Thursday evening’s win in Belgrade would have gone a little way to easing the pressure on Arsene Wenger after a mixed season so far, but defeat at Everton could pile it back on in spades, given the club’s appalling record on the road in the Premier League so far this season. Four fixtures have seen defeats at Stoke, Liverpool and Watford, with a solitary (albeit creditable) point at Chelsea.

Fans without too long a memory will recall Arsenal’s title bid last season began to unravel in December when a midweek trip to Goodison Park ended in a 2-1 defeat, followed by another 2-1 defeat the following weekend at Manchester City. The team staged a minor recovery over the following weeks, before a home defeat to Watford saw the start of a period in which the team struggled badly and suffered a number of humiliating reverses.

Over Arsene Wenger’s tenure, Arsenal have enjoyed mixed fortunes when visiting Everton. The Frenchman had a good run to start with, not suffering a defeat in his first four visits, which ended in the 2000-01 season in a November trip that saw the home side win 2-0. More memorable, because of a late winning goal by a young substitute by the name of Wayne Rooney, was the 2-1 loss in the autumn on 2002, when the Gunners’ long unbeaten away record was brought to an abrupt halt (they had gone the whole of the previous campaign without suffering a defeat on the road in the Premier League).

Another match which lives in the memory is the opening match of the 2009-10 season. Arsenal travelled to Merseyside and gave the Toffeemen a footballing lesson, beating them 6-1. It was a season when they gave themselves a great chance of winning the title, only to fall away in springtime.

In the seven matches since then, Arsenal’s record stands at three wins, two draws and two defeats. Looking ahead to Sunday’s game, the stakes are high for both sides. Given the recent results, Arsenal will have more backers, in spite of their only winning a point out of 12 away from home so far this season. But it should be remembered that the solitary point came in – on paper – their hardest trip – to champions Chelsea. If they can achieve that, it should be possible for them to get even more at Goodison Park.

Over Arsene Wenger’s tenure, Arsenal have enjoyed mixed fortunes when visiting Everton. The Frenchman had a good run to start with, not suffering a defeat in his first four visits, which ended in the 2000-01 season in a November trip that saw the home side win 2-0. More memorable, because of a late winning goal by a young substitute by the name of Wayne Rooney, was the 2-1 loss in the autumn on 2002, when the Gunners’ long unbeaten away record was brought to an abrupt halt (they had gone the whole of the previous campaign without suffering a defeat on the road in the Premier League).

Four days after the fixture, Wenger will – if he chooses to do as he traditionally does – address the club’s shareholders at the club’s annual general meeting. It could be a very interesting encounter is he does not have at least a point from tomorrow’s match.