Aubameyang helps Arsenal edge Everton

The win lifts Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal up to ninth place in the league with 37 points, while Everton remains a point adrift in 11th. Apart from the prolific Aubameyang, who is now the joint top-scorer in the league on 17 with Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy, Arsenal had keeper Bernd Leno to thank for some late saves that preserved the lead.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin put Carlo Ancelotti’s team ahead in the first minute with an acrobatic volley after David Luiz failed to deal with a Gylfi Sigurdsson free-kick. But, the home side reacted well, with centre-forward Eddie Nketiah, who started ahead of Frenchman Alexandre Lacazette, levelling in the 27th minute.

Substitute Bukayo Saka put in a fine cross from the left flank as the youngster netted his first goal at the Emirates Stadium. Six minutes later, Arsenal went ahead. Centre-back Luiz made amends for his earlier mistake with a lovely, defence-splitting pass to Aubameyang, who calmly slotted past Jordan Pickford.

Brazilian forward Richarlison brought Everton back on level terms though just before the interval, poking home from close range. Arsenal, however, struck straight after the break with Aubameyang heading in a Nicolas Pepe cross 23 seconds after the restart. Leno then produced a brilliant point-blank reflex save from Calvert-Lewin and did well to keep out a Richarlison effort as Everton pushed for an equaliser.

Arsenal went close to a fourth goal when Nketiah, who spent the first half of the season on loan at Championship (second-tier) Leeds United, struck the bar with a curling shot. The away side almost grabbed a point at the end but Calvert-Lewin’s header from a Bernard cross went just wide.

The victory completed an excellent week for Arteta’s outfit after its 4-0 PL success over Newcastle United and 1-0 win at Olympiakos in the Europa League. “The best thing is the spirit we showed after coming back from Europe. Starting from behind, we went ahead (last Sunday). The boys showed a lot of resilience. We had three wins in seven days. This is for sure my best week,” said the Spanish gaffer.