On a dreadful night in North London, Everton were thrashed by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium to once more underline this team’s chronic inability to pick up points away from home.
It was a depressingly familiar sight to see the Blues’ lack fight, labour so badly last night and also ship four more goals, which could have course been more.
Everton managed to keep the scoreline blank for nearly the whole of the first half and held their own but didn’t offer any threat and the home side were always in control.
Once Arsenal had scored though – just before halftime through their standout player Bakayo Saka – as always there was only ever going to be one winner.
Three more goals followed in the game as the Toffees’ crashed to their worst defeat of the campaign so far.
I don’t really know what else can be said now. We’ve seen this so often that I could just copy and paste past match reviews from other similar away day horror shows.
Sean Dyche had picked a team to defend in numbers and with Neal Maupay as his only striker, yet again. And, as expected Everton offered no real goal threat with the Frenchman isolated and ineffective up front as he has been all season.
Once again individual errors also led directly to goals. For Arsenal’s first, Vitalii Mykolenko left Saka (who was looking so dangerous throughout) on his own and he then fired in superbly.
At the same time Michael Keane, somehow back in the team, was also arguably at fault for not covering his full-back effectively.
How is Keane back playing for this team after his constant history of indivdual errors? Yerry Mina should surely have started last night.
Then Idrissa Gueye, again, carelessly lost possession to Saka and it led to Martinelli’s first goal, which made the result signed and sealed for sure.
The manager’s substitutes also were a little baffling with Dyche bringing on Mason Holgate and Tom Davies (who missed the away team’s best chance again) and Demarai Gray .
I would have thought he may as well have given Ellis Simms a go with Gray. Far from ideal yes, but what else is there that can be done?
Now, Sunday’s trip to Nottingham Forest takes on truly monumental significance with the need for points away from home becoming more and more critical.
Everton really have to win this massive match in the Midlands, but is there any chance of that? I don’t think so.