Arsenal need to find the right balance between attack and defence if they are to finish the season successfully, manager Arsene Wenger says.
Wenger saw Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang score a debut goal and Aaron Ramsey his first hat-trick as his side thumped a disorganised Everton.
However, Arsenal have not kept a clean sheet in eight Premier League matches, and finished Saturday’s match five points adrift of a Champions League qualification place.
“Our challenge is to find a balance,” Wenger said. “We’re a very offensive team but need to find a balance between attacking and defending. That will be our challenge until the end of the season.”
Aubameyang, a club-record ยฃ56m signing from Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday, chipped in from fellow new arrival Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s pass as the home side led 4-0 by half-time.
Television replays showed the goal should have been ruled out for offside, although the visitors could hardly claim the decision made a huge difference to the match.
Sam Allardyce’s 500th game as a Premier League manager was ruined as a decision to start with a three-man central defence backfired spectacularly.
Substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin headed an Everton consolation from Cuco Martina’s left-wing delivery, before Ramsey swept in his hat-trick goal from another low Mkhitaryan cross.
