Arsenal survived a late fightback to win a lively battle at Everton. Bakari Sagna poked in Andrei Arshavin’s cross for Arsenal’s opener before goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski’s head denied Louis Saha a nodded equaliser. Cesc Fabregas doubled the lead after the break from Marouane Chamakh’s pass as Fabianksi saved well from Jermaine Beckford, Steven Pienaar and Saha. The Toffees set up a frantic finale when Saha nodded back for Tim Cahill to rifle in but the Gunners held on.
Chamakh was ineffective in this match, a little energetic only in patches, while defender Sebastien Squillaci looked shaky and struggling throughout the match. Samir Nasri was his usual fast paced self and was a thorn in Everton’s side. I would have liked to have seen Robin Van Persie introduced into the match past the 60th minute or so but it wasn’t to be. Overall, it wasn’t the best of form for Arsenal and it seemed like they just did enough to win the match. Arsenal sit in second place, 3 points behind Chelsea with 26 points.