Garth Crooks says Everton man 'shouldn't have bothered' against Arsenal

Pundit Garth Crooks has claimed Beto "shouldn't have bothered" at one point during the defeat to Arsenal - and predicted why he believes Everton will "fortunately" survive.

The new signing has made a positive impact for the Blues since arriving from Udinese. In a team that has struggled for goals, Beto got off the mark in the Carabao Cup and was rewarded with his first league start at Sheffield United, prior to the international break, where he helped stretch the opposition’s backline.

The Portuguese forward was a vital addition to Sean Dyche’s squad, given the lack of senior strikers available to the Everton boss and Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s consistent struggles for fitness. But the £26m man suffered a tough time on his home debut on Sunday.

Everton were frustratingly passive against the Gunners and offered almost no attacking threat at Goodison Park. The game plan to soak up pressure from Mikel Arteta’s side left the Blues isolated in attack, but BBC Sport pundit Garth Crooks was still quick to point to an incident where Beto fell short.

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"There was a moment during the first half at Goodison Park on Sunday when Beto tried to run William Saliba down his left-hand side in order to get a strike in on goal. Well, the Everton striker should never have bothered,” Crooks said, upon including Saliba in his team of the week.

“Saliba ran Beto and the ball out of play with such ease that it was like taking candy from a baby. It's been a long time since I've seen an Arsenal centre-back look so comfortable under pressure. Saliba is also clever enough to know when to pull out of