Emerging force Everton prove a point

Arsenal 1 Everton 1

If it is no longer any way relevant to doubt Arsenal title credentials, perhaps the real question now is just how good Everton are?

Before this fine week for the club, it would have been fair to expect that their impressively high league position would level out by visiting the stadiums of last season’s champions and this campaign’s leaders.

Instead, the games only served to further illustrate their quality — and, perhaps even more importantly, their character.

After that momentous 1-0 win at Manchester United and now this hugely creditable comeback at Arsenal, Everton have taken seven points out of 12 from the four games against the Premier League’s Champions League clubs.

It is therefore eminently reasonable to wonder whether they are capable of becoming a regular Champions League club themselves. Martinez was certainly speaking along those lines, with a few statements that could be perceived as purposefully striking out from his predecessor in the job. Whereas David Moyes tends to accept limits and work within them, the Spaniard evidently seeks to push them.

“I couldn’t be happier with the week we had,” Martinez said. “We went to Old Trafford and played extremely well and won, we came here and played even better. That pleases me because it shows we have got rid of the mental block of going away from home to teams who are challenging for the title and we can be ourselves. That’s a massive step forward to where we want to get.”

Of course, it wasn’t just the words but the actions. Everton didn’t just take a point off Arsenal but took the game to them. It was a remarkably proactive approach considering they were travelling to a team who had hoped to pull seven points clear at the top. Arsene Wenger was impressed.

“It’s just a good game and Everton played well. Overall, it took us time to get into the game. In the first 25 minutes, they started stronger than us.

“After that, we still had three one-against-ones with the keeper in the first half and that’s a regret I have because we didn’t take our chance very well. And the other regret I have, of course, is that we are caught back after being 1-0 up with seven minutes to go. But you have to give credit to Everton. They continued to play well and they always looked dangerous. We played against a very good side.”

On 80 minutes, it looked set to be a very good result for Arsenal, and the type of clutch win that you would associate with champions — particularly in a weekend when Chelsea and Manchester City dropped points.

Having gradually managed to cope with Everton’s pressing and passing, Wenger’s side served notice of their goal with a few fine moves to open the visiting team up before half-time. Mesut Ozil was at the centre of many of those, which Tim Howard ultimately proved so adept in stopping, and it was no surprise when the German opportunistically drove in the 80th-minute strike that looked set to settle the game.

Instead, Everton displayed remarkable resilience by picking themselves up, as Gerard Deulofeu picked his spot in 84th minute. The substitute, who had only been on the pitch five minutes, did superbly to lift the ball out of a tight space with such elegance and power.

“When they scored, we showed incredible character and coped well with the emotional part of the game,” Martinez said. “It would have been easy to feel sorry about ourselves.

“We never did that. We relied a little bit on the quality of a young man with incredible talent. I think that goal was a reward.”

It was also a slight warning for Arsenal. Had Wenger’s side won this game, they would have been in an extraordinarily commanding position. Instead, they’ve left it that bit more open. While there is now absolutely no doubt that Arsenal are capable of winning the games to keep them in a title race right to the end, the next step is winning those games.

That is a different challenge to overcome, even if Wenger felt the goal that raised it could have been disallowed due to two Romelu Lukaku offences.

“I think he was offside and he made a foul on the goal, but the referee didn’t give it. It doesn’t mean we have to concede after.”

Overall, though, Wenger remained pleased.

“It was a quality game for the neutrals between two good teams. We have shown consistency until now and an absolutely fantastic attitude. That’s why we are different to last season. We are, as well, a better team; more stable defensively and dangerous offensively.”

Everton, meanwhile, may be very dangerous in the race for the top four.

ARSENAL: Szczesny 7; Jenkinson 6, Koscielny 8, Mertesacker 8, Gibbs 7; Arteta 7, Ramsey 7; Wilshere 7 (Rosicky 68), Ozil 8 (Ramsey 68), Cazorla 6 (Walcott 68); Giroud 7.

EVERTON: Howard 8; Coleman 7, Jagielka 7, Distin 7, Oviedo 7; McCarthy 7, Barry 8; Mirallas 7 (Deulofeu 79; 8), Barkley 9 (Naismith 90, Pienaar 7 (Osman 71; 7); Lukaku 7.