Arsenal title hopes hang in the balance after Everton defeat
Gunners go down at Goodison and defeat sets up Premier League eliminator against Manchester City at the weekend

Everton 2 Arsenal 1
A late goal from Everton defender Ashley Williams condemned Arsenal to their first league defeat since their 4-3 loss to Liverpool on the opening day of the season, and increased the pressure on Arsene Wenger's side ahead of Sunday's visit to Manchester City.
That is now a game the Gunners can't afford to lose if they wish to start 2017 as serious title contenders, particularly if Chelsea continue their winning form in the coming days.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The Blues, already three points clear of Arsenal at the top of the table with a game in hand, travel to Sunderland tonight and Crystal Palace on Saturday. The worst case scenario for Arsenal fans is that come Monday morning they'll be trailing their London rivals by nine points.
Arsenal had only themselves to blame for defeat at Goodison Park. The game was there for the taking after Alexis Sanchez put them one up on 20 minutes when his free-kick took a deflection past Maarten Stekelenburg off Williams. The Gunners looked in control for the rest of the half, until Seamus Coleman rose to head home Leighton Baines' cross on the stroke of half-time.
As the second-half wore on Everton looked the more likely to score, although the best chance fell to Mesut Ozil who, with the goal at his mercy, blazed over from 12 yards. The Toffees punished the German's profligacy on 86 minutes when Williams powered a header past Petr Cech.
The visitors threw everything at their hosts in the final minutes in a desperate attempt to rescue a point but Everton held firm, just, with shots from Nacho Monreal and Alexi Iwobi cleared off the line. It was the 11th game in succession that Arsenal have failed to keep a clean sheet and if the Gunners are to get their hands on the title for the first time in 13 years Wenger may have to dip into the transfer market next month.
"I don't think we deserved to lose the game but we were caught on two headers," conceded the Frenchman. "Especially on the first one, we were guilty."
Wenger also alluded to the fact that his side were too easily dispossessed by their opponents, a familiar failing for Arsenal sides in recent years. "It was a very physical game and I think we faced many challenges," said Wenger. "We lost some balls that we are not used to and it disturbed our game."
Asked if he feared Arsenal may lack the stomach for a fight as the packed Christmas schedule looms, Wenger said: "We did fight, I cannot fault our fighting spirit tonight. We lost some balls we should not lose but maybe that is down to the intensity of the game. We did fight very hard and we have games like that every three or four days and I cannot fault the attitude."
If Arsenal can get a result at the Etihad on Sunday it will do wonders for their morale. They have one of the easier itineraries over the festive period, hosting West Brom on Boxing Day, Crystal Palace on New Year's Day and then travelling to Bournemouth on 3 January. The best-case scenario is that they are still very much in the title race in early January. But there's always that worse-case scenario.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - April 20, 2025
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - Pam Bondi, retirement planning, and more
By The Week US
-
5 heavy-handed cartoons about ICE and deportation
Cartoons Artists take on international students, the Supreme Court, and more
By The Week US
-
Exploring the three great gardens of Japan
The Week Recommends Beautiful gardens are 'the stuff of Japanese landscape legends'
By The Week UK
-
Where are all the English football managers?
Talking Point Eddie Howe's Carabao Cup success underlines absence of homegrown coaching talent in the Premier League
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK
-
New Trafford: can it fix Manchester United's footballing problems?
Talking Point Plan for £2 billion stadium despite staff job losses and lack of success on the pitch
By The Week UK
-
The Premier League's spending cap: levelling the playing field?
Talking Point Top clubs oppose plans to link spending to income of lowest-earning club, but rule could prevent success gap from widening
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK
-
Is a new English football regulator an own goal for the game?
Talking Point PM hails 'historic moment for football fans' but West Ham owner warns it could 'ruin' Premier League
By The Week UK
-
English football and the etiquette of leaving the stadium early
Talking Point The belief that 'true fans stay to the end' does not always apply
By The Week UK
-
2023-2024 Premier League predictions: champions, relegation and golden boot
feature A look at the top flight talking points and pundit picks for the new season
By Mike Starling
-
Man City: can ‘one of the best sides in history’ win the treble?
feature Guardiola’s Premier League champions have two more trophies in their sights
By The Week Staff
-
Premier League: Man City vs. Arsenal predictions
feature What the pundits say about tonight’s title race showdown at the Etihad
By Mike Starling