Everton went into today's game with many neutrals giving them little hope of a result, as Sean Dyche faced what seemed like the toughest possible start as Premier League leaders Arsenal visited Goodison Park to take on their hosts, who began the day 19th in the table.

The Gunners might have tasted a rare defeat in the FA Cup against Manchester City last week, but it was expected that they would get things back on track on Merseyside.

The build-up to the match was consumed by fan unrest towards the board, but that fervour clearly translated into an electric atmosphere within the ground as the new manager was welcomed to rapturous applause from the Evertonians who were present.

Instantly this game felt different, as the midfield snapped into tackles and the defence launched everything away.

Despite Everton surrendering 70% of the ball to the visitors, Arsenal could only muster three shots on target, two of which were relatively straightforward saves for Jordan Pickford.

It was nothing short of a defensive masterclass as the Toffees silenced a rampant front line which had scored 45 league goals already this season.

One man who had contributed to nine of those goals was Gabriel Martinelli, with the young Brazilian having excelled along the left flank with his pace and quick feet. However, up against veteran right-back Seamus Coleman, today was not his day.

He was completely silenced by the 34-year-old Toffees captain, who despite his diminishing pace retains his razor-sharp footballing intelligence. As such, he had more than earned his 7.6 Sofascore rating, which was only beaten by the match-winning hero James Tarkowski.

With possession limited, Coleman was only afforded 38 touches of the ball throughout 90 minutes. However, he was incredibly efficient whenever he did venture forward, as he completed his only attempted cross, made one key pass and created one big chance.

Despite all of this, it was his work in shackling Martinelli which stood out the most. He managed a mammoth six clearances, one interception and one tackle, while he also had a 100% success rate when it came to personal duels (via Sofascore).

What only exacerbates his outstanding display is that Mikel Arteta was forced to withdraw the 21-year-old after just 59 minutes, only for Coleman to silence Martinelli's replacement Leandro Trossard as well.

FourFourTwo writer Mark White took to Twitter to laud the Irishman's performance, gushing: "Seamus Coleman locks up every left-winger Arsenal ever throw at him."

The 34-year-old's defensive work was integral in recording just Everton's fifth clean sheet of the season and handing Dyche the perfect start to life at his new club.