Arteta left frustrated after Pickford thwarts Arsenal

Mikel Arteta was adamant Arsenal should have taken three points after they were held to a 0-0 draw by Everton at the Emirates Stadium.

Arteta’s side have drawn consecutive Premier League games for the first time since April 2023 and have now won only eight of their 16 league matches this season.

The Gunners dominated in terms of chances, accumulating an expected goals figure of 1.42 from 13 shots, but were frustrated by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and the Toffees’ stubborn backline.

Arteta said: “It’s very disappointing not to win the game. We fully deserved to win the game.

“We conceded no shots and we dominated play. When we generated big chances we didn’t score a goal.

“It doesn’t matter [that Everton had 10 days to prepare]. Look at the intensity we generated in the second half.

“We dominated the game so much.”

Pickford made five saves, with a superb, instinctive stop from Bukayo Saka’s volley early in the second half a standout.

Arsenal 0-0 Everton FT

Arsenal miss a big opportunity to close the gap on Liverpool. A disjointed performance from the Gunners: pic.twitter.com/XbRSWkb8Xb

— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) December 14, 2024

Only Arsenal (17) have kept more Premier League clean sheets in 2024 than Everton (13), who did not have a shot on target.

Sean Dyche accepted his side had not posed much of a threat in attack on an afternoon when they had just two shots, which included an early, blocked effort from Abdoulaye Doucoure.

But the former Burnley boss was proud of the way the visitors stuck to their guns and singled out full-backs Ashley Young and Vitalii Mykolenko for praise.

He told BBC Sport: “They [Arsenal] are a fine side. We know that. The players put a big shift in.

“We showed commitment to doing the basics, pressing and recovering and staying true to it for 90 minutes. I was proud of the players.

“Ashley has been in great form and showed great strength of character. Mykolenko, one of his big strengths is one on ones. The midfield three were excellent.

“They were trying to cross it to force something which shows how defensively solid we were. It’s another step in the right direction.”

Arsenal remain in third, as they missed the chance to close ground on league leaders Liverpool, who drew 2-2 with Fulham at Anfield.