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Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas made special dedication after scoring twice in their 6-1 thumping of Everton.

Fabregas revealed he had dedicated his two goals to his friend Daniel Jarque, the Espanyol captain who died of a heart attack recently.

Fabregas said: “He was my friend and what has happened was terrible. We were in the same under-21 side for two seasons, and his death is a great loss. I dedicate my goals to his memory.”

Everton boss David Moyes conceded everything went wrong during their dismal 6-1 thrashing by Arsenal.

He said: “We need to do better, I need to do better and coach them better to make sure we stop that happening again.

“There are no excuses for that. I take the responsibility and do better with the players that I have got.

“I have to do something about it (bringing people in). But that was virtually the cup final team, so the players have to take their responsibility to head the ball out of the box, mark people and go with runners at set-pieces.

“These things should be their basics. Things we should be doing naturally.

“There was too much wrong to mention. It was a disappointing result and it has knocked our confidence.”

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger was impressed by Middlesbrough’s fighting spirit after their 1-1 draw at the Riverside.

Wenger watched former Gunner Jeremie Aliadiere deny his side victory with a clever glancing header past Manuel Almunia in the 35th minute, cancelling out Emmanuel Adebayor’s early opener.

On Middlesbrough, Wenger said: "I must say I expected them to collapse a bit more than they did in the final part of the game and they didn’t give in.

"They kept going even when they had tired legs and that’s credit to them."

Substitute Nicklas Bendtner sent Arsenal’s last chance against the arms of Ross Turnbull but Wenger insisted: "Today was a game we would have lost at the start of the season.

"We had a better defensive balance and we were more of a team.

"We just lacked a little bit of that extra little thing that comes with confidence but we are a young team and that is why it is important we just keep belief and keep going."

Arsenal’s midweek disappointment in Portugal was compounded when they dropped further points in the Premier League with Middlesbrough holding them to a 1-1 draw at the Riverside.

A headed Emmanuel Adebayor goal put Arsenal one up but ex-Gunner Jeremie Aliadiere responded with a fine stooping header of his own to meet Tuncay’s fiercely struck cross and earn Boro a share of the points.

Emmanuel Adebayor grabbed the only goal against Wigan as Arsenal earned a battling victory to maintain their push for Barclays Premier League glory. Adebayor, making his second start after returning from an ankle injury, struck in the 16th minute at the Emirates Stadium and was denied further goals by Chris Kirkland and the woodwork. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger saw Samir Nasri limp off after a robust challenge from Wilson Palacios but could reflect on three points to build on last Sunday’s win over Chelsea. How Arsenal would respond after defeating Luiz Felipe Scolari’s men was seen as a true test of their title credentials, as they have recently struggled against so-called ‘lesser’ opposition.