Prince Rupert's Tower
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Freak goal gives Everton win at Arsenal

By Matt Townsend

LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 23: Bernd Leno of Arsenal makes a mistake leading to conceding an own goal and Everton's first during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at Emirates Stadium on April 23, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 23: Bernd Leno of Arsenal makes a mistake leading to conceding an own goal and Everton's first during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Everton at Emirates Stadium on April 23, 2021 in London, England. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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It’s been a season of firsts on the road for Everton this campaign and after ending a 22 year barren streak at Anfield, the Blues claimed victory at Arsenal tonight too for the first time since 1996.

This was a drab and dreary match overall and it looked very much as though Everton were on their way to yet another draw before a horrendous error by Gunner keeper Bernd Leno ultimately gave the Toffees the points and their tenth win on the road this season.

Carlo Ancelotti welcomed back Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Andre Gomes to his team and went with another new-look side that had Ben Godfrey and Mason Holgate at centre-back

Up front Gylfi Sigurdsson lining up in support of Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison in a funny three-man forward line.

The match got off to a slow and lethargic start and never really recovered with neither team showing much real enterprise or quality and there were few chances being created.

Everton were giving the ball away cheaply too with James Rodriguez struggling to get into the match and it was another of those frustratingly indifferent efforts that this team so often produces.

After an excellent attacking performance against Tottenham, the Toffees simply couldn’t get going tonight and created little.

Arsenal wern’t any better and it looked like we were on for another bore draw. The most entertaining thing that had happened so far were the vocal demonstrations against the Arsenal owner by Gunners fans outside the ground.

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There were a few half-chances at either end with Richarlsion forcing a save from the best Blues opportunity but the closest anyone came to a goal was a Sigurdsson free-kick that rattled the woodwork.

Again as in the Crystal Palace match, Ancelotti made another of his baffling subsitutions bringing on Fabian Delph when Everton needed to win the match. He contributed nothing of note.

Then later in the second half Arsenal were awarded a penalty for what seemed the slenderest of contacts but it was overturned by VAR.

After that flutter of momentary excitment the game then turned on what seemed an pedestrian incident as a ball over the top and Richarlison reached it and side-footed a routine looking cross that Leno somehow turned back into his own goal.

It was a bizarre goal and one you are unlikely to see again for a long time and it was the kind of weird goal that you might actually expect Everton to be more likely to concede.

Arsenal had a late chance to equalise that Jordon Pickford superbly saved and that was enough to give the Toffees three vital poitns that keep their European dreams alive.