Arsenal beats Everton 4-0, moves 5 points clear in EPL

LONDON: Arsenal extended its lead in the Premier League to five points by beating Everton 4-0 on Wednesday, with Gabriel Martinelli scoring two of the goals in one of his team’s biggest wins of the season. Everton stunned the leaders with a 1-0 win at home on Feb.

4 but couldn’t reproduce those exploits at Emirates Stadium, where Bukayo Saka put Arsenal in front with a rising shot into the roof of the net from a tight angle in the 40th minute. The England winger turned provider in the first minute of first-half stoppage time by plucking the ball off the toes of Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye to play in Martinelli, who delivered a low finish.

Martin Odegaard converted a cut-back from Leandro Trossard in the 71st and Martinelli added a fourth in the 80th to complete a dominant performance from Mikel Arteta’s team, which has now played the same number of games — 25 from a total of 38 — as second-place Manchester City. In terms of margin of victory, only the 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest in October bettered this result for Arsenal, which has won three straight games to get over a blip where the team collected just one point from a possible nine — including a loss to City.

Arsenal is bidding to win the league for the first time since 2004. Everton stayed in the relegation zone in third-to-last place and has lost three of its last four games under recently hired manager Sean Dyche.