Sky Sports Premier League Podcast
Gunners suffer blow in race for Premier League top four
07 Apr 2019
Chapter 1: What was the impact of Phil Jagielka's unexpected goal for Everton?
It's loose, it's in, it's Jagielka! Phil Jagielka, who wasn't even supposed to be on the team sheet, finds himself on the score sheet. An unlikely Everton match winner in Phil Jagielka called into action at the last minute. He scored the only goal. Man of the match was Dominic Calvert-Lewin, two men of Sheffield, with Greg Whelan.
Guys, well done. Phil, the third straight win and another big win against a top-six team. How does this one feel?
Oh, it feels great, obviously, to keep a clean sheet as well. trying to build a little bit of momentum towards the end of the season, and as you say, the boys did fantastic all over today. Obviously, we got one goal, but we could have had a few more.
Not a bad feeling to beat Arsenal as well, if you personally.
Yeah, obviously, they're a very good team, they've proved that all season, and it's nice for us to, you know, obviously we beat Chelsea as well, not too long ago, so it's nice to keep the momentum going and beat one of the so-called bigger boys, especially at home.
Dominic, great result, but could it, should it, have been by more in the end, do you feel?
I think so.
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Chapter 2: How did Everton manage to secure a win against Arsenal?
We had a few good chances during the game. Perhaps if we were more clinical at times, it might have been a few more, but I think ultimately we got the win and it's the three points that count.
Phil, when you were thrown in at the deep end just before kick-off, did you expect to be a match winner?
No, I'm not normally much on a full stop, but no, it was good, obviously, we got the ball in the box, long throw, and I think Dom's going to claim an assist, I think you've put it across, didn't you?
Of course.
Right person, right time, they're the best goals, the little tap-ins from two or three yards, but it's a team effort today, he's worked really hard up front to keep them busy all day, and it was nice to be able to win.
Well, on that theme, how hard do you feel the whole team had to work to achieve a result like this one today?
Very hard, I think, from the start of the game.
We set the tempo and it was tough and I think towards the end of the first half we kind of felt it a little bit, but I think we came out in the second half strong and we kind of maintained that pressure and they had large amounts of the ball at times, but I think we showed quality when we needed to and we got them on the counter-attack and I think the game plan worked well too.
Phil, what's the target now? Top seven? Just to keep winning games, keeping clean sheets, winning games and see where we are. I'd say it's all about momentum towards next season and see where it takes us.
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Chapter 3: What challenges did Arsenal face in their away game performance?
The match winner will do the honours. Well done, mate. Well done, guys. Thank you.
Yeah, that is a fifth clean sheet in six games as well. Let's see the breakdown then. 23 attempts from Everton. That's more than they've had in any game this season. Seven from Arsenal. Just one of those was in the first half. And in terms of the XG as well, the goals that expect to score from the chances created, 2.45 from Everton, again a season high.
Arsenal just 0.35, the fewest, the lowest total they've had on the XG this season. In some ways, Tim, was the biggest disappointment for Everton that they only actually scored one goal?
100%, and I feel that the way Everton set up, they were compact, they let Arsenal have the ball and then hit them as soon as they come into the midfield. But what played into Everton's hands was...
Chapter 4: How did the Everton players contribute to the victory?
Arsenal wanted to press high. Jags got the ball out of his feet, played it long into Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison. Obviously they bullied Socrates and Monreal and that's where the play started from and that's what the Everton fans like to see. Did this goal, Alex, sum up the difference in the teams today?
You talked about winning battles from Everton.
Every single, the first phase, they win it. Then you've got Calvert-Lewin, the determination to make something happen. And then you've got Jagielka, his reaction, reacting quicker. And that summed up everything about Everton in the first half. In every single department, they were winning first, they were winning second balls, the energy they were showing.
And you're right, Tim, it could have been more than 1-0.
He deserves a special mention, Phil Jagielka, because I questioned before the game how difficult it was going to be for him. He obviously wasn't prepared correctly. Come into the team with, what, 20 minutes to go. He was magnificent today.
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Chapter 5: What strategies did Arsenal implement to change the game in the second half?
Not easy, playing against Lacazette, Obama, Yang, Ramsey comes on. He showed every bit of experience in the game. There was one moment when he was perhaps just on his heels when Lacazette first half went past and he had a cross. Apart from that, he was brilliant. It was a joy to watch his performance today. He just showed all of his experience. How didn't they score another today? Sorry?
How didn't they score another today? Oh, I mean, they had so many good chances. They were, you know, they were, I think, what I like most about them, when I think about an Everton performance, this was it to a certain extent. They played percentage football. They made a real nuisance of themselves. They had a lot of quality in the front areas. Bernard was excellent.
Chapter 6: How did the match statistics reflect the game dynamics?
Sigurdsson, they got into these areas where they were crossing the ball, getting into the box. This is what Everton fans want to see. They don't like seeing pretty football here. And there's nothing wrong with that. play football in the right areas, and that's what Everton did so well today. Tim, you played here for many years, you know what they like.
It's the tempo, but the way Everton set out today, Jags looked like he took it upon himself to get that ball forward and set every second ball. But the thing I'd question now, if Everton want to mix it with the big boys and kick on, they've got to win these games 2-0, 3-0 at home. And Richarlison, Sigurdsson, the chances they had, Bernard...
Now we're talking about composure, and now we're talking about how does Everton go to the next level. And you look at these chances, if this is a Man City or a Liverpool, this could be 3-4-0.
I think Silva was talking about it in the week in the record against the top six sides, that he was questioning his team's mentality. Do they believe coming into these games that they can actually win?
Well, from the minute one when they stepped out, it's like they were exploiting Arsenal's weakness and they actually believed that they could exploit that and actually believed that they could go on to win the game. I think in the wide channels with Richarlison and Coleman, the link-up play between them two, Arsenal couldn't handle them today.
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Chapter 7: What did Unai Emery identify as missing from Arsenal's performance?
What about the scrap in midfield, Jamie?
It was brilliant. In midfield, I thought Everton were fantastic. Gomez, I think, ran 12.5 kilometres. Idrissa Gueye, 11.5. But I want to talk about Idrissa Gueye because everyone talks about Fernandinho being the best, and I believe that. But this guy, at the moment, is as good as anybody. His all-round game is sensational. The energy...
And the way that he senses danger all the time for his team. And you need a player like this. You need someone that's going to sense it. He gets in the right position. If he doesn't run back there, Mkhitaryan knocks that into the net. This is brilliant.
Chapter 8: What are the implications of this match for Arsenal's top four chances?
I love this bit of midfield play here. There he is there, winning that challenge. Up to his feet, quickly passes it forward. And then Everton on the break. Gomez passes it forward. And that's exactly what the Everton fans want to see. Everything that he did today was excellent. These are the things as well that go unnoticed probably to most people. You see him there.
He knows that ball's going to get fed into Mesut Ozil. Can I make that distance up? Can I travel that 20 yards, which a lot of players wouldn't want to do, to get across to win the ball for his team and protect that back four? Does he get there in time? Absolutely. It's perfect interception. And they're the little things that you need, and they're the things that your teammates respect so much.
Again, here. Just look at him here. Watch how he breaks up two challenges. One, he goes and wins that one. Then Ramsey's got a crossing opportunity. He gets to the ball. This is a brilliant tackle as well. And then the 95th minute of the game, he ends up... Here, he comes into this area here. Let me just stop that. That's him in the right-back position. Now, I have to be honest.
If I'm his manager, I'm thinking, all right, pass that one forward, hold your position. He doesn't. I mean, he's the marathon man. He plays it forward. Not content, he goes and gets the third man run, and he's off again. He didn't stop all game. And this pretty much summed him up, Tim. He was magnificent.
I thought he was brilliant. And I think we were talking in the first half, just watching how he shut off Ozil. When you look at Ozil and people say he had a quiet game, you can also say so did Mkhitaryan. But Ozil did not have a chance because Lacazette, he wasn't taking Jags and Zouma back. He wasn't holding on to those two.
So it meant that Gabe pretty much closed down everything in that midfield. Terrific afternoon for Everton and Marco Silva with Greg Whelan.
Marco, congratulations, what was the key to this win today?
Team spirit, quality in many, many moments of the game also, and what I said before and what is my message to our players also, to play offensive football, to be creative, to create a chance to score, we have to be solid as a team, and this afternoon we were again, solid, we didn't give them... many chances to create problems for us.
We were solid, we played a good block and after the ball we had very good moments. The 1-0 for us, the win is more than fair but with more goals we'll be more In my opinion, the many chances we created, we have to be, of course, more clinical in some moments of the game, but congratulations for our players.
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