Everton vs Arsenal. Premier League.
Goodison ParkAttendance39,316.
Everton 1-1 Arsenal: Gunners held as Iliman Ndiaye's 'soft' penalty clinches draw for Toffees
Report as Arsenal are held to a 1-1 draw by Everton at Goodison Park; Leandro Trossard opened scoring in first half but Iliman Ndiaye levelled from the penalty spot after the break; Liverpool can go 14 points clear if they beat Fulham on Super Sunday
Saturday 5 April 2025 22:53, UK
Iliman Ndiaye's contentious penalty cancelled out Leandro Trossard's opener as Everton held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw which leaves Liverpool needing only 11 points from eight games to clinch the title.
Ndiaye converted coolly from the spot early in the second half at Goodison Park after Myles Lewis-Skelly was adjudged to have fouled Jack Harrison by referee Darren England.
The decision was described as "awfully soft" by Michael Dawson and Mike Dean on Soccer Saturday, with the contact beginning outside the box, but England's decision was upheld by VAR.
Trossard had earlier put Arsenal in front with a clinical strike from the edge of the box after a mix-up between Idrissa Gueye and Jarrad Branthwaite allowed Raheem Sterling to launch a break.
Mikel Arteta made five changes to his team with Tuesday's Champions League showdown against Real Madrid in mind, as Thomas Partey, Martin Odegaard and Gabriel Martinelli were named on the bench and Bukayo Saka again featured as a substitute after his midweek winner against Fulham.
- As it happened | Teams | Match stats
- Live Premier League table | Watch PL highlights for free
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW 📺
- Choose the sports notifications you want! 🔔
Having lost Gabriel Magalhaes to a season-ending hamstring injury in that game, the visitors were relieved to welcome Ben White back from a niggle, while Jurrien Timber also came on as a substitute having recovered from a knock.
Arsenal came through the game without any further injury setbacks but could not find a winning goal in a scrappy encounter, with substitute Odegaard firing wastefully wide and Jordan Pickford making smart saves from Declan Rice and Martinelli.
Liverpool now have the chance to move 14 points clear of second-placed Arsenal when they face Fulham live on Sky Sports on Super Sunday. Everton, meanwhile, move up to 14th.
Arteta: There's no way it's a penalty
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta at his press conference:
"I think we deserved more but [a point] is what we got in the end at a really tough place to come. What they do, they do really well, constantly putting balls into the last line, dealing with direct play.
"I don't think we conceded anything in the game, which was really positive. We were 1-0 up and had some big opportunities running into spaces but didn't finalise the actions.
In the second half, we thought, 'Let's start well and start to dominate the game.' We did the opposite. We gave the ball straight to the 'keeper. Again, direct play and the referee decides to give a penalty that changes the course of the game.
"I'm here to give my opinion and after seeing it 15 times, there's no way that's a penalty, because if it is, [Jake] O'Brien has to be out and Everton have to play with 10 men, that's clear.
"After that, again, dominated the game but we could not get too much momentum. We had two big chances to win the game and we didn't convert them, so we have to accept the point."
Have your say: Was it a penalty?
The penalty incident came less than a minute into the second period as Lewis-Skelly tangled with Harrison from a long Everton pass. Contact was initiated outside the box but continued, with Harrison going to ground inside the box.
"The referee's call of penalty for the challenge by Lewis-Skelly on Harrison was checked and confirmed by VAR - with the contact deemed to be sufficient for a penalty and inside the area," said a Premier League statement.
It was just the latest refereeing flashpoint involving Lewis-Skelly, who had a red card overturned against Wolves earlier this season and was also sent off against West Ham.
Give us your verdict on the penalty decision in the poll below.
Moyes: We were angry with each other at half-time
Everton boss David Moyes in his press conference:
"Really satisfied. We didn't start well but we showed a little bit more in the second half which got us back in the game.
"It's been a difficult week, against the team top of the Premier League and the team in second, and I think we've given them both decent games.
"The players here have got great resilience, they stick at it, they are very committed. We were all disappointed and angry with each other at half-time because we started slowly and sluggishly and made mistakes we didn't think we would do.
"We tried to sort that out and tactically made a slight change in how we were going to press Arsenal, because we found it a struggle to get the ball off them in the first half at times.
"We got a lot better in the second half and, great credit, we were able to get a point out of it.
"Mathematically we are not safe yet but I'm taking a visit to the stadium this week which would indicate we're pretty close. I want us to keep getting ready now for Premier League football.
"I want to get to 60 or 70 points, if I'm honest, but if you had given me 40 points when I came in, I think I'd have taken you out for a drink."
On the penalty decision: "I've watched it zero times and I couldn't tell you if it's a penalty or not because I've not seen it back yet."
