Arsenal were held to a disappointing draw away at Everton on Saturday afternoon.

After a dull opening half an hour, the Gunners took the lead through Leandro Trossard shortly before half-time, with the Belgian neatly slotting beyond Jordan Picked after being fed by Raheem Sterling.

The Toffees equalised shortly after the break, with Iliman Ndiaye converting a spot-kick after Myles Lewis-Skelly was adjudged to have fouled Jack Harrison.

Mikel Arteta’s team pushed for a winner, but they were ultimately unable to find one, with the result leaving them eleven points behind league leaders Liverpool.

Arsenal player ratings vs Everton
David Raya – 7
Very untroubled throughout the game, distribution and cross-claiming was good.

Ben White – 4
Created a great chance for Sterling early on with one of his trademark overlapping runs, but he looked rusty defensively throughout and was hooked on the hour mark.

William Saliba – 7
Without Gabriel Magalhaes and Jurrien Timber next to him, William Saliba stepped up to the plate and led Arsenal’s makeshift back four through the game. Extremely composed with his defensive actions, the Frenchman was outstanding.

Jakub Kiwior – 7
Made few defensive actions, often deferring to his fellow back four members. Showed his exceptional range of passing.

Myles Lewis-Skelly – 7
Retained possession exceptionally as usual. Unlucky with the controversial penalty, whilst he carried the ball forward excellently at times.

Jorginho – 6
Exposed in transition on a few occasions by Everton, but dictated the tempo of the game at the base of Arsenal’s midfield. A metronomic display from the Italian.

Declan Rice – 7
In a game where Everton did threaten to cause Arsenal issues in transition, Rice’s relentless defensive work was essential.

Mikel Merino – 7
Slotted back into midfield seamlessly and took the burden of making late runs into the box from midfield. Some lovely turns in the middle of the park.

Ethan Nwaneri – 4
Isolated out on the right-wing, Nwaneri struggled to get into the game throughout.

Leandro Trossard – 6
Took his goal excellently, but wasted several promising opportunities with poor touches or by making the wrong decision.

Raheem Sterling – 5
Aside from some early touches, Sterling was very much on the periphery of this game. Hooked at the break.

Substitutes
Bukayo Saka – 6
Introduced at half-time to get some minutes in him, Saka was largely peripheral as he looked to build some match fitness.

Gabriel Martinelli – 8
Martinelli was excellent in midweek against Fulham, and he was equally as bright in the second half against the Toffees. Looking to take his man on constantly, the Brazilian was unlucky not to score the winner.

Jurrien Timber – 6
A solid cameo from Timber, with some impressive bursts and good defensive work.

Martin Odegaard n/a
Kieran Tierney – n/a