ArsenalThe young cannons were once again firing at all cylinders. Bukayo Sakastrike and Gabriel Martinellihelped down the brace Everton to send Mikel Artetafive points open Premier League meeting.
No other under-22 player has scored more than five goals in the Premier League this season, but both Saka and Martinelli hit double digits with a comfortable 4-0 first half win.
Captain Martin Odegaard He added a third before Martinelli stepped in to polish the win and leave Arsenal in a strong position as they continued their first title in 19 years.
This was Arsenal’s hand game, the original match was canceled following the Queen’s death and they entered the competition losing to the struggling Toffees last month.
This was Sean Dyche’s first game in charge of Everton and things seemed to be getting better, but that leaves the missing guests inside the relegation zone.
Arteta hummed for Arsenal again after a loss at Goodison Park shook the confidence of his players.
Everton came up with a game plan that stifled Arsenal’s offensive intent, while also giving them a chance to launch an awkward forward move.
Saka in particular was well managed by Vitalii Mykolenko and the English striker had little influence on the proceedings.
Gabriel Martinelli scores two goals for Arsenal
(PA Wire)
But that all changed in just five minutes, when Oleksandr Zinchenko finally found a place to get his pass before Saka fired past international colleague Jordan Pickford to get out of the stalemate.
The lead was doubled shortly after, with Everton’s defense nearly stalled in anticipation of a free kick being awarded for a foul on Odegaard.
Idrissa Gueye was caught, Saka jumped on the free ball and Martinelli took control to finish behind Pickford – the offside flag smashed the celebrations for just a moment before a VAR control decided on Brazilian offside.
Leandro Trossard missed a good chance to extend the lead 10 minutes after the restart, but Everton were still in the game, with Dwight McNeil forcing a smart stop from Aaron Ramsdale after a strong forward run.
Arsenal take control of title race
(Action Footage via Reuters)
But as Trossard played brilliantly at Odegaard, scoring the ninth league goal of the campaign, points were secured before Martinelli returned home from undercover Eddie Nketiah’s low midfielder.
Arteta managed to make late changes and Ramsdale gave the likes of Saka, Trossard and Granit Xhaka a well-deserved rest, while Ramsdale made two great quick-throw stops to prevent Everton from finding any final consolation.
The next step for Arsenal is a visit from struggling Bournemouth on Saturday as hopes of ending the nearly two-year wait for a Premier League title continue to grow stronger.