3 points in a 3 shots match

December 20, 2025

Goodison Park, Liverpool

There was a symmetry to the setting. Arteta marked his sixth year as Arsenal manager in the same city where his English story had begun nearly two decades earlier.

In early 2005, David Moyes was assembling a midfield capable of sustaining Everton’s improbable chase for Champions League football. He recalled a slight, technically gifted Spaniard who had caught his eye in a pre-season friendly with Real Sociedad the previous summer. Schooled at La Masia and already seasoned by spells at Paris Saint-Germain and Rangers, Arteta was surplus to requirements at his hometown club. On deadline day, February 1, 2005, he accepted Moyes’ call and committed to six months in England. It became six years.

His influence at Everton was immediate and enduring. Player of the Season in 2005/06, Players’ Player the same year, then again Player of the Season after nine goals in 2006/07 as Everton returned to Europe. He was voted the Premier League’s Midfielder of the Year ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo — a statistic that still surprises when revisited. His final full season ended with a goal in a Merseyside derby victory.

Now came the holiday congestion. Ben White was absent with a hamstring injury, mitigated slightly by Riccardo Calafiori’s return from suspension. The opening quarter was subdued, but Arsenal soon asserted themselves. Martin Zubimendi fired over after a poor clearance, Viktor Gyökeres glanced a header wide, and VAR denied Arsenal an early penalty when the Swede was bundled while attacking a cross.

Everton’s response was physical. James Tarkowski was booked before half-time, while Piero Hincapié matched Barry’s aggression stride for stride. Justice, belatedly, arrived from a corner. What was initially ruled a touch off Calafiori was revealed instead as a baffling two-handed shove from Jake O’Brien. After a lengthy delay, Gyökeres dispatched the penalty past Jordan Pickford with emphatic calm.

Everton pressed with intent rather than precision. Arsenal answered with efficiency. Clear chances were scarce — Declan Rice fed Leandro Trossard, who struck the post; Zubimendi followed suit later — but Arsenal never surrendered their structural grip. There were just three shots on target across the night.

Top at Christmas for a fourth consecutive year, though this time the margins feel thinner. City lurk two points behind, Villa three. It feels tighter. Less forgiving. And every win carries weight.

Everton 0 – 1 Arsenal 

(V. Gyökeres 27’)