Arsenal’s Premier League title ambitions took a severe dent as they lost 1-0 to a rejuvenated Everton side under new management.

Sean Dyche outmaneuvered and outthought Mikel Arteta this afternoon to secure three points which could prove to be crucial at both ends of the league table.

Arsenal had 70% possession throughout the match but couldn’t find the net, having just three shots on target.

Arteta substituted arguably his most influential player, Thomas Partey, in the 59th minute and James Tarkowski netted for the Toffees a minute later. Read into that what you will, but the Ghanaian was excelling in the middle of the park before his departure.

Gabriel Martinelli was disappointing, just a day after signing a new long-term deal at the club, as he failed to get into the match at all, losing possession 14 times while succeeding with just one dribble attempt. However, it was Eddie Nketiah who arguably underperformed the most given his recent form.

The forward, who is currently deputising for the injured Gabriel Jesus, has scored six goals since Christmas but struggled to carve out any meaningful openings today against a stubborn Everton side.

He perhaps should have scored the opener in the first half, but his shot didn’t test Jordan Pickford. Journalist Patrick Boyland described it as a "great chance" for Nketiah but added that his finishing was “wayward”, and that summed up the 23-year-old's afternoon.

The striker took just 21 touches, 19 fewer than goalkeeping team-mate Aaron Ramsdale, and he made just eight passes all day as he struggled to create much space. He also lost possession six times, committed two fouls and won just 50% of his duels.

Arteta will have some thinking to do regarding Nketiah's performance, with the club currently having no other senior centre-forward to call upon.

Perhaps the Gunners were perhaps due a bad result in the league, having not lost in the top flight for five months, although it wasn’t expected to be against a struggling Everton side, suggesting that the new manager bounce has worked a treat on Merseyside.

Make no mistake, much of the team let Arteta down today. However, the Spaniard would certainly have expected much more from Nketiah, and he will hope that the 23-year-old can rebound quickly ahead of the visit of Brentford to the Emirates Stadium next Saturday.