Vieira and Trossard impress as Ramsdale faces anxious derby wait - Arsenal winners and losers

Winners

Oleksandr Zinchenko

There had been so much talk about how Arsenal might tackle the physicality and height of this Everton side. So much so that there had been suggestions that perhaps Takehiro Tomiyasu should start ahead of Oleksandr Zinchenko but the Ukrainian international justified his manager’s faith.

Expert passing and movement allowed Arsenal to suffocate their opponents and the full-back was effectively a permanent midfielder throughout the game. Making space, making himself available and of course the passing…

Some of the best examples of passing variety that were without doubt by design. The long balls in behind to Fabio Vieira and Leandro Trossard deserved to end in goals and if fans have one mission from tonight, it’s to ensure that these moments aren’t forgotten.

Leandro Trossard

When the goalscorer, or who thought he was a goalscorer until VAR ruled it out, Gabriel Martinelli was taken off moments after the officiating correction struck off his opener, the expectation for Leandro Trossard to perform was exceptionally high.

Thankfully for him, he did. The goal aside, he was always a threat with his movement and link-up play with Vieira and Zinchenko.

But the goal itself was a touch of class that was needed to blow a game that threatened to frustrate Arsenal wide open. A strike that curled agonisingly, from Jordan Pickford’s point of view, away from the England international and then cushioned off the post to be caressed by the net; personally my favourite way for a goal to be scored.

There’s something about the ball being deflected off the post at such an angle that the net ripples as it carries the shot. A big goal and perhaps a moment which will spark a run in the side after the injury to the Brazilian.

Ar