Every club has a bogey team.
For Arsenal, that team is Everton. The Toffees have been a thorn in Mikel Arteta's side since the Spaniard was appointed as manager more than three years ago. That will fill Arsenal fans with dread, as the two clubs meet at the Emirates on Wednesday evening.
The Gunners will move five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League if they win that game - but that is a big if. Everton are desperate for points and will be looking to stop Arsenal from inflicting revenge on the relegation-threatened club.
Here is the story of Arteta's far from sweet tussle with the Toffees...
Scramble to victory
Arteta was appointed by Arsenal on December 20, 2019. A day later, they travelled to Goodison Park to face Arteta's ex-club Everton. He did not take charge of that game - but did watch in the stands - as caretaker boss Freddie Ljungberg oversaw a goalless draw.
Three months later, Arteta would get the chance to take on the Toffees in the reverse fixture at the Emirates. Although it may be hard to believe now, but Everton were actually ahead of Arsenal in the table going into that game. How times have changed.
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The Gunners were after a win. They sat in the bottom half of the Premier League, but knew this would be a difficult game against Carlo Ancelotti's resurgent side. Yes, the four-time European Cup-winning manager was in charge of Everton just three years ago.
The visitors made a brilliant start to the game, as Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoring in the first minute. Arsenal hit back through Eddie Nketiah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but Richarlison equalised on the stroke of half-time.
Aubameyang then hit the winner just moments after the restart to push Arsenal up to ninth in the table - above Everton again. In truth, it was a topsy-turvy game that could have gone either way. "Physically, it was demanding," admitted Arteta at full-time.
Yet Arteta also claimed it was "my best week since I've been here". Arsenal used that win to finish eighth in the Premier League - a decent result considering their start to the season - and win the FA Cup and Community Shield later in 2020. Not a bad outcome.
Arteta on the brink
By the summer of 2021, however, Arteta's managerial career seemed doomed. The Spaniard's first full season in charge went badly, as they failed to win silverware and failed to challenge for a top-four spot. For the first time in a long time, Arsenal did not qualify for Europe.
One of the many low points of that season was Arsenal's 1-0 loss to Everton in the April. An own goal by Bernd Leno proved to be the difference, with Arteta's side managing just three shots on target. The Gunners boss was left to complain at refereeing decisions.
Ancelotti, meanwhile, hailed Everton's revival. The Toffees jumped up to eighth with the victory and, although they went on to finish in 10th, they seemed to be heading in the right direction. "Finally I can say we are back," said Ancelotti. It proved to be a false dawn.
As Everton celebrated, Arsenal fans complained. More than 1,000 supporters gathered outside of the Emirates to protest against Stan Kroenke's ownership of the club, just days after the infamous European Super League plot - which aimed to create a closed shop of elite clubs - collapsed. The writing seemed on the wall for Arsenal's owners.
Arteta's revival
Despite pressure to sell up, Kroenke refused to budge. He also stuck by Arteta - even though Arsenal lost the opening three Premier League games of the 2021/22 season. That proved to be a wise decision by the time Arsenal played Everton in May 2022.
Although Arsenal missed out on Champions League football to bitter rivals Tottenham, their fifth-placed finish and 5-1 victory against Everton suggested they were heading in the right direction. Looking back 10 months on, there is no doubting that.
Arsenal opened the scoring at the Emirates through Gabriel Martinelli's first-half penalty. After that, the goals flowed. Nketiah, Cedric Soares, Gabriel Magalhaes and Martin Odegaard all found the net. Donny van de Beek scored a meaningless consolation for Everton during the final game of his underwhelming loan spell.
As Arsenal moved closer to success, Everton headed in the other direction. Ancelotti was re-appointed by Real Madrid - sending the Toffees into disarray. His replacement Rafa Benitez was sacked after just six months - and do not even mention Frank Lampard.
Everton survived by just four points that season. It was a sign of things to come...
Get Dyche in
The first half of this season felt like a dream for Arsenal fans. They picked up 50 points from their first 19 Premier League games to go five points clear of Man City in second with a game in hand. Against all odds, Arteta had turned them into title contenders.
Game 20, however, was a bit complicated. They travelled to Goodison Park to take on their bogey team, who had just appointed Sean Dyche after slipping into the relegation zone. Everton fans were hoping for that fabled new-manager bounce.
That is exactly what they got. James Tarkowski's goal confined Arsenal to a second league defeat of the season and boosted Everton's survival hopes. It also derailed Arsenal's title bid, as they picked up just one point from their next two home league games.
The Gunners have since bounced back - winning back-to-back league outings - but there will be fears of another loss to Everton on Wednesday night. Arteta has dismissed the idea of his team inflicting revenge but wants them to do "things better" this time out.
Arteta has also urged the fans to carry them over the line. He added, "That [the support] is going to be crucial. Tomorrow [Wednesday] we expect to have the same support because with that, we’re going to be closer to winning the game for sure."
Who knows whether Arteta's side want to inflict revenge on Everton. Who cares! What matters is how this game will impact on Arsenal's bid to win a first title in 19 years.
Whatever happens on Wednesday, the Gunners will still be ahead of Man City in the title race. But the impact of a loss to Everton - as we saw just weeks ago - could be decisive. Victory at the Emirates will be a huge statement of intent for Arteta's side.
The finish line is in sight...
