For the second straight week both Liverpool-based Premier League clubs took all the points on a Sunday. Liverpool moved back to the top of the league after some poor refereeing by Anthony Taylor tied the match up. And Everton thoroughly outplayed Arsenal in the early match, winning 3-0.
Everton plays at Sunderland next Saturday so at least I won't have to write about another great Sunday in Merseyside next week I guess.
The two Liverpool clubs are the most in-form teams in the Premier League at the moment. Liverpool is top of the league with a run of 9 consecutive victories. Everton has now won 6 in a row.
West Ham 1 - Liverpool 2
The referee took center stage today, as both of Liverpool's goals came from penalty kicks. But the worst decision by Anthony Taylor upheld a West Ham equalizer that surely should have been ruled out for a foul. Andy Carroll smacked Simon Mignolet in the face and arm on a corner kick, causing the Liverpool goalkeeper to drop the ball, and Guy Demel scored.
Taylor's linesman even called the foul, only for the head referee to overrule him. Just another case of awful Premier League refereeing in a season highlighted by many bizarre, inexplicable decisions.
Everton 3 - Arsenal 0
Roberto Martinez must have learned a lot from his team's 4-1 loss to Arsenal in the FA Cup a month ago. Martinez tweaked his tactics, shifting to a 4-3-3 instead of the 4-2-3-1 Everton has used for most of the year. Martinez also opted for Steven Naismith in the middle as a false 9, and moved more traditional center-forwards Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirallas out to the wings. Naismith dropped deep to create space for the other two forwards, and Martinez's change in strategy was very effective.
The shift of Lukaku in particular paid big dividends. Lukaku was allowed to manhandle Nacho Monreal (who looks increasingly out of his depth in the English game) instead of taking on a more physical matchup with either of Arsenal's center backs. Lukaku cut in on his stronger left foot without much of a fight from Monreal, and he was a real problem for Arsenal today, heavily involved in both of Everton's first two goals.
On the other side of the pitch, it was a truly pathetic performance by Arsenal, and a concerning one considering the Gunners' last away match was a similar capitulation at Stamford Bridge. The Gunners offered very little going forward until Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were introduced in the second half. But at that point Arsenal was already 3-nil down. Next up is the FA Cup semi-final, and the timing couldn't be any worse for Wenger's team.
On January 18th, Arsenal topped the league with 51 points after 22 matches. Since then, Liverpool has taken 31 of 33 available points in 11 matches.
Arsenal has taken just 13.
The Gunners now sit just one point ahead of Everton in 4th place, with Everton holding a game in hand. Arsenal will need Everton to drop points in order to secure another season in the Champions League.
Arsenal missed a real chance to take control of 4th place today. And now the Gunners are closer to 6th place Manchester United than they are to either Chelsea or Liverpool at the top.
Arsenal has completely collapsed this spring. But in the FA Cup, Arsenal does have a chance at redemption. A chance to bring some joy back to the fans after a devastating 3 months. Next week's trip to Wembley is absolutely vital if Arsenal is going to save their disintegrating season.
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