"With all the games coming thick and fast, there's been a lot made around Arsenal's recent performances, have they been good to watch? Not really. Football and winning is about finding a way like they have done this afternoon. Two goals from the centre halves, do you think Mikel Arteta will care?" Chris Sutton, quoted by dailystar.co.uk, had the gist of it after Arsenal vs Everton. Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium, and the result leaned heavily on a weapon that had been missing.

The dead-ball threat Arsenal needed back

This was Arsenal's first set-piece goal of the season, and it arrived after a 13-game wait in all competitions. That alone made the opener significant, because set pieces were a huge part of the side's output last season, when Arsenal scored 29 times from them.

The pressure had been building early. Arsenal forced 13 corners by half-time, which told its own story about where the game was being played and how Everton were being pinned back. It was not a polished attacking display, but it was a relentless one, and eventually the deliveries and second balls gave Arsenal their route in.

That opener is where one small wrinkle needs stating clearly. Multiple outlets list Ezri Konsa as the scorer, and the match reporting around this game consistently credits him with Arsenal's first goal. In this case, that is the line to go with, especially because the second goal is separately and consistently given to Gabriel Magalhães.

Konsa's finish also carried its own detail. It was his first goal for Arsenal, which made the breakthrough even more notable in a game where the forwards were not the main story.

Centre-backs settled a scrappy game

Arsenal's second goal removed any late tension. Gabriel headed into Jordan Pickford's net in the 68th minute, and the timing suited the wider theme of the afternoon. Arsenal did not carve Everton open again and again. They won it with defenders, deliveries and persistence.

Gabriel's goal also came on his 200th Premier League appearance. That gave the second strike some extra weight, even if the bigger point was simpler: Arsenal's centre-backs ended up deciding the match.

Ben White supplied the key assist for Gabriel, another reminder that Arsenal's threat from wide and from restarts is often collective rather than dependent on one creator. Mikel Arteta's side have now taken 18 Premier League points from seven matches, with a 6 wins, 0 draws, 1 loss record.

That leaves them close to Manchester City, who sit on 21 points at the top. No one should pretend this was Arsenal at their slickest, but Sutton's point stands up. In a wet, awkward game, they found a familiar way to win.

What this result changes

The set-piece drought was starting to look odd because Arsenal built so much of last season's edge on dead-ball efficiency. Seeing it return in a 2-0 win over Everton matters more than any style debate from one rainy afternoon at the Emirates.

Arsenal got the result through the part of their game that had carried them before, and that is probably the most encouraging takeaway. The scoreline is fixed, the first set-piece goal of the season is on the board, and Arsenal are still within three points of Manchester City.

FAQ

Why did Arsenal beat Everton without playing especially well?

Arsenal were not especially fluent, but they found a route through set pieces. They had 13 corners by half-time, ended a 13-game wait for a set-piece goal and got both goals from defenders, with Ezri Konsa opening the scoring and Gabriel Magalhães adding the second.

Has Arsenal's set-piece threat returned this season?

Against Everton it did. Arsenal scored their first set-piece goal of the season in the 2-0 win, which ended a 13-game drought in all competitions. That matters for a side that scored 29 set-piece goals last season and used that edge heavily during the title run.

How important was Gabriel Magalhães against Everton?

Gabriel scored Arsenal's second goal in the 68th minute and did it on his 200th Premier League appearance. His finish helped turn a scrappy game into a controlled 2-0 win, with Arsenal relying on their defenders and dead-ball threat rather than open-play fluency.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 10 outlets. How we work →