Arsenal are now five points clear at the top of the Premier League after a dominant 4-0 win over Everton at home.

The Gunners came into the tie knowing a win would give them some breathing room as Manchester City chomp at their heels waiting for a slip-up. The Emirates faithful were in full voice ahead of kick-off, as they have been all season.

Everton arguably had the better of the opening exchanges, with Sean Dyche’s men managing to prevent a trademark Arsenal fast start. That was until Bukayo Saka turned it on.

The England ace picked the ball up on the turn inside the penalty area and lashed beyond Jordan Pickford at his near post. While no goalkeeper enjoyes getting beat in that area, there was very little the Everton shot-stopper could do.

Arsenal”s second came about in bizarre circumstances, with Saka stealing the ball from Idrissa Gueye before Gabriel Martinelli scored for the third game running. It was subject to a lengthy VAR check, but once deemed a valid goal the celebrations were as buoyant as expected.

Martin Odegaard put the game beyond any doubt with Arsenal’s third 20 minutes from time. Martinelli’s second and the Gunners’ fourth was simply the icing on the cake.

Victory against the Toffees and a rare win for Arteta over counterpart Sean Dyche means Arsenal can breathe a small sigh of relief; they’ve made their game in hand count.

As a result, the Gunners now sit five points clear of nearest challengers and reigning champions Manchester City. Few would have predicted this title race before a ball had been kicked this term, let alone that Arsenal would be leading it as late in the season as March.

With the stakes at their highest and the white-hot spotlight of City’s glare firmly on them, Arsenal made no mistake.

25 games played each, 13 more before a winner is crowned, more drama is all but guaranteed but the Gunners can take comfort in the fact they finally seem to be able to play under the weight of title-winning expectation.

As for Everton, the loss leaves them lingering in the relegation zone having now played a game more than some of their survival rivals.

Martinelli’s purple patch continues

The Brazilian has had to deal with his fair share of critics since the resumption of club football after the World Cup, but his persistence and hard work is starting to pay off.

Martinelli has now scored in each of the last three games, which in turn takes his tally for the season to double figures in the league this season.

His first strike of the game displayed all the things that make Martinelli the player he is – quick-thinking, a rapid turn of pace and composes finishing.

Faced with an onrushing Pickford, Martinelli calmly guided his effort beyond the Everton ‘keeper to give Arsenal a two-goal cushion. He notched his brace with a close-range jab through the ‘keeper’s legs late on.

It appears the 21-year-old is finding form at just the right time.

Zinchenko pulls the strings

To call Oleksandr Zinchenko a left-back would be doing the Ukrainian a disservice. The former Man City man takes up positions all over the pitch and exudes quality in every single one.

It was Zinchenko who played the pass for Arsenal’s opener, guiding a perfectly weighted through ball into the path of Saka whose finish was the kind he has put away all season.

For the majority of the first-half, it was Zinchenko was at the centre of all things positives for the hosts. He was able to break lines through two means; his dazzling dribbling or his supreme passing ability.

It was the latter of the aforementioned two that came to the fore to break the deadlock.

Thomas Partey put in a dominant, combative display once he was brought on at half-time ( Image: Getty Images)
Jorginho and Partey share the minutes

For those who thought Jorginho would be used sparingly following his deadline day arrival, Arteta’s selection tonight proved the Italian is at the Emirates to do more than just make up the numbers.

Given Thomas Partey was introduced off the bench against Leicester, many would have assumed the Ghanaian was fit to feature from the start this time around. It came as somewhat of a surprise to see Jorginho keep his spot in the middle of the park.

In the reverse fixture earlier this season, Everton midfielders Amadou Onana, Abdoulaye Doucoure and former Gunner Alex Iwobi got plenty of joy.

Things got off to a bad start when Jorginho had his pocket picked by Onana to bring about Everton’s first chance, but Neal Maupay backheeled his effort straight at Aaron Ramsdale.

In truth, the Italian was a tad below the level he has shown over the last few weeks and was hooked in place of Partey at half-time. The former Atletico Madrid man looked a tad more in control as he kept things ticking over.

This dynamic could be a common feature of Arsenal’s look as the season goes on.

Everton were well-prepared to deal with everything Arsenal threw at them at Goodison Park last month and that may have played into Arteta’s decision-making on Wednesday night.

With that being said, they may not have expected the Arsenal boss to start Leandro Trossard in place of Eddie Nketiah for the second successive game.

It was a tactic that actually worked a treat against the Foxes and Trossard gave the Everton backline much to think about as well. However, he wasn’t as married to the ‘false nine’ role as he was on Saturday.

Instead, the ex-Brighton man chopped and change with Martinelli throughout, meaning the Brazilian often took up central positions while Trossard could be found on the left-flank.

However, it was Trossard’s influence out wide that helped Arsenal notch their third. The Belgian cut the ball across the face of goal for Odegaard to convert.

One of Trossard’s key assets seems to be the fact that he can’t really be tied to one single position, he floats, thus creating an issue for the likes of James Tarkowski and Michael Keane, who couldn’t really pin him all night.