Arsenal supporters' 'hostile' welcome falls flat as fake news spreads after Everton goal

Everton were written off in advance by critics, pundits and Pep Guardiola, with few giving them a chance of having a say in the title race.

Instead, Sean Dyche’s side achieved what they have done all season by proving they are no pushovers and, while the woodwork was on the Blues’ side at the Emirates, it was only a late, controversial goal that allowed Arsenal to claim the three points that could have made them champions.

It is on that goal that the ECHO starts as it takes a look at some of the moments beyond the headlines from the final match of an exhausting campaign.

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All you can do is laugh

Sean Dyche keeps stressing he believes in the principles of VAR and the use of technology to make better decisions. But the strength of that belief has been tested this season. One of his biggest issues has been the inevitability of the referee changing his decision once being asked to review it by VAR, saying the process is a waste of time if the conclusion is always the same. So you can imagine his expectation was that Michael Oliver would do what has been repeated all season when he went to the pitchside monitor. Except he did not. Dyche wheeled around in his dugout when he realised the outcome and just started laughing at the ground.

You can suspect he was still feeling bemused when Gary Lineker said of the goal on Match of the Day: “Imagine if that had been the goal that won them the Premier League - there would be some complaints.”

‘Unashamedly old school’

The Arsenal programme featured a ‘scouting report’ on Everton that featured some observations that included the Blues would be “very direct” and “incredibly aggressive”. Perhaps the best summary was saved to last, with it being said: “Everton’s simple but effective style of play is unashamedly old school”. It was actually a relatively complimentary overview and the author was one of few outside Everton circles to recognise Jordan Pickford’s consistent high standards, praising him for an “excellent” season.

Everton’s players welcomed to the Emirates

Coach welcomes at Goodison are known for their ferocity and intensity and, while they have not been a feature of this season, there are plenty of players in that squad who have been part of the incredible scenes of recent years. Well, the players were greeted outside the Emirates by home fans preparing to urge on their team in a title decider and it is fair to say there was little hostility. As the coaches swept the roundabout outside The Armoury they were partially surrounded by home fans greeting them with chants of “Arsenal, Arsenal” - but there was little sense of intimidation ahead of the big game.

Jordan Pickford and Bukayo Saka share a moment

Inside the stadium, the players were also welcoming to the visitors. In the bowels of the arena there was a nice exchange between Jordan Pickford and Bukayo Saka, the England teammates who will be back together as they hope to take the national side one step further in this summer’s Euros. Saka was ruled out of the final game but was present to cheer his side on and then take part in the end of season farewells. He took a minute to shake hands with Pickford in the quiet corridors of the ground before a game in which the England number one did his best to thwart Arsenal’s attack with a string of good saves.

Fake news spreads around the ground as hopes pinned on David Moyes

Arsenal fans spent midweek hoping arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur would do them a favour against Manchester City, the Gunners losing control of their destiny in the title race when Heung-Min Son failed to beat Stefan Ortega when played through in the final moments. On Sunday, supporters were asking the same of West Ham United - to the point where one fan in the home end was wearing a Hammers shirt adorned with the name of midfielder Tomas Soucek throughout the game.

It looked like Arsenal’s prayers had been answered when the ground erupted in noise just after Takehiro Tomiyasu equalised minutes before the break. News had already broken that West Ham had pulled a goal back through Mohammed Kudus’ overhead kick and so the wave of glee hinted at a quick second. It was misinformation though, the scourge of the final day.