Everton full analysis after the Premier League clash with Arsenal at Goodison Park
David Moyes acknowledges the fans following the Premier League match between Everton FC and Arsenal FC at Goodison Park on April 05, 2025
It’s been something of a rollercoaster debut season on Merseyside for Tim Iroegbunam, but having already declared that there’s “definitely a positive environment” at Everton under David Moyes, the Brummie midfielder offered a potential glimpse into the future against Arsenal.
Questioned by some as a ‘PSR workaround’ transfer by Kevin Thelwell last summer with Lewis Dobbin moving in the opposite direction to Aston Villa shortly afterwards, Iroegbunam blossomed in pre-season and got his big chance when the action started for real.
Despite some dynamic early displays from a personal point of view, the 21-year-old featured in four straight Premier League defeats before dropping to the bench.
This was his first start since a second straight 3-2 loss after leading 2-0, coming at his former stomping ground Villa Park, way back on September 14. Since then, the midfielder has endured a lengthy period on the sidelines with an ankle injury and then eight consecutive appearances off the bench – including one of the most important flick-ons in Goodison history when he teed up James Tarkowski for his last-gasp derby equaliser – before finally making it back into the starting 11.
Moyes is renowned for his reputation of bringing the best out of hungry young players and in that respect, Iroegbunam certainly fits the bill. Also on the comeback trail was Dwight McNeil, making his first appearance in over four months since the 4-0 thrashing of Wolverhampton Wanderers on December 4, with his late introduction off the bench.
The season’s run-in will hopefully provide Moyes with the opportunity to try his hand with ‘the paintbrush’ now that the Rochdale-born player’s educated left peg is back in action.
Pickford makes history
Everton’s official statistician Gavin Buckland is always good for unearthing a numerical nugget and the game against Arsenal saw Jordan Pickford make his 100th successive league appearance, the second time he has achieved the feat for the Blues (after 120 from 2017-2020), making him the first player in the club’s history to do so.
England’s number one has arguably done more than any other individual on the pitch to keep the club in the Premier League in recent seasons, so with the promise of better times ahead at the new stadium under David Moyes, he deserves to be part of a fresh dawn.
It was under Moyes at Sunderland – after half a dozen loan spells – that the goalkeeper first got his big chance in the top flight, being kept busy during their 2016/17 relegation season. Despite things ending badly for player and manager alike at the Stadium of Light, it was his form that term that earned Pickford his big move to Goodison Park.
While always having the ability, the now 31-year-old has matured considerably in recent years and against the Gunners he showed how unflappable he’s become. An early mistake, when he scuffed a clearance under pressure from Leandro Trossard might have seen a lesser individual crumble, but Pickford bounced back to make a couple of impressive second half saves.
The effort from Gabriel Martinelli would have counted but an even more spectacular stop to deny Trossard wouldn’t have done. Given that it prompted the home fans to sing his praises, Pickford could have been forgiven for hoping that the referee would award a corner.
Patt on the back
Previous Everton manager Sean Dyche insisted it was all a misunderstanding but an incident in a restaurant when he caught Nathan Patterson on the head with what he claimed was a playful cuff, brought unwelcome headlines during a mid-season training trip to Portugal.
It seemed particularly unfortunate that the player in question was the Scotland international who struggled to get a look-in under the former long-serving Burnley boss.
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Snapped up for big money, shortly before Rafael Benitez’s departure, Patterson was earmarked as the long-term successor to Seamus Coleman but his career on Merseyside has failed to take off in the way he would have wanted.
Injuries have blighted his progress south of the border, but even when he’s been fit, he’s often found himself down the pecking order with successive bosses often preferring to pick natural centre-backs (Ben Godfrey for Dyche and now Jake O’Brien for Moyes) ahead of him at right-back.
So, starting his first Premier League game since the chastening 3-0 defeat at Molineux on December 30, 2023, Patterson remained disciplined in his approach when filling in at left-back for the injured Vitalii Mykolenko.
Hoping to impress his fellow Glaswegian on the touchline, there was no bombing on in the cavalier manner when he operates on his favoured right side but given the quality of the opposition, that was probably no bad thing as he let nobody down in the unfamiliar role.
