According to a report by Flashscore on Saturday October 24, 2026,, Arsenal reached half-time with a narrow 1-0 lead over Everton, but several attacking opportunities went unfinished despite their pressure. Ezri Konsa scored the opening goal in the seventh minute, while the Gunners struggled to convert promising positions into a more comfortable advantage.

Four Arsenal players who struggled in the first half

1. Eberechi Eze

Eze struggled to turn his attacking involvement into a meaningful contribution in front of goal. In the 24th minute, he fired a shot wide of the right post from inside the penalty area. Earlier, his attempted pass towards a teammate was intercepted, while his 42nd-minute cross was too close to Jordan Pickford, who collected it comfortably.

2. Mikel Merino

Merino missed two opportunities to make a difference in Arsenal’s attack. In the 29th minute, he rose to meet an accurate cross but headed the ball over the crossbar from a promising position. In stoppage time, he won another header from Declan Rice’s free kick but sent it just over the bar, missing another chance to extend Arsenal’s lead.

3. Declan Rice

Rice was involved in several set-piece situations but struggled to produce the decisive delivery Arsenal needed. His corners in the sixth and 33rd minutes were intercepted or cleared by Everton’s defenders. In the 35th minute, his free-kick delivery was collected by Pickford, preventing Arsenal from creating a clear scoring opportunity.

4. Myles Lewis-Skelly

Lewis-Skelly struggled to make his attacking contribution count when he attempted to advance the ball. In the 33rd minute, he played a long pass that lacked sufficient power to reach his teammates and was intercepted by an Everton defender. Although Arsenal won a corner from the sequence, the misplaced delivery failed to create a direct threat.