wing. He enters the box and cuts back for Odegaard, who slaps a first-time shot wide left and high. The move deserved better.

Martin Odegaard blasts a shot over the bar. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/Reuters
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57 min: Mykolenko shanks a dismal effort miles wide from distance. Full marks for ambition, if nothing else.

56 min: Everton’s press is a little less intense, and so, on the touchline, Mikel Arteta encourages his men to step it up. “Lampard was fired from Chelsea and the team improved drastically in their next match,” writes Kári Tulinius. “That pattern seems to be repeating itself, at least as far as the first half goes. If it weren’t for his decent Derby team, you’d have to wonder if Lampard just wasn’t cut out for managing.”

54 min: Saka nearly gets past Mykolenko on the right but has to settle for a corner. From the set piece, Saka then Nketiah take speculative shots from the edge of the box. Both are blocked. Arsenal are carrying much more of a threat since the restart.

53 min: McNeil crosses deep from the left. At the far post, Zinchenko chests down calmly into the arms of Ramsdale. That’s ice-cool defending.

51 min: A lovely pitch-long sweeping move by Arsenal. Ramsdale to White on the right, then across to Martinelli on the left via Odegaard and Xhaka. Martinelli cuts back to Xhaka, whose low shot pinballs around for a while before Everton clear. For the first time this afternoon, Everton looked stretched.

49 min: McNeil is nearly robbed by White as he tries to play out from the back. He’s fortunate that White clanks the ball out for a goal kick. A more elegant nick off his toe, and White was clear in the box.

47 min: Everton are on the front foot again. Iwobi crosses from the right. Doucoure can’t get a shot away so tees up Gueye instead. Gueye smacks a shot through a thicket of players. It’s deflected towards the top right. Ramsdale makes an astonishing reaction stop, then the flag goes up for offside. It wouldn’t have counted, but what a stop that was. A mid-air change of direction that Billy the Fish would have been proud of.

HALF TIME: Everton 0-0 Arsenal

The whistle goes and a fairly content Sean Dyche heads off down the tunnel. Goodison shows its appreciation for their team’s efforts. Baby steps, small acorns, all that, but it’s been an encouraging 45 minutes for Everton.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin displaying signs of his effort. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Action Images/Reuters
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45 min +3: Coleman digs out a cross from the right. Calvert-Lewin flashes a header wide left from six yards. Had that been on target, Ramsdale was never getting there.

45 min +2: Coleman rolls a hospital pass back to Pickford, who shins it away from danger just in time, with Nketiah sliding in, hoping to block. Evertonian hearts were in mouths there!

45 min: Xhaka, Partey and Odegaard combine cutely down the left, but the final ball is lacking. Arsenal are finally finding their feet just as half-time looms. So much for wanting to hear the half-time whistle. Pulitzer, please!

43 min: Martinelli is going nowhere down the left, so Gueye helps him out by needlessly tugging on his shoulder. A free kick. Arsenal load the box, whereupon Xhaka flicks lamely out for a goal kick.

41 min: Pickford was beaten all ends up by that volley. It’s hardly breaking news, but Saka is some player all right. “It wouldn’t surprise me if Mykolenko comes from tailoring stock,” writes Alex Whitney. “Assuming Saka’s jersey is size Medium, it must be an XL by now.”

39 min: … so having said that, Saka meets a looping left-wing cross with a delicious volley, steering it diagonally towards the bottom-left corner. It’s so sweetly struck, and deserves reward, but Coady is on the line to hack clear. Fine defending, but what a goal that would have been!

38 min: Arsenal slow things down with some sterile possession. They’re not exactly on the rack, but could probably do with hearing the half-time whistle so they can have a rethink.

36 min: Odegaard tries to release White on the right with a pass down the channel, but overhits it. Goal kick. Pickford has had nothing to do so far. “I like the concept of half-of-one-half being a ‘honeymoon period’,” writes Colin Young. “Goodness, if Big Sean manages to actually win this game, he’ll create a whole new family.”

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