'Immense local emotion' - National media make same Everton point as crucial moment splits opinion

A round-up of how the national media reported on Everton's 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Goodison Park

Everton came from behind to avoid a Merseyside Derby hangover and earn a 1-1 draw with second-placed Arsenal at Goodison Park. Here is a round-up of how the national media covered the action...

Ndiaye return to be cherished as Everton show resilience Moyes has installed

Ian Herbert, writing in the Daily Mail, said: “The immense local emotion attached to gradual drawing down of blinds at Goodison Park had not initially seemed so ominous. Arsenal were in a different class during the significant first half moments. “That included the instant when Idrissa Gueye’s mistimed jump outside Everton’s box saw him inadvertently nod the ball into Raheem Sterling’s path just beyond the half hour. The former England international raced through 30 yards and laid off for Trossard, who threaded a shot through Jake O’Brien and Jordan Pickford to put Arsenal ahead.

“Sterling’s contribution to the goal – the composure, the vision - was significant. The 30-year-old’s start, only his third in the league since October, was an opportunity to seize with just a few months of his loan from Chelsea left and uncertainty beyond that. “The brutal truth is that some of his pace has gone and he also struggled with Everton’s physicality, as Jack Harrison and Jake O’Brien muscled him out of possession. Arteta withdrew him for Martinelli at half-time.

“There was some fury from David Moyes at half-time about his own team’s contribution. ‘We were all disappointed and angry with each other. We started slowly and sluggishly and made mistakes,’ he said at the end of it all.

“Everton’s recovery was assisted, four minutes into the second half, by a penalty, converted by Iliman Ndiaye, which was fortunate in the extreme.

“Myles Lewis-Skelly was judged to have fouled Jack Harrison when they both seemed to be wrestling for possession. It was not a clear and obvious error of judgement, so VAR did not overrule the decision, but Arteta had a point when he said he’d watched it back 15 times and yet still couldn’t comprehend it.

“Everton, who having played the league’s first and second placed sides in the space of four days, next face the teams standing third fourth and fifth demonstrated more of the renewed resilience that Moyes has installed.

“Iliman Ndiaye’s return, nearly two months after sustaining a knee injury here against Liverpool, is to be cherished.”

Everton saved by Ndiaye - their brightest outlet - but Arteta knows the game is up

Andy Hunter, writing in the Guardian, said: “Liverpool need no favours to win the Premier League, but the neighbours did them one anyway. Everton denied Arsenal victory courtesy of a controversial penalty, effectively ending their forlorn pursuit of the leaders in the process.

“Mikel Arteta did not rage against the dying of the light on his return to Goodison Park. The game is up and he knows it. “Arsenal took the lead through Leandro Trossard’s fine first-half finish, dominated possession and edged the chances, but never performed with the conviction or quality of serious title contenders. They paid the price when Myles Lewis-Skelly was adjudged to have fouled Jack Harrison inside the area, presenting Iliman Ndiaye with the penalty that earned Everton a fifth draw in six games. “The finest moment of a scrappy opening was the tribute to the former Arsenal and Everton forward Kevin Campbell. The whole crowd stood to applaud when the late striker’s face appeared on the giant screens in the ninth minute. Members of Campbell’s family were in attendance to witness the affection both sets of supporters have for a much-missed character, who died last year aged 54. “Trossard decided this fixture in Arsenal’s favour last season and carried their main threat again in a central role. The Belgium international was denied by a superb Jarrad Branthwaite challenge when breaking into the area after a James Tarkowski mistake. Ten minutes later, he profited from a mix-up between Branthwaite and Idrissa Gueye to drive the visitors into the lead. “Everton were on the attack when Gueye, under pressure from Declan Rice, miscued a header straight to Raheem Sterling, who had been left by Branthwaite. Sterling sprinted through the Everton half unchallenged before finding Trossard, who swept a low shot between the legs of Jake O’Brien and inside the unsighted Jordan Pickford’s far corner. “Saka and Martinelli were introduced for Ethan Nwaneri and Sterling respectively at the start of the second half, but Arsenal’s lead vanished before they worked up a sweat. Everton were donated an equaliser when Lewis-Skelly tumbled into Harrison as they contested a Pickford clearance. “The offence, if it could be called that, commenced outside the area with the full-back leaning into Harrison and briefly grabbing his shirt. The pair went down inside the area and the referee, Darren England, after a brief pause, pointed to the spot. England’s decision was backed up by the video assistant referee to allow Ndiaye, Everton’s brightest outlet on his first start in over seven weeks, to send David Raya the wrong way with a cool, confident penalty.”

Another feather in Moyes' cap

Jonathan Northcroft, The Times, said: “The average number of tackles in a Premier League game is around 23 while this match had 39, as the old blood-and-guts stadium was breeding ground for — as so often — a feisty, full-commitment affair. Mikel Arteta, who spent six years as a player, here, putting his foot in for Everton, knew what to expect — but planning and winning, in the capricious world of football management, remain maddeningly different things.

“He couldn’t take three points, nor deserved to. The draw, the sharing of goals and spoils, was fair.

“Ready, Arsenal matched Everton’s physicality but couldn’t build on Leandro Trossard’s first half goal and an Iliman Ndiaye penalty meant Arteta, on his final visit to Goodison, was ruing Merseyside anew.

“In 11 visits to both here and Anfield as Arsenal manager, he has won just once, and this latest falling short has pushed the title further Liverpool’s way. Arne Slot’s side now know victories in just half of their remaining eight games will make them champions.

“Everton, for effort, for the threat of their athletic, well-worked counterattacks, were more than worthy of this further feather in the cap of David Moyes, following his return as their manager. Their added bonus was getting Dwight McNeil — a late substitute — back on the pitch for the first time since December.

“In the ninth minute both sets of supporters joined in applause for the late Kevin Campbell, a hero at both clubs. A beautiful show of unity — especially when, in the sunshine, a “Big Kev” banner was passed around.

“There was rather less harmony on the pitch, when the game began. The opening stages were broken, ugly, niggly. There seemed a stoppage every minute and set-pieces and tackles reigned.

NDIAYE RESCUES POINT: Chris Beesley's video verdict

“Not unsurprisingly, the first goal came from a mistake — in fact a chain of mistakes, from an Everton perspective. They were on the attack, with Nathan Patterson hoisting a cross into the box. Merino headed clear and the ball looped towards Jarrad Branthwaite who was ready to head it back into Arsenal’s area.

“Yet Idrissa Gueye — normally such a canny operator — had a brainstorm and leapt to reach the ball first and head it past Branthwaite, into Sterling’s path. Sterling, from just inside his own half, was able to drive on and offload to Trossard, to his left. The Belgian was 20 yards out with seemingly a lot still to do.

“James Tarkowski and O’Brien were back in good defensive positions but were passive. O’Brien, declining to close down Trossard, seemed particularly meek. With the defender putting no pressure on him, Trossard was able to shift to his left and create space for the shot — which he executed brilliantly, angling a finish into the bottom corner. Albeit even with it, you felt Jordan Pickford might have done better.

“The second half began with a different Arsenal in terms of personnel — Saka and Martinelli were on for Ethan Nwaneri and Sterling – and a different Everton in terms of mentality.

“They were front-foot and focused and with 52 seconds of the period gone, Myles Lewis-Skelly got himself in a poor position to defend a switch of play to Jack Harrison. Lewis-Skelly began leaning into his opponent outside the box but continued doing so as the players moved inside it, and eventually Harrison went over.

“Darren England signalled a penalty. Standing with the ball at the spot, Ndiaye had a long wait while VAR confirmed both there was enough force in the contact for a foul and that contact continued into the box. Maintaining composure, even after antics from Jorginho and David Raya, Ndiaye stepped back slowly, took a breath, and then stepped up to roll the ball one way as Raya dived the other. 1-1.”

Pickford shows why he should be among Everton survivors

Sam Wallace, writing in the Telegraph said: “There may only have been the merest trace of a title race for Arsenal to participate in before today, but even before a ball was struck Mikel Arteta’s team selection suggested his mind lay elsewhere.

“There was a major complaint from Arteta about the viability of the penalty that Darren England awarded against Arsenal at the beginning of the first half when Myles Lewis-Skelly wrapped an arm around Jack Harrison in the edge of the box. The Arsenal left-back eventually fell on the Everton man and while the penalty award looked marginal, the VAR Stuart Attwell did not order a review.

“It was less than clear what incident he was referring to and there was certainly a case for the penalty award which was dispatched confidently by Iliman Ndiaye, Everton’s most effective attacker.

“There were three second half saves from Jordan Pickford as Arsenal pressed for the winner. Under David Moyes, Everton now have more points, 18, than the total the club had accumulated when he was appointed at the turn of the year. That has been a remarkable development and safety has been secure for so long now that some in the restless crowd booed the team at the end of the first half.

“Moyes will not yet concede that another Everton relegation battle has been won but he said that the very fact he was planning to visit the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock this week was a clue to his mindset.

“Leandro Trossard had scored a breakaway goal on 36 minutes, assisted by the former Liverpool man Raheem Sterling who was substituted at half-time. Sterling did well to carry the ball up-field after a misplaced header from Idrissa Gueye opened the pitch up for the Arsenal winger.

“After Ndiaye’s penalty Pickford would save from Declan Rice as well as Trossard and Martinelli in the second half. One suspects that less than half of this Everton team will still be first choice in 12 months’ time, but Pickford should be among the survivors.”

Moyes has made Everton fearsomely hard to beat

Richard Jolly, writing in the Independent, said: “For one of the more stylish midfielders to grace Goodison Park in recent decades, a farewell to the venue came in the form of a warm-up for a very different test. There was a time when it seemed as though Mikel Arteta may return to Everton as manager.

“Instead, as Arsenal targeted the unproven Arteta, they were seduced by the glamour of Carlo Ancelotti, meaning a swift volte-face when they withdrew the offer of the job to a certain David Moyes. Now it is Ancelotti and Real Madrid for Arteta. “His Goodison goodbye contained preparation, frustration and a bit more of Myles Lewis-Skelly’s education. A draw renders it still likelier the Premier League title will return to Merseyside, with Liverpool now only requiring another 11 points to make it mathematically certain.

“The safe assumption is that Lewis-Skelly is primed to begin the biggest game of his club career. It continues to be ridiculously eventful.

“The teenager’s debut campaign has shown huge talent and a propensity to attract the attention of referees. Arsenal’s last game at Goodison came 120 years to the day of the first, and more than a century before Lewis-Skelly was born.

“His latest indiscretion cost them a valedictory victory even if, not for the first time, Arsenal thought he was wronged.

“But a rashness felt apparent when Lewis-Skelly hauled down Jack Harrison just inside the box and with little danger the Leeds loanee would score. Instead, Iliman Ndiaye did, marking his first start since February by rolling in the spot kick.

“It was transformative. Until then, Everton’s chances had been limited to two Jake O’Brien efforts from set-pieces.

“Roused, they almost scored again immediately afterwards, with David Raya denying Abdoulaye Doucoure. Some of the best of Lewis-Skelly came a quarter of an hour later, a slaloming solo run carrying him 60 yards before he was fouled on the edge of the Everton box.

“Yet Trossard was lively. Dwarfed by Everton’s giant defenders, his elusive movement rendered him a menace: it took an outstanding block by Jarrad Branthwaite to halt one run.

“Arsenal got their 11th draw of the season, Everton their fifth in six matches. With a lone defeat in 11, Moyes has made them fearsomely hard to beat.”

What happened to Ndiaye minutes after final whistle is no surprise as Everton magic returns

And our own Joe Thomas in the Liverpool ECHO wrote: “Iliman Ndiaye was the last player to make his way to the Gwladys Street only for his applause to Blues behind the goal to quickly be interrupted.

“As Ndiaye clapped, TV staff hurried onto the pitch behind him and darted towards the Everton number 10. It was no surprise the camera crew wanted to grab the attention of the attacking midfielder. Goalscorer on the day, forty minutes earlier he had kept his cool to slot past David Raya from 12 yards and bring his side back into this game.

“The celebrations that followed were bursting with relief. Relief from Ndiaye that he had finally overcome the medial ligament damage that cost him almost two months of this season. And relief from his teammates and the home supporters that their talisman was back.

“Everton have missed the 25-year-old. Even during the darkest moments of a season that plumbed troubling depths before Christmas, the summer signing was a source of light.

“When David Moyes arrived in mid-January he looked set to be fully unleashed. A glorious solo goal in the win over Tottenham Hotspur was followed by the composed penalty to earn another three points at Brighton and Hove Albion. But then came the injury.

“Since then, Everton have lacked a spark. Yes, the form remained positive and some good results were achieved. They were built on passion and determination rather than ingenuity. Now Everton have their magic back.”