Though Everton have proven to be a difficult team to beat under David Moyes, the Gunners had got the better of the Toffees of late, being unbeaten in the last five Premier League matches between them.
Everton were looking for a first win over Arsenal since 2023
However, the North Londoners had only won three of the last 13 away games on the blue half of Merseyside (D4, L6), and only one of their last seven (D2, L4), which came in 2023/24 thanks to Leandro Trossard's winner.
Trossard, who was picked by Arteta at the expense of Gabriel Martinelli for Saturday's fixture, had either scored (twice) or assisted (one) three of Arsenal’s last six Premier League goals against Everton.
Not since February 2023 had the Toffees managed to earn three points against the North Londoners in the league, so the fixture was just as important to them in terms of putting down a marker for the rest of the season.
Furthermore, Everton had lost just three of their last 17 home Premier League games (W7 D7), although two of those defeats had come in their last four (vs Tottenham & Newcastle).
Gunners unbeaten in 14 evening kick-offs
With four wins and two losses from their last six Premier League games, Moyes' side were one of the form teams in the English top-flight, whilst Mikel Arteta's squad had won three, drawn two and lost one of their last half dozen.
The visitors had remained unbeaten in their last 14 evening kick-offs in the English top-flight (7pm or later - W12 D2) - since a 2-0 home loss to West Ham in December 2023.
The Gunners had lost four of their last six (W2) when visiting a new stadium for the first time though, the Hill Dickinson Stadium being the 60th Premier League away venue they've played at.
Perhaps of slight concern to Moyes will have been the knowledge that the scorers of the last two goals against Arteta's side, Idrissa Gueye and Iliman Ndiaye, weren't available for selection owing to their participation at the Africa Cup of Nations.
That would mean the likes of Jack Grealish, Charly Alcaraz and Dwight McNeil stepping up in their absence.
Cagey start from both teams
A cagey start from both sides meant that the match was devoid of action in the opening 15 minutes. Indeed, no Arsenal player had touched the ball in the Everton box by that point.
Shortly afterwards, a handball by Jake O'Brien gave Viktor Gyokeres the chance to score from the spot, and it was a chance he took with some aplomb.
It was the Gunners' 15th consecutive success from 12 yards, Bukayo Saka last failing to score a penalty for the North Londoners in April 2023 against West Ham.
A first goal since the start of November will have been a relief for the Swedish international, and his fifth overall in the Premier League still makes him Arsenal's leading scorer this season.
Though his goal had made the difference, Gyokeres had attempted only three passes before heading down the tunnel, the least of any player on the pitch, which appears to be a recurring pattern in the forward's Arsenal career.
By the end of the game, his 18 total touches were at least 36 fewer than any of his colleagues who started the game.
No shots from Everton in the first half
With 70% possession between the 15th and 30th minutes of the first half, the visitors were clearly in control of proceedings, and before half-time had rattled off three more shots.
Everton, by contrast, hadn't managed a single effort on or off target before the break, only the second time on record (since 2003/04) that's happened in a home Premier League game.
The one previous instance in which this had occurred came against Aston Villa in January 2022 at Goodison Park.
Within three minutes of the second half starting, Alcaraz saw one attempt blocked and one on target as the hosts belatedly looked to take the game to their visitors.
Another attempt, 10 minutes later, was sandwiched by two shots from Saka, before Trossard saw his effort cannon back off the woodwork.
Passing dominance from the visitors
The big difference now between the two sides was the strength of passing accuracy. Where Arsenal's players knocked the ball about with ease and many were seeing completion rates of above 90%, Everton's players were struggling to get above 75%.
Declan Rice, Piero Hincapie and William Saliba dominated in terms of passing stats, but it should be noted that most passes were to each other, or backwards, as the Gunners looked to tire Everton's forwards out.
Alcaraz was eventually subbed off by his manager, though he was the only Everton player who showed anything like the attacking commitment that was required in this game.
His three attempts and four touches in the opposition box were far more than his teammates, with only two other players - Beto and Merlin Rohl, both subs - also having shots (one each) in the game.
'1-0 to the Arsenal'... again
By the end of the match, Arsenal had attempted 654 passes, their most in 2025/26, which speaks to their dominance in what was expected to be a very difficult away fixture.
Though Everton were combative and competitive, with James Tarkowski and Michael Keane winning the vast majority of their one-on-one duels - and Timothy Iroegbunam attempting six tackles in this game, more than any other player - they lacked the class up front that was needed in order to topple a team that are clearly desperate to get over the finish line in the title race this season.
Indeed, Everton's failure to score in six of their 17 games means only Wolverhampton Wanderers (10) and Nottingham Forest (eight) have failed to score more often in the Premier League this season.
The North Londoners' clean sheet was their ninth in 17 matches, more than any other team in the top-flight in 25/26.
The familiar '1-0 to the Arsenal' refrain is therefore likely to be back in vogue once more, as this was their fourth such win of the campaign, again more than the other teams in the division.
