11 hours ago
30
Arsenal travel to Everton on Saturday evening
Premier League table-toppers Arsenal make the journey to Everton on Saturday evening, though they may well find themselves knocked off their perch by kick-off time. Mikel Arteta's side have tasted defeat on just two occasions in the top flight this campaign.
The Gunners encountered far stiffer resistance than anticipated when welcoming Wolves to the Emirates in their previous outing. A fortuitous Yerson Mosquera own-goal deep into the fourth minute of stoppage time salvaged maximum points for Arteta's troops.
An intimidating trip to Hill Dickinson Stadium now looms large, with second-placed Manchester City's Saturday afternoon fixture potentially seeing Arsenal dethroned before their encounter even commences. City trail by a mere two points.
Bukayo Saka is anticipated to play a pivotal role as the Gunners venture to Merseyside, though displays from another wide player have allegedly created a selection "conundrum." football.london delivers the latest developments from the Emirates.
Bukayo Saka dilemma surfaces
Saka had been ruled out earlier this term with a hamstring issue but has returned to spearhead Arteta's offensive unit. The sole complication is that he appears to have displaced a promising summer acquisition.
Noni Madueke was snapped up from Chelsea during the transfer window and former Manchester City defender Micah Richards believes Arteta faces a "conundrum" given both players continue to excel in the right-wing berth.
"I feel Arsenal have a little bit of a conundrum because Madueke is playing really well and Saka is their best player," Richards observed on The Rest Is Football podcast.
"They are too reliant on Saka all of the time. If you look at the goals that [Leandro] Trossard or [Gabriel] Martinelli score, they need to do what Saka is doing on the right-hand side."
Everton talisman questionable
One player who remains doubtful for Saturday's encounter is Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall. The creative midfielder has been sensational for the Toffees this campaign but was forced off during their defeat to Chelsea with an injury.
No official update has been provided on Dewsbury-Hall's condition, with the playmaker having netted four times and provided three assists since his arrival at the club. He's not the sole fitness concern troubling David Moyes ahead of the weekend fixture.
Manager Moyes confirmed that "tightness" in Dewsbury-Hall's hamstring forced his early withdrawal against his previous employers Chelsea. Jack Grealish also "felt his hamstring a little bit" during the same disappointing result.
Speaking to Match of the Day, Moyes said: "Losing Kiernan was a blow to us but I thought we adapted quite well. It disrupted us for about 10 to 15 minutes. I thought we'd started the game well. In that period, we just lost the goal... It's hard to be disappointed with a lot of the stuff we've done.
"But I'm disappointed because we didn't win, disappointed because we've got a couple injuries, but not disappointed with how the players are going about it."
English (US) ·