Everton did near-neighbours Liverpool a favour by taking points off Arsenal in a 1-1 draw but judging by the Gunners’ performance they have already checked out of the title race.
With the gap to the leaders still 11 points, Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final at home to Real Madrid has far greater significance for their season and that was reflected in Mikel Arteta’s team selection.
The result offers Arne Slot’s champions-elect the chance to put any doubts about the outcome of the title to bed at Fulham on Sunday.
But Arteta will have left his former Goodison Park home already thinking about Europe after Iliman Ndiaye scored an equaliser from the penalty spot on his first league start in two months due to injury to cancel out Leandro Trossard’s first-half opener.
Even in the game everything seemed to be low intensity and low risk, with the hosts showing none of the fight and physicality they had in Wednesday’s Merseyside derby defeat and they were able to operate on their own terms in the first half.
However, the goal they scored came from an Everton mistake as Idrissa Gueye headed the ball away from Jarrad Branthwaite 15 yards inside Arsenal’s half, allowing Raheem Sterling to charge forward unopposed.
He picked out Trossard on the left up against Jake O’Brien and his early left-footed shot through the defender’s legs took Jordan Pickford by surprise with the ball seemingly rolling just out of his grasp.
The sight of goalkeeper David Raya time-wasting late in the first half exposed Arsenal’s attempts to manage the game with a greater test to come.
Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli were sent on for the second half, which appeared a bold early move considering their recent injury history but Arteta’s plan was perhaps to get more minutes into their legs.
However, neither had chance to touch the ball before Everton’s equaliser.
England left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly unwisely allowed the ball to drop, getting in a tangle with Jack Harrison and while it looked soft when the winger fell to the ground VAR agreed with referee Darren England that there had been enough contact inside the box.
Ndiaye coolly stroked home the spot-kick to become the club’s leading Premier League scorer this season with seven.
That goal, plus the introduction of Martin Odegaard, livened up Arsenal and after Pickford batted away Declan Rice’s free-kick he drew a round of applause for a brilliant one-handed save to deny Trossard, not knowing the referee would pull play back for a foul on Branthwaite.
The game had begun with a heartfelt tribute to former Gunners and Toffees striker ‘Super’ Kevin Campbell, who died in June aged 54, with the whole ground rising as one in the ninth minute to applaud.
O’Brien needed some of Campbell’s goal-poaching instinct when Harrison’s free-kick picked him out at the far post but the ball hit his chest with the defender unable to direct it towards goal from a couple of yards.
James Tarkowski blocked Rice’s shot in added time but the second half was a distinctly low-key affair and Arsenal found it more difficult to change gear than their opponents, with Real Madrid probably already on their minds.
