Football Insane

Arsenal got their Premier League campaign off to a flying start as they hammered Everton 6-1 at Goodison Park.

Last season’s FA Cup runners-up were comprehensively undone by a Cesc Fabregas brace and further strikes from Denilson, William Gallas, debutant Thomas Vermaelen and the returning Eduardo. Louis Saha scored late on for the home side.

Brazilian midfielder Denilson bagged his fourth league goal for the club to open the scoring on 25 minutes.

Nicklas Bendtner, deployed in a wide role by manager Arsene Wenger, held the ball up inside the Everton area before finding Fabregas. The Arsenal skipper tapped the ball across to Denilson, who curled in a first-time shot that gave Tim Howard no chance.

As unstoppable as the opener was, Arsenal’s other first-half goals were eminently preventable.

Belgian defender Vermaelen marked his impressive full debut with a goal on 36 minutes when he rose unchallenged at the far post to head in Robin van Persie’s free-kick from deep.

The Gunners added a third before half-time, a mirror image of Vermaelen’s goal, this time Fabregas delivering and William Gallas glancing past Howard amongst a group of static Everton defenders.

Any fleeting hopes of a heroic comeback for the Toffees were snuffed out once and for all three minutes after the break when Arsenal mounted a swift counter-attack which culminated in Fabregas sweeping van Persie’s pass through the legs of Howard.

There was a poignant touch as Fabregas scored his second on 70 minutes. The Spaniard took the ball from his own half unchallenged and finished the run with a low strike. Fabregas, from Catalonia, used his celebration to run over to his bench to hold up a shirt bearing the name of Espanyol captain Dani Jarque, who died unexpectedly last week.

The icing on the cake of the victory for Gunners fans was when second-half substitute Eduardo, making his first Premier League appearance since breaking his leg against Birmingham 18 months ago, was the only player to react to Andrei Arshavin’s shot rebounding off the post and tapped in from close range.

Another substitute, Everton striker Saha, scored a late goal of scant consolation for Everton when Manuel Almunia saved Steven Pienaar’s shot and the Frenchman netted the rebound.

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