Fabregas 48

Arsenal moved into second spot thanks to a resilient display at Goodison Park, including a late masterclass in shot-stopping from much-maligned keeper Lukasz Fabianski.

Matters might have been different if Everton’s Tim Cahill hadn’t spurned a glorious headed opportunity after Seamus Coleman’s terrific run and right-wing cross on 10 minutes.

Arsenal deservedly took the lead on 36 minutes. Samr Nasri’s left-foot shot from the edge of the box was parried by keeper Tim Howard.

But Andrei Arshavin picked up the loose ball and pulled it back from the bye-line for full-back Bacary Sagna to rifle it into the roof of the net, his first-ever Arsenal goal.

Three minutes after half-time, Arsenal made it 2-0 Cesc Fabregas played a deft one-two with Marouane Chamakh and fired home a right-foot shot from 12 yards.

Chamakh should have made it 3-0 on 61 minutes but somehow lifted his left-foot shot over the bar from only four yards.

The miss didn’t prove costly. But only because Fabianski repelled a late Toffees onslaught with fine saves from Jermaine Beckford, Steven Pienaar and Louis Saha.

Cahill forced home Saha’s back-post header from Pienaar’s left-wing cross on 89 minutes. But there wasn’t time to fashion an equaliser.