Arsenal missed several chances and failed to take full advantage of Premier League leaders Liverpool’s slip-up against Fulham as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Everton on Saturday.

Mikel Arteta’s side maintained their lead over Liverpool at six points but after their rivals were held to a 2-2 draw, title contenders Arsenal will be disappointed they failed to make up ground.

Arsenal remain third in the table with 30 points from 16 games, one point behind second-placed Chelsea, who host Brentford on Sunday.

Everton, in 15th place with 15 points, ended a run of three defeats against Arsenal and kept the north London club off the scoresheet by overrunning them every time they approached the penalty area.

“They are a good team. We know that. The players have made a big change. The commitment to mastering the basics – pressing and recovery and staying true for 90 minutes; I was proud of the players,” Everton coach Sean Dyche told the BBC.

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“They tried to force something, which shows how strong we are defensively. This is another step in the right direction.”

In a lively start at the Emirates, Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães, returning from a hamstring injury, denied Abdoulaye Doucouré with an excellent block while Martin Ødegaard twice shot wide from promising positions.

Ødegaard was instrumental in Arsenal’s attack in the first half and the Norwegian midfielder was brought on by Bukayo Saka in the 29th minute, but his deflected shot was well saved by Jordan Pickford.

Arsenal dominated possession but lacked their trademark intensity, although they were able to test Pickford again before half-time, forcing the England centre-back into another fine save to deny Gabriel Martinelli from a tight angle.

The hosts were more aggressive after half-time and almost scored straight away, but Pickford quickly got to the ground to stop Saka’s shot before racing off his line to clear a poor back pass and spare teammate Jarrad Branthwaite’s blushes .

“It depends on how we apply ourselves – we stick to the game plan and suffer. We suffered a lot without the ball. We got a point,” said Pickford.

“Two defeats in 10 or 11 games. The discipline is there. Against Arsenal you could score and get a point all day long. I made some good saves in good moments. The boys made some brilliant defensive attempts. A good performance from everyone.”

Frustrated by his team’s inability to overcome a resolute Everton, Arteta made a big move just after the hour mark, subbing regulars Ødegaard and Declan Rice in a double substitution and bringing on Jorginho and 17-year-old Ethan Nwaneri.

The changes didn’t pay off.

The home side thought they had been awarded a penalty with a few minutes remaining when Thomas Partey appeared to have been fouled by Vitaliy Mykolenko, but the game was waved on and a lengthy VAR review failed to overturn the referee’s decision.

The visitors hardly troubled Arsenal keeper David Raya but will be pleased with their defensive performance, which earned them a share of the points.