League leaders Arsenal opened up a five-point lead at the summit with a commanding 4-0 victory over Everton at the Emirates on Wednesday evening, with Mikel Arteta’s side having more than redeemed themselves after slipping up in the reverse fixture just a few weeks ago.Having been undone by a James Tarkowski header in that hard-fought meeting on Merseyside, the Gunners looked set to again be frustrated by Sean Dyche and co this time around, after initially finding it difficult to break the visitors down in the opening exchanges.It ultimately took a moment of genius from Bukayo Saka to break the deadlock as the Englishman fired home emphatically from the angle just before the interval, with the Hale End hero then dispossessing a hapless Idrissa Gueye to tee up Gabriel Martinelli on the stroke of half-time.With that youthful duo having both reached double figures for Premier League goals this season with those first-half strikes, captain Martin Odegaard then got in on the act with a composed finish on the 70-minute mark, following clever work from January arrival Leandro Trossard down the left flank.Things then got even better for the hosts in the closing stages as that man Martinelli tapped in for his 11th league goal of the campaign – one more than teammate Saka – with the Brazilian unsurprisingly recording a standout 8.4 match rating, as per Sofascore – the highest of any player for either side.It was, however, a man who did not get on the scoresheet who was arguably “MOTM” – as per Simon Collings – with that award going to left-back sensation, Oleksandr Zinchenko, as the versatile Ukrainian once again pulled the strings for his side, proving why he’s on the best in the division in the process.
How did Zinchenko play against Everton?
The former Manchester City man was at the heart of the action as he made 109 touches on the night – the most of any player – having been integral in helping to unpick what was a stubborn Toffees defence, after playing a clever, threaded pass for Saka’s opener.
The 26-year-old was also heavily involved in the hosts’ fourth goal of the night after sliding in Eddie Nketiah inside the area, with the academy graduate subsequently picking out Martinelli to wrap up a comfortable win for the title-chasing outfit.
That creative impact came amid what was an “incredible” performance from Zinchenko as he proved “so influential” in his playmaking, defensive berth – according to Collings – with the 52-cap ace having laid on three key passes as a marker of his probing prowess, while recording an 8.0 match rating.
The £32m man was simply a ‘class above’ – as Collings noted in his Evening Standard player ratings piece – with it looking as if he is making it his personal mission to drag Arteta’s men to the title, at the expense of his former employers.
On the basis of last night’s display – and with regard to the season as a whole – City must be surely regretting allowing Zinchenko to make the move to the capital.