Arsenal thrashed Everton 5-1 on Sunday, but it wasn’t enough to secure a place in the Champions League, and it was the visiting fans, who were still relieved after avoiding relegation on Thursday, who were celebrating at the end after Liverpool missed out on the title.
Arsenal dominated from start to finish, leading 2-1 at halftime thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s goal and an Eddie Nketiah header. Cedric Soares, Gabriel Magalhaes, and Martin Odegaard all scored in the second half, reflecting their dominance.
Tottenham Hotspur, on the other hand, remained fourth after a 5-0 demolition of Norwich City, leaving Arsenal in fifth place.
The Londoners, who last competed in the Champions League in 2016-17 after 19 years of qualifying under Arsene Wenger, will have to make do with a place in the Europa League, which is an achievement in and of itself after starting the season with three consecutive defeats.
The Emirates had a relatively subdued atmosphere in the sunshine. This match looked ripe for drama a week ago, with Arsenal still in the Champions League chase and Everton fighting for survival. However, Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat at Newcastle United left them needing Spurs to lose, while Everton’s win over Crystal Palace insured their survival.
Everton manager Frank Lampard was relieved to make six changes, and it showed as his team was overwhelmed for the whole of the game.
Arsenal were granted a penalty via VAR after a Martinelli shot impacted Alex Iwobi’s arm, and the Brazilian converted the spot kick to put the score 1-0 after 27 minutes.
Nketiah’s flicked-on corner made it 2-0 four minutes later, but Everton equalized in first-half stoppage time when Dominic Calvert-low Lewin’s cross found Van de Beek unmarked to tap in.
After the half, Arsenal scored two quick goals, one after 56 minutes and the other after 59 minutes.
They started with a wonderful corner to the edge of the box, where Cedric had all the time in the world to whisk the ball past Begovic, and then Gabriel blasted home the fourth when Everton failed to clear.
As the game came to a close, Odegaard capped things off with a fantastic goal, slipping past two defenders and finishing into the corner.
At full time, the home fans offered Arsenal a kind send-off after a difficult season, but it was Everton fans, still buzzing after their miraculous escape on Thursday, who were making the most noise as Manchester City made their own stunning comeback to beat Liverpool to the Premier League title.
Both teams, the English Premier League’s two longest-serving members, will have work to do over the summer, albeit with quite different goals.
