On Monday, December 6th, 2021, a Premier League soccer game took place between Everton and Arsenal. Everton left the field with plenty of reason to celebrate as it won the soccer match 2-1. This comes as a bit of a surprise since Arsenal is a higher-ranked team in comparison to Everton, who had been on a bit of a shutout streak by having lost the last 5 games.

With a fairly warm temperature of around 45 degrees in Liverpool, Britain, it was the perfect day for an eventful match. After the players warmed up, the first half of the game took off. Soon after a few missed attempts by both Everton and Arsenal players and even a few fouls, Arsenal player Kieran Tierney mistakenly went offside as Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal) made an effort to get the ball to him. This resulted in a video assistant referee (VAR) decision which ruled no card change to Ben Godfrey (Everton).

Unfortunately, after this call, Everton had to substitute center-back Yerra Min with Mason Holgate due to an injury. However, a little later during the attacking half, an Everton player, Demarai Gray, was awarded a free kick. Not long after, Everton players Andros Townsend (Winger) and Jordan Townsend (Goalkeeper) also received free-kicks of their own.

Then, Townsend attempted to pass the ball to his teammate and forward player, Richarlison de Andrade. Unfortunately, Richarlison was trapped offside, so this resulted in a ball possession transfer to Arsenal from Everton. Not much later, this moment repeated itself; the only difference being that Andros Townsend sent the ball this time. Once again, the VAR checked the score, and it proved the score to be no goal (0-0).

With the first half of the game soon to be over, both teams tried even harder to give themselves an advantage going into the second half. Arsenal’s efforts then paid off as Martin Ødegaard (attacking midfielder) won a point for his team with an incredibly impressive left-footed shot from the center-to-left corner of the box. This shot was the payoff of cumulative teamwork; Kieran Tierney assisted him with a cross, making the shot possible. With this shot, an exciting first half came to a close.

The second half started off with a bang as Andros Townsend (Everton) was awarded another free-kick, which boosted the team’s morale. Apparently, Arsenal felt left out as well and also wanted a morale boost because soon after they received 3 free kicks. However, Everton player Ben Godfrey then received a yellow card for an unpleasant foul. Along with this, the team fouled an additional three times; however, Everton’s goalie managed to block a seemingly perfect header from Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhães.

A few fouls and offsides, substitutions, free kicks, and one VAR decision later, the game started to heat up. Notable events during this intermediate duration included Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli’s missed shot, Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka receiving a yellow card for another bad foul, and Everton’s Michael Keane’s narrowly missed goal. Despite the struggles faced on the field, Everton recovered in its plays as it scored a goal soon after. Richarlison of Everton scored a header from the center to the top left of the box, earning his team a well-deserved point and tying the game 1-1.

As the clock ticked down, the game only got more ecstatic and the fans’ energy reflected onto the players’ performances. Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard almost scored a goal, but it was blocked by Everton’s goalie at the very last second.

Then came the game-changing play: Demarari Gray, with the assistance of André Gomes, made a show-stopping right-footed shot and earned his team, Everton, a crucial point in the process. The team was ecstatic for obvious reasons; in fact, Demarari Gray was shown the yellow card for his excessive celebration. With this incredible goal, the game slowly ticked to a close with only a few more missed attempts and free kicks. Once the 90 minute game was up, Everton narrowly won the game by a point as the final score was 2-1.

After an eventful game of 6 substitutions, 4 yellow cards, and 3 goals, it’s clear that both teams worked hard and deserved praise. However, this game’s result will definitely propel and aid Everton to further itself in its quest to be the best.

On December 30th, Everton – now 12th place, 4 places up its previous 16th position – is playing Newcastle, so be sure to stay tuned to see Everton bloom. On December 30th, Everton (ranked 12th in the division) will play against Newcastle to bring home victory.