On Saturday night, Arsenal narrowly beat Everton by one goal to nil at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The victory was secured courtesy of a first-half penalty by Viktor Gyokeres, but it was far from a comfortable night for the Gunners.
While getting the three points was ultimately all that mattered, Mikel Arteta will perhaps be privately concerned about Arsenal's lack of firepower up front.
In the aftermath of the match, the Spaniard elected not to focus on his side's lack of goals, but rather on the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Arteta provides Hill Dickinson Stadium verdict
As a player, Arteta played for Everton for six years, but all six of those were played at Goodison Park, the club's former home of 133 years.
While the Arsenal boss understandably holds some emotional attachment towards the famous old stadium, which is now occupied by Everton women, he was very complimentary about the Toffees' new home stadium. At his post-match press conference, Arteta said:
“Before I leave, guys, I want to congratulate everybody at this football club, at Everton, everybody has contributed to building this amazing stadium.
“It was incredible to witness, not only the way they've done it, but the atmosphere that they created, so as an ex-player and someone that supports this club, congratulations to all of them.”
"What a beautiful stadium they've built, I had CHILLS!"
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) December 20, 2025
Mikel Arteta's first visit to the Hill Dickinson Stadium was an enjoyable one! 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/lKeb5lMpQb
A special day to visit
As an ex-player and captain, the first trip to Merseyside to take on Everton in a match played away from Goodison Park was always going to be a tricky one to navigate.
He picked a good time to visit, though, as the Everton faithful unfurled a giant tifo before the match, which read ‘On the banks of the Royal River Mersey' in a nod to the club's new location on Bramley-Moore Dock.
The unveiling of that tifo pre-match helped to raise the noise levels at the Hill Dickinson, and its impact clearly left an impression on Arteta.
FGG says: A veiled dig at the Emirates?
The Emirates Stadium, and Highbury before it, has often been likened to a library, and although noise levels have improved at Arsenal's home in recent years, Arteta would perhaps like more from the club's fans. Would it be too much of a stretch to suggest that Arteta was using the Hill Dickinson's atmosphere to make a point to Arsenal fans?