Aresnal were far below their best; the movement was pedestrian, the imagination not there and when the goal came on 77 minutes, it was not from an Arsenal template.
Bendtner released Traore on the left wing, the Arsenal player uncharacteristically reached the by-line before sending over a sumptuous cross, which was dispatched with aplomb by Bendtner. The header gave the Dane his ninth goal of the season and was enough to send Everton away from the red corner of North London with nothing, just one point from twelve visits here for David Moyes’ team.
The win leaves Arsenal with an outside chance of catching Chelsea and moving into second place but this was not the Gunners firing on all cylinders. Jens Lehmann was afforded a ceremonial role as custodian for the final 20 minutes in what will be his final game at the Emirates. Not one for the ages this encounter, but Arsenal did enough to secure victory.
First Half:
In the absence of birthday boy Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal struggled initially to create meaningful chances in a tepid first half.
Rarely did the Gunners threaten Tim Howard’s goal despite a healthy share of possession. Denilson and Gilberto were not forced to compete doggedly in midfield and the flanks were effectively worked by Emmanuel Eboue and Theo Walcott - who had two of Arsenal’s best chances of the half.
Walcott’s early curling effort, shades of Henry in the approach, sailed past the post before Eboue linked well with Bendtner to create an opening. His finish however, was wayward.
Everton were able to keep tabs on their hosts and had a number of opportunities themselves, Andy Johnson took advantage of Lukasz Fabianski’s hesitancy to force a corner when the Pole stayed on his line rather than chase Manuel Fernandes’ through ball. From the resultant corner, Phil Jagielka’s header was stabbed away by Denilson.
Emmanuel Adebayor was full of enthusiastic running but was limited to one half chance. From Kolo Toure’s long through ball, he controlled and shot well but was denied by the sure-handed Tim Howard.
Second Half:
A hugely disappointing second 45 minutes began with Arsenal temporarily rousing themselves from their slumber and forcing a succession of corners, none of which were steered home. The lack of Hleb meant Arsenal had a dearth of creativity; their passing and guile seemed to be lacking some punch.
Adebayor continued to toil but was starved of service, while his strike partner Bendtner foraged more successfully for his own chances. Indeed when Arsené Wenger shuffled his deck with 20 minutes remaining, it was Bendtner who benefited from the industry of the impressive Armand Traore.
Theo Walcott was shunted to the right to create the vacancy for the genuinely left sided young Frenchman. His determined runs and positive attitude paid dividends with 13 minutes to play; his fine cross was rewarded by Bendtner’s fine finish.
Everton toiled; Manuel Fernandes stung the palms of Lehmann and a late flurry was undertaken by the guests; they ultimately came up short. David Moyes will be under whelmed by his side’s lacklustre finish to the season, but for Wenger’s men, it was a fitting goodbye to the Emirates for this season.
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