How Sean Dyche responded after Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta’s criticism for Everton

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Everton came away with a very respectable point against Arsenal on Saturday – and Mikel Arteta’s frustrations were clear after the game.

Going away to Arsenal is difficult for any team in the Premier League, and fans didn’t have major optimism ahead of the game.

But Everton were resolute and dogged at the Emirates Stadium, with a number of players really impressing defensively.

Ashley Young continued his great form against Arsenal, while the two centre-backs – James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite – were also solid. And Jordan Pickford was on top form between the sticks, even impressing Arsenal fans.

After the game, Arteta was critical of Everton’s game plan – but Sean Dyche gave a perfect response.

• READ MORE: Arsenal’s Kai Havertz reveals the one about Everton’s performance that really impressed him

Sean Dyche responds perfectly to Mikel Arteta verdict after Arsenal 0-0 Everton

Arteta has insisted after yesterday’s game that Arsenal had deserved to win.

In a rather bitter assessment of the game, he had said: “Very disappointing not to win the game. We fully deserved to win the game. We conceded no shots.

“We dominated play. When we generated big chances. No set pieces. They didn’t run. We did all the right things up to the last 20 metres, where we generated big situations but, at the end, we didn’t score a goal.”

Everton may not have offered much in the way of attacking threat yesterday. But that was completely to be expected at the Emirates – and it will happen plenty more times at that stadium this season.

Amid the dig from Arteta, Dyche made a very good point about the way his side played on Saturday.

He said (via Everton official): “I’m super proud of the players, I always am, but I think today more so in the sense that it’s quite apparent you’re highly unlikely to come down to this place – or a few others in the Premier League – and dominate the ball.”

Dyche is spot on with post-Arsenal verdict

Arteta’s response came off quite bitter, and it was understandable he’d have a reaction like that given Arsenal were hoping to close the gap on Liverpool. But simply having a lot more chances and possession does not equate to being deserving of winning a football match.

This is a perfect response from Dyche, who knows the score with Arsenal.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
10	BrentfordBrentford	15	7	2	6	31	28	3	23
11	NewcastleNewcastle	16	6	5	5	23	21	2	23
12	TottenhamTottenham	15	6	2	7	31	19	12	20
13	Man UtdManchester United	15	5	4	6	19	18	1	19
14	West HamWest Ham	15	5	3	7	20	28	-8	18
15	EvertonEverton	15	3	6	6	14	21	-7	15
16	LeicesterLeicester	16	3	5	8	21	34	-13	14
17	Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace	15	2	7	6	14	20	-6	13
18	IpswichIpswich	16	2	6	8	16	28	-12	12
19	WolvesWolves	16	2	3	11	24	40	-16	9
20	SouthamptonSouthampton	15	1	2	12	11	31	-20	5

The vast majority of teams will go to the Emirates Stadium this season and struggle. The Gunners dominate the ball, and it’s very difficult to get at them. Especially for teams who have struggled to score goals.

There is no shame in defending with backs to the ball and potentially looking to launch rare counter-attacks – playing with more freedom and expansion could well be asking for trouble, and this unlikely point could count for a lot come the end of the season.