EVERTON 2, ARSENAL 5
Wayne Rooney’s early goal may have been a reminder of earlier glory days from Everton’s past but Arsenal underlined their superiority with comeback goals by Nacho Monreal and Mesut Ozil before Idrissa Gana Gueye got sent off.
Alexandre Lacazette extended the Gunners’ lead and the game was long gone by the time Aaron Ramsay and Alexis Sanchez scored either side of Oumar Niasse in injury time as boss Arsene Wenger celebrated his 68th birthday with a thumping win at Goodison Park.
Today’s game marked the first time this season that Lacazette started alongside Sanchez and Ozil and the Wenger must have been purring at the performance put in by his side on the day.
Arsenal might have scored even more but for some excellent goalkeeping by Jordan Pickford but Toffees boss Ronald Koeman must now surely be under intense pressure after a fifth game in a row without a win as they slipped into the relegation zone on goal difference.
Rooney, on his return to the Everton starting line-up, scored after just 12 minutes after Granit Xhaka was robbed by Idrissa Gana Gueye who released the Everton forward just 25 yards from the Arsenal box.
Rooney curled the ball home from just outside the area across the face of goal for his 5th strike for Everton for a goal that will have lifted the spirits of the home fans.
It was a curling strike not too dissimilar to the one which announced his precocious talent to the world with against the Gunners 15 years ago in 2002 but any thoughts of a repeat of this season’s game against Manchester City were swiftly dispelled.
Arsenal fire in 30 shots on the Everton goal
Everton’s goal came in an intense spell of Arsenal pressure during which the Gunners racked up chances starting with three from Aaron Ramsay, a free kick by Alexis Sanchez, and a couple of shots by Alexandre Lacazette and Hector Bellerin.
The Toffees came up with a few chances of their own, though, catching Arsenal on the break and Nikola Vlasic’s variety of crosses would surely have been potent ammunition for a more experienced striker than Dominic Calvert-Lewin, although he did almost rob Petr Cech in his own area during a great spell for Everton after Rooney’s goal.
For all their pressure and shots on goal the Gunners had seen little reward for their effort until five minutes before half time. Their own frustrations threatened to boil over with Alexis Sanchez visibly remonstrating with team mates and the referee as things didn’t go Arsenal’s way – this clearly didn’t endear him to the home fans.
In the end, the Chilean started the move that ended with the equaliser when his initial shot was blocked, Granit Xhaka’s follow-up was parried by Jordan Pickford but Nacho Monreal was at hand to stab home the rebound from 10 yards out with the Everton keeper grounded.
It was only his second goal of the season, but the Gunners had deserved so much more by the time the defender scored it.
Ronald Koeman went more positive in the second half, sacrificing Ashley Williams and bringing on Tom Davies to bolster the midfield as Rooney was pushed upfront alongside Calvert-Lewin.
The change left the Everton defence short as Arsenal pushed down their left flank and Sanchez produced a fine cross for Mesut Ozil who was unmarked as he arrived on time to glance the ball past Pickford in the 53rd minute to put the Gunners into the lead with his first goal of the season.
Any lingering thoughts of a comeback for the Blues took a definitive turn for the worse after Gueye was sent off with a second yellow card for a late studs up lunge on Granit Xhaka in the 68th minute.
With Goodison Park silenced, Arsenal scored again after Nikola Vlasic gave the ball away and the Gunners went down the right flank with Lacazette handed a tap in following a right wing cross by Ozil in the 74th minute.
Blues fans then booed the late substitution of Calvert-Lewin which appeared to be the catalyst for an exodus of disgruntled fans after Rooney had been substituted too.
Sanchez went close with a diving header while Xhaka rattled the crossbar before Aaron Ramsay made it four from 10 yards out following a defence splitting pass by Jack Wilshere in the last minute.
A half full Goodison cheered as Oumar Niasse got on the scoresheet in injury time after a poor backless by Monreal but the Gunners had the last word as pantomime villain Sanchez struck a minute later after weaving through the Toffees defence to celebrate Arsenal’s return to the top 5 in style.