Arsenal sink Everton, go top

2007-12-29 22:05

Liverpool - Arsenal will start 2008 as leaders of the Premier League after coming from behind to beat Everton 4-1 in a controversial encounter at Goodison Park on Saturday.

A stunning four-goal second half performance by Arsene Wenger's side sent the London club two points clear of Manchester United.

Australia international Tim Cahill had sent Everton into a first half lead before Eduardo's first two Premiership goals put Arsenal in control.

Substitutes Emmanuel Adebayor and Tomas Rosicky scored in the closing stages to round off a stunning victory.

But both sides finished with 10 men after Arsenal's Nicklas Bendtner and Everton's Mikel Arteta were dismissed in separate incidents towards the end.

Arsenal had suffered just four defeats in 36 Premier League games throughout 2007 yet Everton were looking to beat the Gunners for the second time in nine months at Goodison after Andy Johnson's dramatic stoppage-time winner in March.

The visitors kicked off as if unaware that United had lost. Arsenal's title challenge has been built on fluent, attractive, free-flowing action yet Wenger's side looked a shadow of themselves as the hosts quickly stamped their authority.

And they had still not tested home goalkeeper Tim Howard when Kolo Toure hit the ground clutching his face in the 16th minute, the Ivory Coast star suggesting he had been struck by something thrown from the crowd.

Toure was able to continue after treatment but his recovery failed to prevent Arsenal from falling behind after failing to clear Arteta's 19th minute corner.

The Spanish winger's floated set-piece struck Bendtner on the knee but the big Dane was unable to clear the ball allowing Yakubu to strike from close range.

Cahill, who was standing next to Yakubu, celebrated as though he had scored although television replays appeared to show that the Nigerian hot-shot had got the final touch.

After the goalless stalemate against Portsmouth three days earlier, Wenger's men were looking to avoid an unwanted statistic.

Not since April had they failed to score in back-to-back Premier League outings yet French boss Wenger opted to relegate Emmanuel Adebayor, scorer of 10 top-flight goals this term, to the bench. As it was, Yakubu posed problems for the visitors' defence.

But having looked well on course to clock up a seventh win in eight games, Everton undid all their early hard work by conceding twice inside the opening 15 minutes of the second half against a rejuvenated Arsenal.

A long punt from Gael Clichy, which Phil Jagielka failed to cut out, found Eduardo lurking on the edge of the area and the 24-year-old showed great composure to beat Howard - Arsenal's 800th goal under Wenger.

Everton should have regained the lead in the 57th minute but Yakubu, unmarked on the edge of the six-yard area, headed Joleon Lescott's cross wide.

It proved a costly miss as Arsenal recovered from that scare to take the lead in controversial circumstances.

Eduardo again got the better of Jagielka before producing another clinical finish although Everton players protested that the Brazilian had used his arm in the build up to the goal.

Nevertheless, referee Martin Atkinson was unmoved and Arsenal's lead stood.

Arsenal finished with 10 men when Bendtner rounded off a game to forget by getting himself dismissed for an ugly 74th minute challenge on Everton substitute Andy Johnson.

Even that failed to blunt the Gunners as Adebayor capitalised on a defensive howler by Joseph Yobo to walk the ball into the net 11 minutes from time.

Arteta was red carded in the 84th minute after catching Cesc Fabregas with his elbow before Rosicky topped a crushing victory with a stoppage time goal.

- AFP