Thanks to an old-fashioned 1-0 against Arsenal, the Gunners ensured that they went into Christmas in first place in the Premier League.
Here are our scouting notes from Hill Dickinson Stadium.
ARTETA ON ARSENAL’S PENALTY TAKEAGER(S).
It seemed like it Bukayo Saka‘s (£10.3m) run of six games without a clean sheet (if you count DefCon points!) was due to be extended on Merseyside on Saturday.
About 25 minutes after a quiet match, Jake O’Brien (£4.9 million) made the inexplicable decision to do so Richard Goeg Declan Rice‘s (£7.1m) corner. So a penalty for Arsenal, but intensified Viktor Gyokeres (£8.8m), and not Saka, to tap home his second Gunners penalty since his summer move.
It sounded as if Mikel Arteta was surprised when he also saw the Swede score from twelve meters…
“It did me good too, I don’t know! I could see that there was some communication and in the end they have to take responsibility. They have to feel who is the best taker at that moment. They decided on Vitkor and we scored, so a great decision.” – Mikel Arteta to Match of the Day, when a reporter stated that Viktor Gyokeres taking the penalty would have surprised a few people
…though he did compliment the “great decision” to let him do that.
“Very happy for that [Gyokeres]. They took ownership of the field between Martin [Odegaard]Bukayo [Saka] and him to decide who was the taker, and they made a great decision because Viktor put the ball in the back of the net.
“The confidence of the player, because obviously he practices every day and he’s incredible at it and he puts the ball in the back of the net. So I like it when players take ownership and decide for themselves what the best decision is. That’s a very positive thing.” – Mikel Arteta on Arsenal’s penalty takers in his post-match presser
Gyokeres, meanwhile, reminded us that there are “a few who can handle it” on Arsenal’s books.
“We chatted a bit on the pitch. It was an easy conversation and then I took it. To be honest, I took one a few months ago and it was nice to take one again and score.”
“We don’t think about it too much, we just wait for the decision. Then you know it’s a punishment and you just wait for the normal procedure. Nothing special really.” – Viktor Gyokeres at Arsenal at home media
“There are a few who can take it, and yes, this time it was me who took it.” – Viktor Gyokeres to Sky Sports
Four penalties in 2025/26, this is how things look:
| Was Saka on the field? | Was Gyokeres on the field? | |
|---|---|---|
| Gyokeres (vs Leeds, August 23) | NO | YES |
| Saka (v. West Ham, Oct 4) | YES | YES |
| Saka (in Slavia, November 4) | YES | NO |
| Gyokeres (v Everton, December 20) | YES | YES |
Remember when it looked like Gyokeres had usurped Saka last time, only for the winger to get the next one? The weekly uncertainty and confabs on the field are likely to continue.
SAKA THREATENS…
Saka walked away with the Man of the Match award despite being blank. While some may question that decision, he was undoubtedly in the thick of things again.
Him and the lively one Jurriën Hout (£6.5m) combined well on the right, racking up 18 touches in the penalty area – six more than Everton managed in total.
Saka’s four-shot total was also a game-best. One of them – tied up by Timber and pictured below – did Jordan Pickford (£5.5m) defeated, only for James Tarkowski (£5.5m) to block the effort near the line.
A game of ‘what could have been’, with Gyokeres taking the penalty.
…BUT RICE DELIVERS
While Saka owners live on promising positions and the threat of points, Rice owners have tangible rewards.
The assist was poor as O’Brien’s moment of madness from a corner earned Arsenal a penalty and Rice three points.
But Rice’s owners will point that out Leandro Trossard (£6.9m) later squandered a great chance which was perfectly taken by the England international, hitting the post from close range.
And there’s nothing happy about the DefCon points, as he easily passed 12 points. That’s fourteen DefCon points for the season, eight more than Saka – the equivalent of an extra goal and an assist.
“Unbelievable, his all-round play, his leadership on the pitch, the amount of balls he recovered and allowed us to run, he’s been incredibly consistent again this year and what a great player for us he is.” – Mikel Arteta on Declan Rice
Above: Players in Everton v Arsenal collecting DefCon points
Piero Hincapie‘s (£5.5m) owners collected DefCon points for the fourth match in a row. It wasn’t entirely convincing from the Ecuadorian, however, with his aimless long balls occasionally driving Arteta onto the touchline. There’s no doubt about that Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.2m) will be straight back into the side when fit.
Elsewhere in Arsenal’s range, God bless you (£7.7 million) remained unused for the first time since his summer move. The lukewarm Martin Odegaard (£7.8m) created four match-high chances in his place, one for Martin Zubimendi (£5.2 million) for a shot that hit the post.
All in all, this wasn’t a vintage attacking display from Arsenal – and it’s not the first time we’ve said that in 2025/2026. You get the feeling that getting wins is as important to Arteta as winning with swagger. Expect the defensive double-up to be popular again from Gameweek 22 onwards as fixtures improve.
TARKOWSKY AT A BAN
There was a lot of talk about the drop in attacking power that Everton would face Indian education (£6.3 million) and Kiernan Dewsbury–Hall (£5.1 million). Came in Dwight McNeil (£5.5 million) and Charlie Alcaraz (£5.2m), and while you might be tempted to make a judgment based on the names alone, a clash with defensive masters Arsenal, who were 2.0-0.2 xG winners here, is unlikely to be a fair test.
Gauge the students more after these upcoming auspicious competitions:
“You couldn’t say words to the players [to say] That [they have] not worked hard enough, not dedicated, not determined. They were fantastic in all those aspects. Quality, you might wonder.” – David Moyes
Like a Poundland Arsenal, Everton defenders are likely to be more attractive than their attack-minded teammates.
We’ll take some Michael Keane (£4.7m) against Tarkowski analysis to follow in the coming days, but the deciding factor for many may be that the latter now receives four yellow cards after a warning on Saturday. Vitalii Mykolenko (£4.9m) also reached that unwanted figure against the Gunners.
Both centre-backs and both central midfielders collected DefCon points.
No further comment was made in any post-match interviews about the length of Dewsbury-Hall’s absence. Moyes was vague about the details on Friday.
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