Arsenal were lucky to get a point at Goodison Park as they eventually pegged Everton back to secure a 2-2 draw. Laurent Koscielny was dropped in favour of Per Mertesacker, whilst Mesut Özil also returned to the starting XI for the first time since the FA Cup final.
Everton were seen as the superior team overall, with goals from Seamus Coleman and Steven Naismith putting the Toffees 2-0 up before half-time. Alexis Sánchez was substituted at the break with Olivier Giroud coming on, and with just seven minutes to go, Aaron Ramsey put the Gunners in with a chance, before Giroud headed home a Monreal cross with added time looming.
The player ratings for the match:
Arsenal
Wojciech Szczęsny - 6/10: Szczęsny didn't have much to do during the game, though he may have been able to do a better job with the opening goal, only palming the ball into the net. Other than the two goals, Szczesny was not troubled.
Mathieu Debuchy - 6/10: Another fairly good performance from Debuchy, though not as convincing as previous games. He seemed to lose his temper on a number of occasions, mainly towards Steven Naismith. His general performance was good enough, and early signs suggest that he could be a good replacement for Bacary Sagna.
Calum Chambers - 6/10: Chambers was again solid in defence, although his inexperience showed yet again at times. Another yellow card to add to the collection, his second since joining the club, but it was another good game for the young defender.
Per Mertesacker - 6/10: An average return to the Premier League for Per Mertesacker. The player was beaten too easily when he came up against Romelu Lukaku in the build-up to the second goal, but was otherwise left without a lot to do.
Nacho Monreal - 6/10: Was partly at fault for the second Everton goal, but did a good job of picking himself up and seemed determined to help the Gunners get back on track. He and Arsenal were rewarded as the fill-in for Kieran Gibbs chased after Aaron Ramsey's wayward cross, and managed to set up the equaliser. An improved look on last season's Monreal.
Mathieu Flamini - 5/10: Flamini put in a mixed performance today, having replaced the injured Mikel Arteta in the starting line-up. A yellow card picked up early in the second half was an addition to an otherwise bland performance.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - 5/10: Oxlade-Chamberlain wasn't as effective as maybe other people thought he may have been when the teams were released. He capitalised on a rare poor pass from Coleman, though he dragged his shot wide. Not really a major influence on the game.
Aaron Ramsey - 6/10: Scored the first of Arsenal's two late goals, but his performance overall was a little bit disappointing for the Gunners. The midfielder wasn't able to create as many chances as he may have liked, but he will be happy with his contribution and especially the goal.
Jack Wilshere - 5/10: Didn't really get into the game as much as he could've. A bright spark early on, but as the game simmered down, so did Wilshere. He was one of four players to get a yellow card, and didn't do a lot before his substitution.
Mesut Özil - 6/10: Similar to Mertesacker, it was a fairly average return for Mesut Özil. The German didn't get a whole lot of the ball during the game, and was flagged as one of the players responsible for the first Everton goal, though was not the only player at fault.
Alexis Sanchez - 4/10: Sanchez looked uneasy playing in the striker position ahead of Olivier Giroud. The Chilean didn't have many chances, and didn't create many either. Arsenal failed to have a shot on target in the 45 minutes he played.
Substitutes
Olivier Giroud - 7/10: Giroud came on at half-time and was possibly one of Arsenal's best players. The Frenchman had a chance within 60 seconds of coming on, but blazed his shot over the bar. He managed a few chances, and he grabbed the equaliser in the 90th minute, heading home a Nacho Monreal cross.
Santi Cazorla - 5/10: Cazorla only got a 15 minute run-out after playing the full 90 minutes in both the Crystal Palace and Besiktas matches. When he came on, there was not a lot of time for Cazorla to influence the game, and the Spaniard didn't see a lot of the ball.
Joel Campbell - 5/10: Like Cazorla, didn't get a huge amount of time to have any drastic impact on the game. In his league debut for the Gunners, Campbell made some good runs, as well as a perfectly executed cross, but the striker, who starred at the World Cup for Costa Rica, wasn't able to do much.
Everton
Tim Howard - 6/10: Howard, like his opposite number, wasn't left with much to do because of the lacklustre quality of finishing from Arsenal, not having a shot on target until the 70th minute. Could have possibly done better at stopping one of the goals, though he didn't have an awful lot to do.
Seamus Coleman - 6/10: Coleman scored the first goal for Everton with a tidy header at Szczesny's back post, and as usual, was solid at the back for the Toffees. One concentration slip almost created a goal for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but he spurned the opportunity. Coleman starting the season as he carried out the last.
Phil Jagielka - 6/10: Solid in defence with Distin, served his side well in the first half especially, keeping any danger away from the Everton goal and sending a fantastic through ball 70 yards up-field to start off an attacking move.
Sylvain Distin - 6/10: Made the most clearances in the game and also made an interception that started off the buildup for the second goal. Another great performance from the veteran defender.
Leighton Baines - 6/10: Baines was another important player in the Everton side today. One bursting run into the box almost created a chance, and Baines stayed on his feet despite being knocked a number of times, though the chance came to nothing.
Gareth Barry - 7/10: Barry was saviour at both ends of the field this afternoon, putting in a number of tackles to cancel out several Arsenal attacks, and also provided creator, crossing the ball in for Seamus Coleman to score the opener. The man of the match.
James McCarthy - 6/10: McCarthy was fairly obscure for the majority of the game, sitting back and doing what was asked of him defensively. No major impact on the game, especially by comparison to others on the pitch.
Kevin Mirallas - 5/10: Had a couple of opportunities to score for Everton, though his best chance in front of goal was fluffed, missing a one-on-one chance and seeing his costless-kick go narrowly
Steven Naismith - 6/10: Naismith grabbed the second goal for Everton on the brink of half-time, with most of the dirty work being done by Lukaku. Naismith was good on the ball in the middle of the park especially. Could've had a second goal late on but
Steven Pienaar - N/A
Romelu Lukaku - 7/10: His fantastic 60 yard run and pass helped him set up the goal for Steven Naismith. Was a constant threat to Per Mertesacker in the Arsenal back line, and possibly could've had a goal for himself.
Substitutes
Leon Osman - 6/10: Came on after just eight minutes when Pienaar got injured, and attempted to set up a number of his team-mates, though nothing came to fruition.
Aiden McGeady - N/A
Christian Atsu - N/A
