Arteta explains Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard substitutions in Everton draw

The Gunners dropped vital points against the Toffees on Saturday, being held to a 0-0 draw at home.

They missed a golden opportunity to gain ground on Premier League leaders Liverpool, who were also held to a draw against Fulham, with second-placed Chelsea set to play Brentford on Sunday.

Eyebrows inside the Emirates were raised when captain Odegaard and Rice were withdrawn in the 62nd minute for Ethan Nwaneri and Jorginho respectively.

Rice has only been substituted off four times in the league this season, only missing two league games due to a suspension and suffering a broken toe.

"Declan had to come off as he was feeling something, so he was uncomfortable," Arteta revealed to talkSPORT in his post-match interview.

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Meanwhile, Odegaard appeared to be a tactical choice.

The Spaniard said: "With Martin, it was my decision."

Odegaard's game time hasn't been as consistent as he and Gunners fans would like this season, with him suffering an ankle sprain in September.

The Norwegian has played just 12 games this term, scoring once and grabbing two assists.

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He has started 11 of those fixtures.

Arteta rolled the dice again when he brought Gabriel Jesus on for Mikel Merino and Thomas Partey on for Myles Lewis-Skelly seven minutes later.

Leandro Trossard was also introduced for Gabriel Martinelli with 15 minutes to go.

But the second half changes were to no avail in the end.

The Gunners were unable to break down an Everton side that had zero shots on target and only 23 per cent of possession.

Giving his take on the game itself, Arteta said: "Very disappointing not to win the game. We fully deserved to win the game.

"We conceded no shots. We dominated play.

"When we generated big chances we didn't score a goal."

He wasn't using Everton's longer time between games as an excuse either following Arsenal's Champions League exploits mid-week, either.

"No. It doesn't matter," he said. "Look at the intensity of what we generated in the second half.

"[Frustrating] especially when we concede zero [chances] and dominate the game so much."