Arsenal’s Title Hopes Fade Further After Frustrating Draw At Everton

By Onoja Baga, Nigeria 

Arsenal’s dwindling Premier League title challenge suffered another setback on Saturday as they were held to a 1-1 draw by a resilient Everton at Goodison Park.

The result leaves the Gunners 11 points adrift of leaders Liverpool, who still have a game in hand, as the Merseyside club closes in on a record-equalling 20th English crown.

Leandro Trossard gave Mikel Arteta’s men the lead with a well-taken strike against the run of play, but Iliman Ndiaye’s second-half penalty ensured the spoils were shared further complicating Arsenal’s hopes of ending a 21-year wait for the league title.

Arteta, clearly with one eye on next week’s crucial Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid, opted for a heavily rotated side.

Key players including Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Gabriel Martinelli, and Thomas Partey were left on the bench, while the Gunners were also without injured regulars Gabriel Magalhaes, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus.

Despite their depleted lineup, Arsenal looked the stronger side in the opening half.

Their breakthrough came via a swift counter-attack, with Raheem Sterling powering through midfield to set up Trossard, whose precise low finish beat Jordan Pickford.

However, Arsenal’s season-long struggle with converting dominance into goals resurfaced.

Moments after the restart, Everton were handed a lifeline when Myles Lewis-Skelly brought down Jack Harrison in the box. Following a lengthy VAR check, Ndiaye calmly dispatched the resulting penalty, sending David Raya the wrong way.

The equalizer swung momentum Everton’s way briefly, with Raya forced into a smart save from Abdoulaye Doucoure.

But Arsenal pressed hard in the closing stages, throwing on Saka, Martinelli, and Odegaard in search of a winner. Odegaard fired wide from a promising Tierney pass, and Mikel Merino’s late header also missed the target, summing up a frustrating afternoon for the visitors.

The result stretches Everton’s strong run to just one defeat in 11 games, lifting them to 14th in the table, 15 points clear of the relegation zone.

For Arsenal, the draw feels more like a loss, as their grip on the title race continues to slip with just seven matches left.