Not quite. Nearly. Almost.

EVERTON 1-1 ARSENAL
Walcott 1 min, Fellaini 27 mins
Att: 37,141

Following their insipid performance at Aston Villa on Saturday, Arsenal traveled to Merseyside needing a win to keep their League form bubbling nicely. Arsenal were greeted by the return of Thomas Vermaelen, Bacary Sagna and Jack Wilshere, who were all rested, and notably Theo Walcott, returning after a shoulder injury. The contract saga seemed to have disappeared into the shadows of late, but with the return of the young winger came the speculation over his future. With less than a year left on his contract, the situation is becoming desperate, especially for a large quantity of Gooners who realise how valuable he is.

And, as if by pure coincidence, Walcott was off the mark in the opening minute. A quick move and pass by Aaron Ramsey set THEO WALCOTT on his way, and the 23 year old coolly obliged in finding the net. 1-0, Arsenal fans left gobsmacked at the sheer difference Walcott makes to the team. It appeared at Saturday's performance that Arsenal really looked average, and many pundits felt that it was the absence of Walcott that did the damage. Needless to say, Wenger will undoubtedly want to slap a long-term contract on the Englishman, before it's too late. 

Arsenal were dealt an early blow, however. Laurent Koscielny had to be replaced in the 5th minute after overstretching for a loose ball. Kieran Gibbs came on for the Frenchman, with the extent of the injury still yet to be seen.

After their early sting, Everton did not let their heads drop. For the next 26 minutes, Arsenal were denied by Everton's stubbourn midfield maestro, Marouane Fellaini, his physical presence proving to be a handful for Arsenal's relatively lean midfield. And the Belgian got his reward for his recent match-winning performances. In the 27th minute, MAROUANE FELLAINI picked up the ball and drilled a shot into the bottom left corner of the goal, Szczesny left for dead by his defence who had fallen asleep. A goal that, quite honestly, had been on the cards for a long time. 

After this, an ever shaky Arsenal defence were subjected to more pressure, especially from former Rangers striker Nikica Jelavic. But while Arsenal were uncertain in one half of the pitch, they began to wake up on the front line. Jack Wilshere was pulling the strings for the Gunners, seemingly looking fresh from his recent lay-off, and there were numerous half-chances for the Arsenal forwards to try and feed on; however, there as no killer bite, and the evenly matched first half ended rather quickly. 

As the teams returned for the second half, there was a real sense of urgency oozing out of Everton. A team that has been backed widely to secure a top four place, Everton began much the better side, seemingly building on their confident first-half display. Though Arsenal hadn't performed particularly badly, there was no "sharpness" (as Wenger calls it), and as the game trundled to the hour mark, Arsenal were hanging by a thread. 

Olivier Giroud, who had been rather quiet, did attempt to get himself into the game, and was desperately unlucky not to score in the 67th minute, his effort wide of the target. As much as Giroud tried, Arsenal were simply being dealt with by Everton, and were left looking second best in 50-50 challenges. In fairness, one limitation of Everton would be that they are guilty of sloppy passing in the final third, and a more clinical team would have scored two or three this evening. 

Everton began to utilise the height advantage of stocky Belgian Marouane Fellaini, with Bolton-esque long balls reigning down on Arsenal's 18-yard line. His efforts in feeding Jelavic were seemingly inaccurate, with balls bouncing either side of Mertesacker, before Thomas Vermaelen safely booting the ball into near outer-space on most occasions. 

As the game entered the final ten minutes, both sides continued to push for a winner, with Everton looking the most likely tenders. Arsenal so desperately needed three points to annul their blank performance at Villa Park, but there just seemed to be no coherency or clarity in the front line. Matters only worsened with the arrival of out of form Ivorian Gervinho. With Lukas Podolski unavailable, one struggled to see any kind of bonding between Gervinho and Olivier Giroud, both seemingly getting caught trying to do the same thing. Meanwhile, Everton's pushes for a goal were equally in vain, as mad goalmouth scrambles were seemingly 'dealt with' by Arsenal's defence. 

Arsene Wenger seemed to settle for a point, substituting Santi Cazorla for Francis Coquelin, and the game ended at 1-1. After two draws away from home, the next two home games against Swansea and West Bromwich Albion are must-win for the Gunners, otherwise they will undoubtedly slip further down the table. They currently sit below Everton, seventh and 12 points behind league leaders Manchester United. All is unsettled at the Arsenal. 

The BSM march takes place this Saturday, meeting on Blackstock road at 13:30, near Finsbury Park. If you are thinking of going, let me know as I'll be there! Let's kick greed out of football.