Arsenal 2-1 Everton Arsenal claim victory despite not being at their fluent best

Last night Arsenal beat Everton 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium. It was a fascinating match, but not exactly an example of the Premier League's best football. It was quite a scrappy game with plenty of fouls and debatable referee decisions. Arsenal stood firm in defence throughout the game and were patient until the end when they took two chances to win the match. The two late goals came from Arshavin and Koscielny and kept Arsenal in touch with United at the top of the league.

An example of the early midfield battle. 

 The game started with plenty of tackles flying in from both sides. This was especially in the middle of the park where Fabregas, Wilshere, Arteta and Rodwell put plenty of strong challenges in on each other.  Jack Wilshere was booked early on and this appeared to have an effect on his game for the rest of the match. Arsenal were putting pressure on the Everton back four but didn't create many chances and the game was effectively at stalemate. Everton then scored one of the most controversial goals of the season as Louis Saha finished superbly but from a clear offside position. Seamus Coleman delayed his pass and when he finally passed the ball Saha was at least two yards offside but the goal stood. The linesman and referee did talk to each other but they didn't change their decision, despite protests from the Arsenal players and the barrage of abuse from the Emirates crowd. This injustice for the Arsenal spurred them on and their play improved for the rest of the half.

Fabregas couldn't believe the Everton goal stood.

 Alex Song had picked up an injury during the first half and was replaced at half time by the Frenchman Abou Diaby. Abou has recentely returned from injury but looked fit and played well for the second half. Arsenal put more pressure on Everton at the start of the second half but still failed to breakthrough the Everton defence. Wenger could see his side were struggling and especially Tomas Rosicky. Tomas was replaced by Andrey Arshavin in the 62nd minute after another disappointing performance form the Czech international. In the 69th minute Jack Wilshere was replaced with Nicklas Bendtner. Arsenal switched to a 4-4-2 formation with Wenger signalling his intent. Arshavin had already made an impact on the game before his goal came in the 70th minute. His intelligent running and enthusiasm which he has lacked recentely was on show and he looked like a player desperate to regain his place in the starting XI. In the 70th minute Cesc Fabregas played a brilliant ball into the Everton box. Andrey timed his run perfectly and finished the move off with a strong volley. This was a typical Arshavin goal and showed he still has the talent but has just been lacking in confidence. This goal however will give him a lot of confidence and hopefully he can take this into the Newcastle game on Saturday. Arsenal continued to press Everton all over the pitch and created some strong attacking moves. Arsenal won a free kick in the ideal position for Van Persie. Tim Howard made a world class save from the free-kick which gave Arsenal a corner. It was from this corner that Arsenal secured the winner. Koscielny was unmarked in the box, he took advantage and scored a powerful header. He had made a good run but shouldn't of been allowed the space he got and the Everton defence were punished for this. For the rest of the match Arsenal kept possession, defended solidly and played out the rest of the match comfortably. 

Arsenal players celebrating the winner. 

   This was an example of how Arsenal have learnt to win 'ugly' this season as they weren't at their fluent best but still managed to win the game. Arsenal managed to grind out the result and this is what is needed for a title-winning team. Manchester United have displayed this trait for years and Arsenal have added it their stylish game this season. This was a game Arsenal needed to win to stay in touch with United and the strong team spirit helped them to achieve this. Arsenal now face a trip to the North East to play Newcastle in another important game in the race for the title.