Viktor Gyökeres’s first-half penalty proved decisive as Arsenal edged Everton 1-0 at Hill Dickinson Stadium. The 27th-minute spot kick settled a game in which VAR decisions were as influential as any individual performance. The result returned Arsenal to the Premier League summit, but the controversial nature of the victory offered Manchester City and the chasing pack hope.

All David Moyes could do was berate on-pitch official Sam Barrott at the final whistle, while Mikel Arteta wheeled away with a cocktail of relief and joy. Arsenal dominated possession (65% to 35%) and denied Everton a single shot in the opening 45 minutes, yet the contest tilted into an arm wrestle after the break as Everton grew into the game.

David Raya (8.4) was steady throughout, commanding the air and composed with the ball. At right-back Jurriën Timber (7.5) kept Jack Grealish quiet and launched repeated forays down the flank. The centre-back pairing had mixed nights: William Saliba (7.0) escaped punishment after an incident with Thierno Barry, while Piero Hincapié (7.4) cleaned up loose moments effectively. Riccardo Calafiori (7.0) showed menace roaming inside despite a head knock.

In midfield Martin Ødegaard (7.0) grew into the contest, Martín Zubimendi (7.5) found passes that evaded challenges, and Declan Rice (8.1) was dominant when in motion. Bukayo Saka (7.6) had a big chance cleared off the line. Up front Gyökeres (7.2) won and converted the penalty but was largely contained by Everton’s defenders. Leandro Trossard (7.3) struck the post, and Zubimendi later hit the same upright.

Substitutions: Gabriel Jesus replaced Gyökeres (65) and was marked 5.9; Gabriel Martinelli came on for Trossard (80) and was 6.0; Mikel Merino (88) was N/A. Unused Arsenal subs included Kepa Arrizabalaga, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Christian Nørgaard, Eberechi Eze, Ethan Nwaneri and Noni Madueke.

The match turned on refereeing interventions; an incident when Saliba struck Barry’s calf was reviewed by Barrott and VAR Salisbury and judged “insufficient” contact. That decision shifted momentum, but Arsenal held on to claim three points.

Mikel Arteta used the sixth anniversary of his appointment to set clear terms for his future at Arsenal: success must be earned on the pitch. The manager pointed to the silverware the club still seeks despite the progress made under his tenure.

Arteta led Arsenal to the 2020 FA Cup title in an empty Wembley Stadium and followed that with the first of two Community Shields a few months later. The club has finished second in each of the past three seasons, but the Premier League title remains absent from his CV. His current deal runs until the summer of 2027.

Ahead of a trip to Everton, which was the first match after Arteta’s appointment and in which he watched a 0–0 from the stands while Freddie Ljungberg concluded his interim spell, he was asked if he could see himself remaining beyond 2027. “Yes,” he quickly replied, “but it’s about today. And a lot of things have to happen in the next few months as well to earn the right. I think a manager has to earn the right to be here tomorrow. And that’s how you react, how you talk here, how you go in the dressing room, the message that you send, how much the players follow you. I always say that you need support. I said it before, from ownership and the board is great.”

On the subject of measurable progress, Arteta reflected on performances and records while acknowledging the missing trophies. “You look at the performances, all the records that we had that they were breaking in the history of the club… We still haven’t managed to do that [win trophies]. But that tells you the level that we are in, which is a level that the Premier League has never experienced in the past. And that we want to achieve even higher goals. And if we do that, I think we are on the right path to winning.”

He also credited the collective effort. “One man cannot really change anything,” he argued. He spoke of sustained commitment: “For six years, I’ve seen just players with a level of attention, desire to learn and give the maximum to the team,” Arteta beamed when speaking about the satisfaction he gets from managing Arsenal. “That is what it gives me in this job. Nothing else. And obviously winning a lot of football matches, that percentage-wise I think is quite high.”

Statistically, Arteta leads Arsenal managers with the best win ratio among those who have overseen at least 50 games: 314 games, 59.7%. The club’s historical figures such as Arsène Wenger, Herbert Chapman and George Graham remain benchmarks until major honours are added.

Gabriel Jesus has moved to end speculation about his future by making clear he intends to stay at Arsenal and help the club challenge for the Premier League.

Jesus missed the bulk of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in January. He returned on Dec. 10 in the 3–0 Champions League win over Club Bruges. During his absence Arsenal added attacking options in Viktor Gyökeres and Noni Madueke, prompting suggestions the 28-year-old might seek a move to reignite his career. In an extensive interview with The Players’ Tribune, part of the Minute Media network, Jesus rejected that idea and framed his return around a simple objective: winning titles.

“I feel that I have unfinished business at Arsenal, I don’t want to leave,” Jesus said.

He described his arrival at Arsenal as a bid to achieve more than goalscoring and pointed to the variety of roles he played earlier in his career. “When I came here to join Mikel [Arteta], my purpose was not only to score goals. My purpose was to win titles. When I came to the Premier League , I think most people’s reaction was, ‘Oh? Who is this kid?’ They looked at me as a pure goalscorer. But that’s not how I see myself. My strongest trait is that I will do whatever it takes to help the team win titles.

“At City , I played many roles. I shared the goal scoring load with [Sergio] Agüero sometimes. Other times, I played out on the wing. And other times, I used my physicality to link up play. I think that’s why Mikel brought me here, years ago. I don’t always need to be the No. 9 to help the team.

“I am here [at Arsenal] to make history. When I got called to the main team at Palmeiras, when I was 18, they hadn’t won the Brazilian league in 22 years. We woke up the “sleeping giant” and won the title, and now they can’t stop winning. I go back there sometimes, and I walk the halls at the club, and all you see are trophies, trophies, trophies.”

“I think it can be the same at Arsenal ,” he continued. “We can wake up the sleeping giant. I have worked with Mikel since I came to this country, and I know what he demands from me. It’s the same as he demands from the chef. Everything, every day.

“With this manager and this squad, we can do it. I trust my football. I trust God’s plan. And I know that if I get a chance, I can help the team with the league.”

Jesus had been in strong form before the injury, highlighted by a hat-trick against Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup quarterfinal, but he collapsed to the ground in the match against Man Utd. “This has been the most surreal year of my life. Just when I felt like I was back to playing my best football, I felt a snap against United, and my world crumbled,” he reflected. “But I believe that God wouldn’t give me a challenge that I couldn’t come back stronger from. He gave me many blessings to get me through it: My wife, my children, my teammates, and the medical staff at Arsenal, who have been amazing.

“People have asked, ‘Why don’t you just leave? Why don’t you go to Saudi? Or back home to Brazil?’

Arteta has repeatedly stressed the need for depth and Arsenal now have an expanded forward group including Gyökeres, Madueke, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino. Speaking to reporters, the manager said: “No, I don’t consider that and especially with the situation we have right now. I think Gabi has a lot to offer to the team and he is proving that straight away in the first minutes that he was available to play. He has put so much [in] to be in this position again and now the focus is to be with us.

“A player of his quality, a player who has given us so much and when he comes with the energy he did the other day, he is certainly a player who has to be pushing and aiming [to start], that’s for sure.”