Arsenal’s faint hopes of winning the Premier League title suffered a significant blow as they were held to a draw at Everton.
The result means that leaders Liverpool now need just 11 points from their remaining eight games — starting with Fulham on Sunday — to secure the title.
The match began in a tense, stop-start fashion, but Arsenal broke the deadlock in the 34th minute with the first shot on target of the game. Leandro Trossard finished coolly on the counter after receiving a pass from Raheem Sterling.
Trossard could have doubled his tally just before halftime, but his toe-poked shot was cleared off the line by Jordan Pickford, with Declan Rice’s follow-up blocked.
Everton equalized early in the second half, when they were awarded a penalty after Myles Lewis-Skelly fouled Jack Harrison in the box. Iliman Ndiaye calmly converted from the spot.
The Toffees looked rejuvenated after a lackluster first half, with Abdoulaye Doucoure forcing Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya into a sharp low save. At the other end, Rice’s powerful free-kick was punched away by Pickford.
Despite both teams having chances to grab a winner, neither could find the decisive goal, and Everton’s draw handed a boost to Liverpool’s title hopes, as they gained a crucial point in the battle for survival.
It was no real surprise this contest ended as a stalemate between two sides who have conjured up a combined 25 top-flight draws this season.
With Tuesday’s monumental Champions League quarter-final first leg against Real Madrid at the forefront of his mind, manager Mikel Arteta’s line-up gave indications that Arsenal’s priorities lie away from the Premier League as he started the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey on the bench.