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Everton 0-1 Arsenal: Leandro Trossard strike enough as Gunners end Goodison hoodoo with battling win

 (PA)
(PA)

Arsenal ended their dreadful run at Goodison Park as Leandro Trossard’s strike earned them a battling 1-0 win over Everton.

The Gunners made the trip to take on the Toffees knowing it had been six years since they last returned from Goodison with all three points, with defeats in each of the last three seasons.

But that streak came to an end as Trossard got on the end of Bukayo Saka’s cut-back and found the far corner superbly with just under 20 minutes to go, that goal proving enough for Arsenal to secure victory and again move to within two points of Manchester City.

Up until that goal, Mikel Arteta would have feared this was going to be yet another frustrating visit to the ground. Gabriel Martinelli had a first-half strike ruled out by VAR for offside, before the Brazilian was forced off with injury just a couple of minutes later.

David Raya, making his Arsenal debut as Aaron Ramsdale dropped to the bench, had next to nothing to do in the Arsenal goal, with Jordan Pickford required at the other end to deny Martin Odegaard shortly after the break as the Gunners captain cut inside and hammered a left-footed strike at goal.

The Gunners kept faith with their short-corner routine and it eventually paid off, as Odegaard slid the ball through to Saka, he found Trossard and the Belgian finished past the helpless Jordan Pickford off the inside of the post.