Everton 1 - 4 Arsenal

A second half Dudu double helps the Gunners pull themselves off the mat for a 4-1 come from behind victory away at Everton on Saturday.

After a first half to forget about, Arsenal found themselves 1-0 down at the half thanks to a 19th minute goal by Tim Cahill. The second half was a completely different story, as Eduardo da Silva opened his league account with a goal just one minute after the re-start.

With the score on level terms, it was Arsenal who were in the ascendancy, and after 58 minutes, it was 2-1 Arsenal thanks to a cool finish by the Crozillian.

Nick Bendtner found himself sent off after 74 minutes for a second bookable offense after making a very stupid tackle on Andrew Johnson. It was striker’s challenge, but exceedingly dumb considering he was already on a yellow, and was just moments from being subbed for Emmanuel Adebayor, who made a rare start on the bench.

Down to ten men, Arsene Wenger subbed the big man in for Eduardo, and within moments, Adebayor had made it 3-1 to the Gunners thanks to a mix up in the Everton defense. For a fraction of a moment, the ball seemed stuck in between two blue jerseys, and Ade pounced on that second, slipped into the space, and guided the ball into the net.

Six minutes from time, it was suddenly 10 v 10, as Mikel Arteta saw a straight red for elbowing Cesc in the face. There’s no telling whether it was intentional, but with the additional space on the pitch, the Gunners controlled the ball for the remainder of the match. Another substitution, Tomas Rosicky, sealed the victory with a 94th minute strike to make the final 4-1 to Arsenal.

An excellent win considering the lifeless first half, and coupled with Man U’s loss at West Ham, a win that sees Arsenal top of the table once again.

So, a few days rest, and then it’s back to league action at home on New Year’s Day against West Ham. The Hammers will no doubt be up for it considering they just knocked off Man U, so it’s sure to be a cracker. Kick off is 10 AM ET tomorrow, and the match can be seen live here in the US on Setanta USA.