Everton vs Arsenal LIVE: Premier League result and final score as James Tarkowski stuns title favourites
Everton 1-0 Arsenal: Sean Dyche leads Everton to victory as Tarkowski’s goal lifts Toffees out of relegation zone against Premier League leaders
Everton leant heavily on their Burnley connection for a first win since October as Sean Dyche’s reign as manager got off to the perfect start with a 1-0 win over Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The ex-Clarets boss insisted he did not have any “magic dust” to sprinkle on a struggling squad - the only one not to be strengthened by a January signing - but the effect he had was immediate as another former resident of Turf Moor James Tarkowski headed the winner on the hour.
It was the centre-back’s first goal since joining from Burnley on a free in the summer - and his first since the opening day of last season - and ended a run of no wins in 10 matches in all competitions.
The great escape is most definitely on for Everton, who by virtue of their lunchtime kick-off, briefly moved out of the relegation zone with hope springing eternal at Goodison after 12 miserable months under previous manager Frank Lampard.
Defeat was Arsenal’s first since September, and only their second in the league, and opened the door for Manchester City to close the five-point gap at Tottenham on Sunday.
Relive all the action after Everton stunned Arsenal in the Premier League:
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
8 mins: Half chance for Everton as McNeil is allowed to carry the ball forward. His shot is deflected and almost breaks into Calvert-Lewin’s path, but Ramsdale gets out well to smother. Calvert-Lewin may have been offside anyway.
Arsenal respond with a counter-attack, but it doesn’t come to anything.
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
6 mins: Onana goes down with a knock, bringing a pause to the game. A plane is flying over Goodison Park today with the message, ‘League’s worst run club, Time to go Bill’.
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
5 mins: It’s clear early on that Everton will drop into a tight and compact shape when Arsenal take control of the possession. Coleman crunches into Martinelli, as Arsenal look to move the ball quickly.
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
4 mins: Coleman then does well to track Martinelli and force the Brazil winger to run the ball out of play.
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
3 min: Arsenal give the ball away cheapy and Iwobi looks to put through Calvert-Lewin. Saliba is able to force him away from goal and Arsenal clear.
Everton 0-0 Arsenal
1 min: Alex Iwobi and Dwight McNeil have swapped flanks, with Iwobi on the left against his former team and McNeil swapped over to the right. Mykolenko nibbles into Odegaard and gives away an early foul.
KICK-OFF! Everton 0-0 Arsenal
The Sean Dyche era is underway! There’s a great noise inside Goodison, with the fans fully behind the team - if not the board.
Everton vs Arsenal
Here we go! The players are in the tunnel and we are almost ready to get going. Arsenal sit top on 50 points from 19 games, Everton are second from bottom with 15.
But it’s the start of a new era at Goodison Park, as Sean Dyche looks to turn Everton’s season around. It starts, though, with the toughest possible start.
Kick-off is next!
Everton vs Arsenal
The Goodison Park DJ’s choice of ‘All Together Now’ on the pre-match playlist does not seem to be a coincidence. A message, perhaps, after the protests before the match at Goodison.
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