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Everton boss Silva calls for VAR after loss to Arsenal

By Kyle BonnSep 23, 2018, 5:51 PM EDT
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It’s never a priority until it happens to you.

Everton boss Marco Silva has called for VAR to be introduced in the Premier League after Everton fell 2-0 to Arsenal on Sunday. Alexandre Lacazette scored the opener in the 56th minute, but Everton’s comeback was made far more difficult three minutes later when Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doubled the Gunners’ lead.

Silva was frustrated that replay showed Aubameyang was clearly offside when he received an off-balance flick from Aaron Ramsey before burying the chance. He declared VAR should be utilized in the Premier League, although he understood the process.

“It will help for sure,” Silva said in the post-match press conference. “I think it’s important. I ­understand what they’re thinking not stopping the game every time [VAR is used]. They’re trying to find the best way to do that as soon as possible. Maybe next season we’ll have VAR.”

The Premier League voted this summer not to implement VAR this season, deciding instead to continue testing before making the technology available to aid refereeing decisions and cut down on mistakes. VAR was used this summer at the World Cup and received positive reviews. The replay system was most used to help referees determine if fouls occurred during the build-up to goals, whether offside decisions were correct, and whether penalties should be given.

“We had just one player in our box. It’s clear where he is in that moment and it’s clear on the second touch [by Ramsey] where the player who finishes it is, as well. He’s clearly offside. For me, it’s a little bit strange but it’s OK. I make mistakes, my players, as well. Assistant referees can make them.”

Everton’s loss leaves them without a Premier League win since August 18 when they defeated Southampton at home, a run of four games with just two points.

Cech: ‘I had a lot to do’ as Arsenal praises its keeper

Nick Potts/PA via AP
By Nicholas MendolaSep 23, 2018, 1:57 PM EDT
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Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are going to get a lot of love for their quickfire goals in Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Everton, but they know where the Gunners’ bread was buttered on Sunday.

And that butter comes with a helmet.

[ RECAP: Arsenal 2-0 Everton ]

“I think 20 times maybe, Cech kept us in the game,” Aubameyang said after the game. “I think we are improving every day and feeling good and better, so when we win it is better for the team. It is going well and we are enjoying training at the training ground.”

And here’s this fine double entendre from Lacazette.

“A big thanks to Petr Cech because he took a lot of balls today and we won our first clean sheet.”

Cech made a save within the match’s first throes as Dominic Calvert-Lewin challenged his 18, and then denied Theo Walcott with an outstanding dart to close down his former teammate.

As for the man himself, Cech’s a drummer and knows he just had to keep the beat despite early concerns about his role as a ball handler in Unai Emery‘s system.

Also, he very subtly humble-bragged about how well he played. From the BBC:

“Everton created a lot of chances in the first half and we had to stick together and wait for our opportunity to score which made the difference. I’m delighted with the performance and the clean sheet. I had a lot to do today and I had to help the team stay in the game, and as an experienced player, you have to do your part.”

Cech is one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, but his reputation has taken a hit over the past couple seasons. He was very, very good on Sunday, and will keep antsy Bernd Leno at bay for a few more weeks.

Quick strike Arsenal tops Everton

By Nicholas MendolaSep 23, 2018, 12:53 PM EDT
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  • Scoreless at halftime
  • Lacazette smashes opener
  • Aubameyang makes it 2-0

Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored a pair of goals in under four minutes as Arsenal overcame a sloppy first half to beat Everton 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Petr Cech and Jordan Pickford both made fine saves in the effort, but Cech had more and Everton struggled to find much threat outside of Richarlison and Theo Walcott.

Arsenal moves sixth with 12 points. Everton is 12th with six. Flipped.

[ STREAM: Watch every PL match live ]

Everton had a pair of good chances go wanting, the first an ungiven penalty to Dominic Calvert-Lewin and the second a ball bounding through the six.

Jordan Pickford made a palm stop on Nacho Monreal‘s bouncing shot as the hosts finally got into the match after the first 10 minutes.

Richarlison was lively in his return from a red card suspension, forcing Cech into a two-palmed save in the 21st minute.

Ex-Arsenal man Theo Walcott won a dangerous free kick with a clever dribble into the box, and Gylfi Sigurdssson hoped his 30th minute effort would punish the Gunners.

Lucas Digne took the kick instead, and Cech popped it over the goal for a corner kick. No luck.

Richarlison played Walcott through on Cech with a 38th minute pass, but the goalkeeper reacted quickly to deny Walcott.

Alexandre Lacazette took one touch too many on the doorstep before halftime.

[ MORE: Latest Premier League standings ]

[ MORE: Full lineups, stats, box score ]

Arsenal broke through in the second half.

Aaron Ramsey played a part in both goals, the first an assist on Lacazette’s outstanding strike in the 56th minute.

Then Aubameyang wrong-footed Pickford with an in-tight shot to the back post.

Cech made a fine save on a free kick in the 71st to deny Everton a way back into the match.

Watch Live: Arsenal vs. Everton

Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
By Nicholas MendolaSep 23, 2018, 10:07 AM EDT
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Richarlison returns for Everton as the Toffees head to North London for a match against Unai Emery‘s Arsenal (Watch live at 11 a.m. ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com).

WATCH LIVE, ONLINE, HERE

Cenk Tosun is on the bench for Everton at the Emirates Stadium, while Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang both start for Arsenal.

LINEUPS

Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Sokratis, Mustafi, Monreal, Xhaka, Torreira, Ramsey, Ozil, Lacazette, Aubameyang. Subs: Leno, Elneny, Lichtsteiner, Holding, Iwobi, Guendouzi, Welbeck.

Everton: Pickford, Kenny, Zouma, Keane, Digne, Gana, Davies, Walcott, Sigurdsson, Richarlison, Calvert-Lewin. Subs: Stekelenburg, Holgate, Baines, Tosun, Schneiderlin, Bernard, Lookman.

PL Sunday preview: Chelsea look to extend perfect start; Arsenal vs. Everton

Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images
By Andy EdwardsSep 22, 2018, 4:27 PM EDT
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Life in the Europa League spells a harsh reality for Chelsea and Arsenal this season: Thursday night games followed by the quick turnaround to Premier League action on Sunday.

[ MORE: What did we learn in the Premier League, Week 6? ]

West Ham United vs. Chelsea — 8:30 a.m. ET, on NBCSN and NBCSports.com

Following wins by Liverpool and Manchester City on Saturday, Chelsea enter Sunday’s clash on the other side London, where they’ll take on a West Ham side that only last week picked up its first points of the season, third in the PL table. The Blues are, however — along with the Reds — one of two remaining unbeaten teams in the PL. Maurizio Sarri has stabilized Chelsea following a summer of tumult and turnover, thanks in large part to a series of dazzling performances by Eden Hazard — one of the figures at the center of the controversy this summer — as the Belgian has racked up five goals and a pair of assists in just over 300 minutes. His hat trick last weekend helped the Blues to a perfect 5-for-5 start to the season.

West Ham, on the other hand, finally have something to show for their efforts after appointing Manuel Pellegrini as manager and spending more than $100 million on transfers in the summer. All it took was one win to climb out of the bottom-three. Andriy Yarmolenko bagged a brace in the win over Everton, leaving Pellegrini more than pleased after showing faith in the Ukrainian during his first few weeks in the PL.

“I said at the start that Andriy needs a few weeks to get used to playing in the Premier League,” Pellegrini said this week. “He has a lot of quality, we know that, but in this league you can’t just play with quality.

“He demonstrated against Everton that it was the correct moment. He did it very well. After this performance, we must demand him to give more, because he’s able to be a top player for us.

INJURIES: West Ham — OUT: Manuel Lanzini (knee), Winston Reid (knee), Andy Carroll (ankle); QUESTIONABLE: Marko Arnautovic (knee) | Chelsea — QUESTIONABLE: Pedro (shoulder)

Arsenal vs. Everton — 11 a.m. ET, on NBCSN and NBCSports.com

Another side enjoying a purple patch of results of late is Arsenal, winners of three straight after defeats to Manchester City and Chelsea to start the season. Unai Emery has worked out a decent enough formula, though the Gunners are yet to keep a clean sheet this season (their 9 goals conceded puts them in the bottom-half of the league in the goals-allowed column). Even star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang acknowledged his side’s defensive struggles following Thursday’s 4-2 victory over Vorskla Poltava in the Europa League.

“I think we played well in the first half and at the beginning of the second as well and we scored four goals, but we need to improve and fight to not concede goals like we did in the last few minutes.”

Everton’s season has also been marked by a drastic difference between the first two games and the three which followed thereafter, only in reverse of Arsenal’s turnaround. After impressing in their first two games, the Toffees have collected just two points from the last three games. Their struggles have been, in part, down to the absence of Richarlison, who scored three goals in the first two games of the season before earning a red card and a three-game ban for head-butting Adam Smith during the 2-2 draw with Bournemouth. Injuries throughout the team proved costly against West Ham last weekend, and not much has improved on that front. Defensive pillars Michael Keane and Phil Jagielka remain out, while Seamus Coleman and Yerry Mina will undergo late fitness tests ahead of Sunday’s kickoff.

INJURIES: Arsenal — OUT: Sead Kolasinac (knee), Laurent Koscielny (achilles), Carl Jenkinson (ankle), Ainsley Maitland-Niles (knee); QUESTIONABLE: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (ankle), Lucas Torreira (knee)| Everton — OUT: Phil Jagielka (knee), Michael Keane (head), Andre Gomes (hamstring), James McCarthy (leg); QUESTIONABLE: Yerry Mina (foot) Seamus Coleman (foot)