Leandro Trossard gives resilient Arsenal first victory at Everton in six years

Arsenal chose a good place to show the determination, mental resilience and class that will all be required to sustain another challenge for the Premier League title this season. Mikel Arteta’s team were confronted by an obstinate Everton, often contained comfortably by them too, but one piercing move and stylish finish from the substitute Leandro Trossard sufficed for a first win at Goodison Parkin almost six years.

Arsenal’s Record at Goodison Park

Arsenal had lost four and drawn one of their last five visits to Goodison but there appears more substance to Arteta’s team this season, and it was required to maintain the confidence and composure to eventually break Everton. There were boos around Goodison after the final whistle after only four minutes of time was added on. The truth is, Dyche’s team would not have threatened an equaliser no matter how long the referee, Simon Hooper, played.

There was a notable absence from the Arsenal side as Aaron Ramsdale was replaced in goal by David Raya for the first time since theSpaniard’s loan move from Brentford.The debutant could not have wished for a gentler introduction, spending the entirety of the first half as a virtual spectator as Everton sat back and allowed Arsenal to dominate possession. To Arteta’s intense irritation, the visitors threatened little with it.

The only incident of note before the break was VAR’s contentious decision to disallow a goal from Gabriel Martinelli. It was the only time Arsenal managed to breach a well-organised Everton defence, but another VAR intervention that was open to interpretation. A Beto challenge on Gabriel Magalhães sent the ball sailing towards the Everton goal, where Eddie Nketiah came from an offside position to collect. The impressive Fábio Vieira then released Martinelli behind the converted right-back Ashley Young and the Brazilian found the far corner with a pin-point finish.

VAR, however, decided that Beto’s touch was accidental and the celebrations inside Goodison switched from the away corner to the home sections as the breakthrough was ruled out for an offside against Nketiah. It was a reprieve for Everton and a relief for Amadou Onana, who had let Beto’s ball run through to the otherwise anonymous Arsenal striker in the correct belief that he was off.

Arsenal were otherwise comfortably contained. Injury was added to insult for Martinelli when he hobbled off moments later, to be replaced by Trossard, and the visitors spent the remainder of the half searching in vain for a way through the nine royal blue shirts encamped deep inside their own half. The interval brought welcome respite for the spectator and time for Arteta to work on a solution. His players delivered.

The matchwinner Leandro Trossard talks to Sky Sports

It was a perfect lay-off from Bukayo and I knew I had to hit it straight away with my left foot. It went in perfectly and I’m really happy with it. I’ve been practising all my life with both feet and it helps you in the game as an attacker.

We knew we had a poor record here. They always give you a hard time but the boys defended well. [On the short corners] They have a lot of tall guys and are good on set-pieces, so that was the thinking behind it. We work hard on [short corners]; we work hard on everything tactically!