Mertesacker admits Anichebe fear

Victor Anichebe
| credits: File copy

Per Mertesacker has hailed Arsenal’s defensive resilience after they subdued Everton’s in-form striker Victor Anichebe.

In the build-up to Tuesday night’s 0-0 draw at Emirates Stadium, David Moyes had challenged Anichebe to continue his improvement after a series of powerful displays.

Anichebe, 24, bullied Tottenham’s rearguard as Everton earned a hard-fought point at White Hart Lane before scoring his sixth goal in 13 Premier League starts with a fine hooked volley in last weekend’s 2-0 win over Queens Park Rangers.

However, Anichebe cut a subdued figure against the Gunners as Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny helped nullify his threat.

Mertesacker hailed the work of his fellow centre-back and the protection provided in midfield by Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey in helping lay the foundations of a run that has seen Arsenal beaten once in their last 13 League games. “I think we defended well (against Everton), especially the back four and the two number 6’s in Aaron and Mickey,” he said. “We always covered each other. Anichebe is a strong guy but he had a lot of problems with our response.

“Chelsea and Tottenham play against each other and Everton have tough games as well. It is absolutely tight. Hopefully for us we can win our important games, especially when we look at Saturday away. That’s the next target. We go there and want the three points.”