Five-star Arsenal thrash sorry Everton but miss out on Champions League

Fifth place will have to suffice for Arsenal, but at least they were able to depart with a reminder of the progress this season has brought. It became clear quickly enough that there was to be no miracle at Carrow Road and there will be lingering regret that, given a golden opportunity, they let Champions League qualification slip from a position of such advantage.

But this was totally dominant showing against an awful Everton who, coming off Thursday’s emotional high, never showed the slightest appetite for a contest. The biggest surprise was that Frank Lampard’s side managed a goal through Donny van de Beek. By then Gabriel Martinelli, with a penalty, and Eddie Nketiah had already scored; Cedric Soares, Gabriel Magalhães and Martin Ødegaard added the rest, and perhaps Mikel Arteta will wish a few of those strikes had been shared around at times of greater need.

Arsenal’s will to complete their side of the bargain could not be faulted, even if Everton contributed to their dominance with a numbing passivity. It was little surprise that the visitors, who never looked anywhere near solid enough to carry out their approach successfully, were picked off. Arteta’s players had enjoyed 94% of possession by the quarter-hour mark; perhaps the energy their opponents had expended in hauling themselves to safety so thrillingly on Thursday night did not lend itself to a running game but, even so, their willingness to sit back rather than participate bordered on the extreme.

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The initial frustration for Arsenal was that dominance did not mean a stream of chances, even if they could still have gone ahead. Ødegaard’s close-range effort was blocked