Mikel Arteta decisions backfire as Arsenal weakness returns in painful draw with Everton

If this draw to Everton wasn’t enough to make Arsenal feel sick, then their players will have felt even worse when they arrived back in the dressing room.

It was then they would have learned that Liverpool had drawn too and a perfect opportunity to close the gap on the Premier League leaders had slipped through their fingers.

Arsenal are still six points behind Liverpool, however after this goalless draw it feels like they are further away.

Mikel Arteta’s side were flat and lacking in creativity. Everton put in a good defensive performance, but Arsenal were equally poor.

Chances were few and far between on a frustrating afternoon that left Arteta with plenty to ponder ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace.

Arsenal’s attacking struggles return

The dismantling of Monaco was only three days ago, but it felt like a lifetime at the final whistle.

A few Arsenal players sunk to their knees as the Everton players headed over to the away end to applaud their travelling fans. The Toffees deserve credit for their defensive display and they looked like a side who had benefited from 10 days without a game.

But serious questions will also have to be asked about Arsenal’s attack and their failure to create many chances.

Martin Odegaard had a golden opportunity in the first-half, when Bukayo Saka found him inside the penalty area, however Jordan Pickford denied him with a good save.

Other than that, the Gunners created very little and even their eight corners proved especially fruitless. It is now three Premier League games in a row without a goal from open play for Arsenal.

Substitutes fail to spark Arsenal into lift

Arteta takes great importance on the role substitutes play for Arsenal, even referring to them as impacters, but they failed to turn the game against Everton.

Arteta used all five of his substitutes in the space of 12 second-half minutes, however they backfired.

The decision to take off Rice was due to a fitness issue, however Odegaard was taken off for what Arteta said was “tactical” reasons.

It was a bold call by Arteta to take off his most creative player and one that ultimately did not work. Arsenal’s right flank, which had proved their most productive in a poor game, became even more toothless.

Lewis-Skelly impresses again

There were not many, if any, positives to take from this draw, but Myles Lewis-Skelly did his best to try and be one.

Handed a second start in a row, the 18-year-old put in another good performance to underline how he is a genuine option at left-back.

Lewis-Skelly tucked into midfield when in possession and looked comfortable there, despite it being such a difficult role to execute tactically.

It is clear the teenager is already above Kieran Tierney in the pecking order and, on this evidence, possibly Oleksandr Zinchenko, too.

Wednesday’s Carabao Cup quarter-final should present Lewis-Skelly with another chance to stake his claim for more minutes.