The Toffees prevailed deserved 1-0 winners this afternoon at Goodison Park thanks to an early finish from veteran defender Phil Jagielka.
Arsenal struggled to create many clear-cut chances as Marco Silva’s team dominated in terms of shots on goal.
The loss on Merseyside has put a serious dent in the Gunners’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.
Arsenal
Emery tried to explain the performances from his players, after naming Mesut Ozil as his captain while leaving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the bench again.
Emery tried to explain the performances from his players, after naming Mesut Ozil as his captain while leaving Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on the bench again.
He said: “The two halves were very different. First half we were consistent defensively but didn’t create a lot of attacking moments and they scored from a throw-in.
“In the second half we were better offensively but defensively there were more chances for them.
“We needed a change in the attacking third but I didn’t want to lose the balance defensively
“We know we needed to be strong and
In the first half we were consistent. We conceded good chances for them, they scored from one throw-in. In the attacking third we needed more.
“If the result was what we deserved in the first half we can continue in the second half and find moments to take better results. We needed to change quickly.
“We decided to play 4-2-3-1 and we lost the chance to be defensively consistent.”
Emery did give credit to one Arsenal player, though, in the form of goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
The Gunners’ first-choice shot-stopper, who has totally surpassed Petr Cech now in the pecking order, impressed and kept the north Londoners in the contest right up until the final whistle.
The £22m summer signing’s form could well play an important role in Arsenal’s season yet, with a Europa League quarter-final tie against Napoli and crunch final six Premier League games to come.