Six years ago this week, Mikel Arteta found himself on the verge of becoming Arsenal’s new manager. He watched from the directors’ box at Everton, witnessing his future team play out a lackluster goalless draw, fully aware of the challenges he was about to face.

Anniversaries often prompt reflection, and for Arteta, they raise the recurring question of whether he can lead Arsenal to a Premier League title. The club has been waiting for this triumph for 21 years.

As Arteta revisited Everton, now with a new stadium, the familiar hurdles remained: Manchester City, once again asserting their dominance atop the league after defeating West Ham, and Arsenal’s ongoing struggle to find the back of the net over these past six years.

Given the formidable force that City has become, questions about Arsenal’s offensive prowess persist, refusing to be ignored.

In the midst of these challenges, Declan Rice emerged as a pivotal figure, consistently orchestrating play and tirelessly disrupting Everton’s advances.

“Unbelievable,” Arteta remarked about Rice. “His overall performance, the number of times he regained possession—he’s been incredibly consistent.”

Everton boss David Moyes, Rice’s former manager at West Ham, went further. ‘Probably the best midfielder in the world,’ was his description. 

It was six years ago that Mikel Arteta sat in the stands at Goodison Park ready to take on the Arsenal job

Now he has the chance to end the Gunners’ 21-year wait for the Premier League trophy – but it won’t be easy

Yet there was nothing lethal about the finishing at the end of some fine passing movements from Arsenal. 

The handful of Arsenal players with four goals to their name was still as abundant as it got for the club before 8pm last night, by which time Erling Haaland had extended his Premier League tally to 17.

It said everything for the need to build some self-belief into Viktor Gyokeres that when Everton’s Jake O’Brien gifted Arsenal a first half penalty, with a two-handed basketball manoeuvre from a Rice corner, Martin Odegaard, the usual taker, handed the ball to the Swede.

Gyokeres did the job, despatching the ball firmly to Jordan Pickford’s left, to the visible frustration of Moyes, who was still fuming about the concession of what he called a ‘stupid’ penalty. 

Others chipped in. A Martin Zubimendi snapshot flew over the bar. Bukayo Saka traced a ball into the channel for Jurrien Timber to deliver into the six-yard box. Saka was also unmarked to shoot from ten yards around the hour mark, when the redoubtable James Tarkowski blocked.

By the time Leandro Trossard arced a ball against the upright after a brilliant passing move just past the hour mark, Gabriel Jesus was preparing to replace Gyokeres up front. 

Viktor Gyokeres scored the game’s only goal with a well-taken penalty dispatched above Jordan Pickford

The Swede set the game alight, but for long periods Arsenal failed to quicken the pulse

Their travelling contingent resorted to cries of ‘Feed the Scousers’. Are we not past chants like this?

Arsenal’s intellectually enlightened contingent could think of little to contribute for a period in the first half than ‘Feed the Scousers’, a tediously dull contribution and an embarrassment to their club.

Everton advertised Fans Supporting Foodbanks on their big screen throughout the game and Arsenal have supported the cause in previous years. Haven’t we moved on from chants like this?

It’s the sixth anniversary of what proved to be a sliding doors moment for Moyes, too. When Arteta took up that Goodison Park seat in Christmas week, 2019, Carlos Ancelotti was also in attendance, about to be appointed Everton manager instead of Moyes, who thought the job was going to be his. 

How differently the course of Everton’s intervening years might have been with Moyes at the helm, but instead he finds himself in the foothills of a rebuild.

In the absence of their best attacking creative players, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Iliman Ndiaye, this was men against boys. Jack Grealish, who began this season like a train, couldn’t make much impression. Carlos Alcaraz was poor. 

Everton’s defence offered most. Tarkowski was a leader once again and it has been gratifying to see Michael Keane, who has had his difficulties over the years, enjoying such a fine season. 

For all of his early season successes, Jack Grealish struggled to make any sort of impact

David Moyes is in the foothills of a rebuild on Merseyside, six years after he was overlooked for the job

Arteta would have taken a position like this for his anniversary week. Holding onto it may be a different story. It looks like a tough road ahead

This was also a night of fine defensive challenges from Tim Iroegbunam, offering more evidence of the qualities Moyes has imbued the side with. 

There were howls of protest when a penalty was not given after William Saliba made contact with Thierno Barry’s foot as he chased him to the fringe of the Arsenal area.

It didn’t look enough for a penalty and Moyes was not complaining last night. ‘I think they said it was insufficient contact,’ he said.

Barry’s tendency to go to ground is so pronounced that they have been purposely ignoring him when he goes down in training. As Everton laboured to test Arsenal’s rearguard, Dominic Calvert-Lewin was scoring at Leeds. A case of what might have been, had he not fallen out of love with this city.

At the end, Arteta punched the air and the buoyant away contingent chanted ‘We are top of the league.’

Arsenal are top at Christmas for the third time in four years and Arteta was not ready to ponder how he can convert that into a title.

‘Enjoy the process of winning,’ he said. ‘It gives me belief and confidence that the team is constantly there. We are going to have to go to difficult places and we are there. Work for the next game, try to improve.’

It looks like a tough road ahead.