Our Everton jury have returned to have their say on the defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates and this weekend’s game against Chelsea at Hill Dickinson Stadium
05:00, 20 Mar 2026
Jordan Pickford of Everton speaks with Declan Rice of Arsenal (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Everton will be looking to make it back-to-back wins on home soil when they take Chelsea on tomorrow evening. The last time the Blues played at Hill Dickinson Stadium, they ran out 2-0 winners against Burnley.
However, last week, two late goals saw David Moyes’ side fall to a 2-0 defeat to title-chasing Arsenal at the Emirates. But the Blues remain firmly in the hunt for European football next season.
And with Saturday’s defeat and tomorrow’s game in mind, our Everton jury have returned to have their say.
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James Kellett
Everton’s 2-0 defeat at the Emirates Stadium has been overshadowed by a plethora of factors, and it has shrouded the valiant performance David Moyes’ side dished up in North London.
The final stages of the game included a costly Jordan Pickford mistake and Max Dowman becoming the Premier League’s youngest goalscorer – a record previously held by former Toffee James Vaughan.
To make matters worse, crowd trouble ensued in the Everton end, which truly soured a disappointing evening for the Blues, regardless of their valiant display.
Prior to Viktor Gyokeres’ opener in the 89th minute, Moyes’ men were resilient, and while Arsenal controlled possession and consistently threatened their opponents’ net, a draw would have been a fully deserved result.
But the events that followed have seemed to cloud what was a proud display from the Toffees, and their performance gives reason for Evertonians to be excited for the business end of the season.
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Except for the COVID-stricken 2020/21 season, this is the first time since 2019 that supporters can cheer on Everton in their pursuit of a European spot, making this league campaign a stark contrast to the relegation battles and midtable mediocrity of previous years.
Half of the Toffees’ next opponents currently sit above them in the league, meaning their run-in is one of the hardest in the division.
But with a combination of their impressive away form and strong desire to make Hill Dickinson Stadium a fortress akin to Goodison Park, anyone would be silly to write the Blues off in their quest for Europe.
The defeat at the Emirates was gutting, but their performance spotlighted Everton’s ability to frustrate and compete with high-quality teams.
With sides such as Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool yet to make the journey to the banks of the Mersey, there could be more pleasant surprises in store for Evertonians, who will be looking forward to the prospect of celebrating progression, as opposed to celebrating safety.
Mark McParlan
It was heartbreak after a quite determined performance at Arsenal at the weekend, going down to late goals after having some chances of our own throughout the match.
It doesn’t knock my confidence going into Chelsea particularly. We just need a little bit more from the side’s creators, like Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye.
I leapt out of my seat and out of the stadium the instant Arsenal’s first hit the net – it continues to be utterly ridiculous that fans are forced to leave the match early because the last train departs at 8.12 from Euston when our match kicked off at 5.30. Many left on 70 and 75 minutes.
Tim Iroegbunam in action for Everton against Arsenal
Apparently, on Saturday we have the Dock Road’s first-ever coach meet and big displays planned. Combined with a 5.30 Saturday kick-off, we should be creating an intimidating atmosphere for the London visitors, the kind which saw them win just one of their final eight visits to Goodison Park. They have just come off the back of conceding eight to Paris Saint-Germain.
I hope James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite have recovered from their mysterious absences on the weekend. Two key players out at the back wasn’t great news, even if Michael Keane and Jake O’Brien did a really good job for 90 minutes. Either way, the hunt for Europe is absolutely still on, but we need another win at home now to really try to set the pace.
Paul McParlan
A visit to Arsenal, the current champions-elect, was always going to be daunting. The news that the central defensive partnership of James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite would both be missing only added to the difficulties of this encounter.
Nevertheless, for 89 minutes, this was arguably one of our best and most resilient performances of the season, and possibly, if that shot from Dwight McNeil had gone under the bar rather than hitting it, then the destiny of the game could have taken a different direction. Personally, I have been pleased to see McNeil back in the team; since we lost Jack Grealish, he has been our most skilful player and one of the few that can cause the opposition problems.
The Everton rearguard was magnificently marshalled by Michael Keane and Jake O’Brien, and Arsenal seemed to be running out of ideas on how to unlock our defence. Their crowd was becoming more frustrated, and the tension was mounting. We definitely deserved to take something from this game but unfortunately when the draw was within our grasp, we let it slip away after it seemed we had done enough to earn a point.
Football history has taught Evertonians that whenever a 16-year-old substitute enters this fixture, things happen as they did when Wayne Rooney scored that stunning winning goal against Arsenal at Goodison in 2001. I had a bad feeling when Max Dowman came on, a sense that he might make something happen, and so it proved.
Max Dowman on his way to scoring agaisnt Everton for Arsenal(Image: Sally Rawlins/Every Second Media/Everton FC Official Photography Library/SmartFrame)
We seemed unprepared for the threat he offered, and he was allowed too much time and space to cross the ball for Arsenal to score their first goal. Arguably Jordan Pickford should have done better with the cross, but Dowman should have been closed down before he could deliver it.
After such a disciplined defensive performance, Arsenal’s second goal was a comedy of errors, resulting from our own corner kick! The ball broke free, and Max Dowman left Everton defenders trailing in his wake as he ran from his own half to roll the ball into an empty net. It was possibly one of the most comical and suicidal goals that Everton have conceded. The 2-0 scoreline flattered Arsenal and certainly was not a true reflection of how the game had unfolded.
Fortunately, other results went our way at the weekend, meaning that our hopes of earning that elusive European place still remain. At Goodison Park, we had a fantastic record against Chelsea, and we need to continue that at our new stadium. A win would put us within two points of our opponents and would send us into the next international break on a high.
It has been a bad week for Chelsea, with a defeat at home to Newcastle United, followed by a Champions League exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain. Let’s hope that we make it three losses in a row for them on Saturday! It is an opportunity we have to take!