"I think there'll be three or four changes from Arteta," Ben Knapton said before kick-off on sportsmole.co.uk, and the scale of the reshuffle went a step further. Arsenal made five changes to the team that began the 2-2 Champions League draw with Bayern Munich on Wednesday, then beat Everton 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Arteta's changes in midfield and attack
Mikel Arteta's selection was the main talking point before the game, with a rare midfield start for Mikel Merino, Viktor Gyökeres promoted to the first XI over Kai Havertz, and [Myles Lewis-Skelly] given the nod at left-back ahead of Riccardo Calafiori. The gamble was broader than a single swap, because Eberechi Eze also started and Ben White returned at right-back.
The changes held up in the match. Merino played 68 minutes, Gyökeres supplied one assist, Lewis-Skelly won 5 of his 6 duels, and White completed 90 minutes with an assist of his own. Arsenal's control was visible throughout, and the 2-0 scoreline matched the team sheet call.
Everton's absences and the match outcome
Jack Grealish missed the game through illness, while Jarrad Branthwaite was absent under concussion protocols. Everton confirmed both before kickoff on their official X account, which left them lighter before a difficult away match even began.
Knapton had also backed Arsenal to win, keep a clean sheet and stay close to the top of the table. The line-up talk will be the bigger story from Arsenal vs Everton, because the changes Arteta made were not just accepted, they were rewarded.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 2 outlets. How we work →
