Jarrad Branthwaite believes a battling performance against Arsenal provides Everton with the ideal foundation and confidence to face a testing festive schedule head on.
The Blues held the title-chasing Gunners to a goalless draw at Emirates Stadium – where Mikel Arteta’s side are unbeaten in all competitions so far this season – on Saturday.
Sean Dyche’s men have recaptured their impressive defensive form after a rocky start to the campaign, picking up six clean sheets from their past nine outings – with only Arsenal (17) recording more clean sheets than the Toffees’ 13 in 2024.
Now, with the visit of Chelsea to Goodison Park and a trip to champions Manchester City either side of Christmas, Branthwaite says there is a strong belief Everton can build on positive momentum from recent weeks.
“I think it’s a massive point,” he told evertontv. “It’s a tough game. We know how good of a side they are and I think we showed how good of a team we are as well.
“Coming down here and getting a point feels more like a win, because not many people come down here and pick up anything, so to do that is massive and it’ll take us on to the next games.
“Obviously, it’s really pleasing to get another clean sheet. You give yourself the best possible chance in games when you do that. As we keep saying, it’s not just the defence, either – it’s the whole team. You see how the midfield and attack work, they kept going right through the 95 minutes and that’s what we need to continue.
“I think when we looked at the fixtures December was looking tough, with all of the top teams to play but, for me, these are the games you want to play in.
“We took confidence from the win over Wolves and we were disappointed the derby had to be cancelled, but fortunately we came down here and continued that feeling by getting a point so now we go with full belief into the next ones that we can get something.”
After missing the start of the term due to what turned out to be a frustrating comeback from an operation over the summer, Branthwaite made his eighth appearance of 2024/25 in north London.
Only Idrissa Gana Gueye completed more passes and finished the game with a higher pass accuracy for the Blues than Branthwaite, who also finished the contest having won four duels and completing one interception.
“I’m building my way back into it,” explained Branthwaite. “It’s not easy coming back from such a long time out and you’re coming into the Premier League, where all the players are up to speed, so it’s about finding my feet and I’m slowly doing that and I’m slowly building into it.
“I think that’s one of the most important things – especially in games like this – you’ve always got to be switched on. If you switch off for a split second they can be in and they’ll take the chance to get.
“I can obviously get better, I can obviously improve but that’s just the more games I play I will do that.”
