Everton Face Tough Test At The Emirates
- Spirit of The News
- Dec 13, 2024
- 3 min read
Everton travel to the capital to face a tough test of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
The Gunners have been performing as expected this season; the recent 2-0 win over Manchester United, alongside some other decent results this Premier League campaign, lands Arsenal third in the table, 6 points behind league leaders Liverpool.
Liverpool have a game in hand with that fixture being against the Toffees. Last weekend, Storm Darragh hit the west coast of England extremely viciously, and the match was called off.
Everton Club Statement:
Everton’s Premier League fixture against Liverpool, scheduled for 12.30pm (GMT) today, Saturday 7 December, has been postponed.
Following a Safety Advisory Group meeting at Goodison Park, attended by officials from both clubs, as well as representatives from Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council this morning, it was decided that, due to the risk to safety in the local area due to strong wind gusts, and an amber severe wind warning that remains in place until 6am on Sunday, today’s fixture should be postponed on safety grounds.
We apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank supporters for their understanding. Whilst we appreciate this will be deeply disappointing for supporters, the safety of fans, staff and players is of paramount importance.
Information relating to a rearranged date for the fixture will be announced in due course.
All tickets purchased for the original fixture will remain valid for the rearranged fixture.
On the other hand, Arsenal’s fixture went ahead as they faced Fulham away from home at Craven Cottage. Marco Silva’s side started convincingly as Raul Jimenez scored in the 11th minute; however, in the second half, Arsenal set piece coach Nicolas Jover was the centre of attention again. A headed goal by Saliba from a corner as well as multiple other goals from set pieces has earned Jover a mural outside Emirates Stadium. We will have to wait and see if the Blues can set up in a way to prevent the opportunities the Arsenal squad has been exploiting in recent weeks.
In midweek, Arsenal hosted Monaco in the UEFA Champions League, with the Gunners leading to a comfortable 3-0 victory, placing them third in the qualification zone for the next round of the competition.
UEFA Champions League Table:
Liverpool
Barcelona
Arsenal
Leverkusen
Aston Villa
Inter
Brest
LOSC
9. Dortmund
10. Bayern
Other news coming out of the Everton camp this week is that the Friedkin Group has reportedly secured approval from the Premier League to become the Toffees’ new owners. TFG agreed to become the majority shareholders in the Blues in September, since having to go through standard procedures to fully confirm their ownership.
Current owner Farhad Moshiri will be handing over his 94.1% stake in the club to Dan Friedkin, US billionaire and owner of Roma. The Blues are set to move to their new stadium at Bramley Moore-Dock, and under new leadership, there is a new chapter on the horizon for the Toffees.
A new ownership may mean pressure for Sean Dyche, with the Friedkin Group watching his performance with a close eye. It starts tomorrow against Arsenal. Everton are clearly underdogs and expecting defeat; without Tim Iroegbunam and James Garner, it may be difficult to salvage at least a point. Although Seamus Coleman, Armando Broja, Youssef Chermiti, Nathan Patterson, and Jake O'Brien played in a behind-closed-doors friendly against Mansfield, with O’Brien claiming three assists in a 4-0 win at Finch Farm.
Mikel Arteta has confirmed that there is a possibility that one of Gabriel or Calafiori will be available and that there are no further injuries that have occurred in the Arsenal camp this training week.
Matchday 16:
Saturday 14th December:
Arsenal 15:00 Everton
Liverpool 15:00 Fulham
Newcastle 15:00 Leicester
Wolves 15:00 Ipswich
Nottingham Forest 17:30 Aston Villa
Sunday 15th December:
Brighton 14:00 Crystal Palace
Man City 16:30 Man United
Chelsea 19:00 Brentford
Southampton 19:00 Spurs
Monday 16th December:
Bournemouth 20:00 West Ham
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