Sunday, 6th April, 2014
Everton forward Steven Naismith has pointed to his side keeping Arsenal's full defence extremely busy as a big reason behind their comprehensive 3-0 win over the Gunners at Goodison Park.
Naismith drilled home Everton's first goal in the 14th minute before Romelu Lukaku collected the ball, surged forward and powered a shot into the bottom corner in the 34th minute to double the Toffees' lead.
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Roberto Martinez's men continued their dominance after the break and were rewarded with a third goal, which came in the form of an own goal from Mikel Arteta just after the hour mark, following a scramble led by Kevin Mirallas.
Everton are now just one point behind fourth-placed Arsenal in the Premier League, but also hold a game in hand, meaning overtaking the Gunners is entirely possible.
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And Naismith revealed their plan to disrupt Arsenal's game, with keeping the Gunners' full defence busy key.
He told Sky Sports: "We played very well and didn't let them settle on the ball and keep possession.
"We knew it would be a battle for possession, it started from the back and Gareth Barry and James McCarthy were excellent in midfield.
"We worked all week on trying to occupy their full defence. Rom [Lukaku] and Kev [Mirallas] led by example doing that.
"For Kev's goal it worked perfectly."
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