There was no feeling of shock among the visiting arsenal supporters when referee Darren England pointed to the criminal place in 46 minutes.
Jack Harrison's Wirwar with Myles Lewis-Skelly was much too soft to give a penalty. Eventually the Everton earned a point to bring them closer to safety, while it torpedo the slim title of Arsenal.
It is a recurring theme this season, the Gunners are at the end of a questionable call. So it is not something new for their fans. Maybe even expected.
Other occasions are the red card of Lewis-Skelly in their 1-0 win against Wolves in January, which was later withdrawn by the FA by a profession.
Another was in the 1-1 draw with Brighton in January, William Saliba admitted a penalty after collision with Joao Pedro in an air duel.
Then at the start of the season there is the second yellow for Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard for kicking the ball, both borderline.
Each team in the Premier League would probably have been hurt to be in one season at the end of all these decisions.
Signs against Brighton, twice, city and here at Goodison have contributed to the fact that Arsenal slips far away from Liverpool and is intended for a third consecutive second place.
Injuries did not help either. In periods in which the gunners seem to be on the right track again, they are due to the long -term injuries for important players – Martin Odegaard, Ben White, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz and now Gabriel have all spent great periods.
But to blame the referee decision and injuries why Arsenal is no longer in the title race, the simple fact would ignore that they simply had not been good enough in the attack to turn into profits this season.
That is why their desperate need for a striker has been emphasized for many months and frustrated fans when the Gunners did not sign there in January.
And that is why a striker is at the top of the priorities of the summer transfer for new sports director Andrea Berta.
The Gunners have signed 11 games – Only Everton has pulled more (14) in the competition. One team wants to win the title, while the other tries to prevent relegation. It reflects why there can be no wonder why the men of Mikel Arteta are left at Liverpool this season.
In many of the draws, such as against Everton, both on Saturday and in December in the Emirates, and the 0-0 draw against Nottingham Forest in February, it was the lack of firepower at the front of what the decisive factor was.
Bad decisions of the referee or not, a title -winning team must be able to score the required second goal to win a match at Goodison and Brighton, or any goal at home to Everton or West Ham and road to Forest.
Arsenal can only control so much of their destination, and if they were more effective in attack, then a controversial goal that has not cost so much here or not.
The Gunners remain one of the highest scorers in the competition, but it is a lot of party or famine, and they have had trouble finding a breakthrough when needed.
Then there is the lack of goals of midfield, characterized by Odegaard. The Noor has registered this campaign two goals and four assists in 23 league games, compared to the eight goals and 11 assists that he collected in 35 performances last season.
His teammates on the wing, such as Martinelli, who hit 15 league goals in the 2022-23 season, but is currently at six, has not facilitated the goals either.
The Line -Up itself against Everton was a recognition that the title race in their mind had already ended.
Odegaard, Martinelli and Thomas Peny were all gestured, together with Saka, who only returned from an injury earlier this week, with a view to their first leg of the Champions League quarter final against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
That competition remains the last hope of the Gunners to save this season. Their last trophy dates from the FA Cup triumph in 2020 and silverware is seriously required in North Londs, so you can understand why Arteta has made such major changes.
If Arsenal is able to find a way beyond Real Madrid – a big one – the selection is justified. If not, the door will again open for people like Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Manchester City to sneak past them in the competition.
Securing a top four place is the broad goal as soon as winning the competition becomes impossible, but, after having ended two consecutive seasons, a place would feel a place lower than second psychologically if Arsenal does not go further in the Champions League. The draw yesterday already guaranteed that they will close the campaign with fewer points than the season before for the first time since 2020.
To return to progress, Arsenal must only concentrate on its own.
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