Dwight McNeil and James Tarkowski combined to hand Sean Dyche a dream start as Everton manager, recording a third successive home win against Arsenal for the first time since 1978 and pulling them out of the relegation zone in the process.
His starting eleven epitomised those traits, giving the home fans something to cheer as they frustrated high-flying Arsenal early on.
Amadou Onana went galloping into open space down the left, before playing the ball across the six-yard box but agonisingly beyond the reach of an outstretched Dominic Calvert-Lewin right-foot.
Everything they have touched so far this season has turned to gold, but the Goodison Park pressure cooker seemed to be getting the better of them as Martin Ødegaard ballooned his effort over the bar early in the second half.
In typical Dyche style, it had been an aerial bombardment of Arsenal’s penalty box with Calvert-Lewin spurning a couple of headed chances.
It was Dwight McNeil, handed his debut by Dyche at Burnley who swung a corner onto the head of former Burnley teammate James Tarkowski who made no mistake firing beyond Aaron Ramsdale.
It wasn’t to be on a rare off day however, as they fell to their first defeat in the league since the start of September.
