Arsenal capitalized on Manchester City’s first league defeat of the season, taking full advantage as the reigning Premier League champions maintained pressure at the summit of the table. Heading into Matchweek 8 of the 2026/27 campaign, Mikel Arteta’s side entered the weekend on 18 points from seven matches, trailing City by three points following a 1–0 win over Nottingham Forest in Matchweek 7. With Everton visiting Emirates Stadium on Saturday, 24 October 2026, the North London club aimed to extend their dominance in one of English football’s most historic fixtures. The clash follows a demanding European trip on 21 October, where Arsenal fought out a 2–2 draw away against Bayern Munich.
The Gunners hold a staggering historic edge over the Toffees. Across 227 meetings in English football history, Arsenal have recorded 114 victories compared to Everton’s 65, with 48 matches ending in draws. Furthermore, Arsenal’s 104 top-flight league wins over the Merseysiders stand as an all-time English football record for the most victories by one club against a single opponent. Everton’s struggles in North London run exceptionally deep, with the Merseyside club winning just once in their last 34 Premier League visits to Arsenal. Everton’s most recent league victory in this fixture came back in February 2023, while Arsenal remain unbeaten in their last seven Premier League matches against them, winning five of those encounters.
When these two teams last met at Emirates Stadium in March 2026, Arteta’s side completed a league double with a late 2–0 victory. That night saw Max Dowman write his name into the record books alongside Viktor Gyökeres, with Dowman becoming the youngest goalscorer in Premier League history. Gyökeres has consistently delivered up front, leading the team’s scoring charts with 14 goals, supported by Eberechi Eze and Bukayo Saka with seven goals each, and Leandro Trossard with six. Martin Ødegaard and Trossard lead the creative output with six assists apiece, while Declan Rice, Saka, and Jurrien Timber have registered five each. In goal, David Raya has been central to the club’s defensive platform, accumulating 3,330 minutes and recording 19 clean sheets.
Defensively, the champions have established an exceptionally high standard. Across the first two matchdays of the 2026/27 season, Arsenal allowed the lowest expected goals (0.54 xG) in the top flight, while facing just 11 shots and a single shot on target. Since the start of the 2022/23 season, the Gunners have held opponents without a single shot on target in 16 separate matches—twice as many as any other club, with Liverpool next on eight. That defensive resilience was on full display in a 1–0 away win against Aston Villa, where Saka netted the decisive goal in the 59th minute. That fixture also marked a major career milestone for Arteta, who became the 10th manager in Premier League history to oversee 250 matches for a single club.
Despite their tactical stability, Arsenal haven’t been entirely flawless in 2026. They’ve committed four errors leading to Premier League goals this calendar year—accounting for 44 per cent of their nine conceded goals—a figure second only to Tottenham’s five. Additionally, Arsenal have surrendered seven points from winning positions in 2026, trailing only Crystal Palace and West Ham United. Yet, Sean Dyche’s Everton arrive in North London facing their own away day challenges, having drawn all three of their Premier League matches on the road this season after a 2–0 loss to Chelsea in Matchweek 7. Under referee Tony Harrington for the 3:00 PM BST kickoff, Arsenal enter the contest targeting a third consecutive Premier League win to bolster their title defense.
