FORMER Manchester United defender Gary Neville noticed an “interesting” tactic used by Arsenal during their clash with Everton on Sunday.
The Gunners clinched a 1-0 win over The Toffees thanks to a second-half strike from super-sub Leandro Trossard.
Mikel Arteta’s side initially struggled to break Everton down despite maintaining around 75 per cent possession for the majority of the game.
But during the second half they used one set-piece trick to their advantage.
Former defender-turned-pundit Neville noticed that Arsenal stars appeared to take their time while taking corners – many of which were short corners.
Everton fans and players became increasingly frustrated as a result, which then appeared to spur the Gunners on.
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Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville said: “I’m really interested in this Arsenal corner thing we’ve seen today.
“It’s interesting, they stand over the ball for so long almost like the referee is going to wander over and give a yellow card.
“And then at the time the home fans start booing like crazy they play it, at the last point before a yellow card or a referee intervention.
“They’ve done it two or three times, they’ve taken an age on them.”
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Neville and commentator Peter Drury then likened the incident to when Takehiro Tomiyasu was sent off as a result of time wasting against Crystal Palace.
Arsenal boss Arteta was asked about the corner technique during a post-match interview, but he kept tight-lipped about his tactics.
The Spaniard said: “There are different ways to attack, different ways to try to take advantage of opponents’ weaknesses.
“Obviously they are very strong in the box and we need alternatives and we found a way to open it up. You can [put it in the box] and you can still score.
“It’s about the possibilities and the probabilities that are different. It’s about creating a story in the game and the players have to feel when it’s the right moment to do it.”
Arsenal’s win over Everton saw them jump into the Premier League top four, while the Toffees remained in the relegation zone with one point.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
