With the game finely poised at 1-1, Everton's Michelle Hinnigan had the chance to send her team ahead from the spot. It would have put Arsenal on the brink of going bottom of the Women's Super League at the campaign's halfway point.
But Emma Byrne's magnificent save spared Arsenal's blushes and 20 minutes later, Alex Scott prodded home a winner to lift the Gunners five points clear of the Toffees and leave their position in the WSL looking much healthier.
John Bayer’s side have enjoyed a promising run of results since the mid-season break. Convincing victories in the Continental Cup have secured a place in the last four, while two wins on Merseyside have given their league campaign a much-needed boost.
"I felt like I owed the team that and it was fantastic that we went on to take the three points"
Emma Byrne
"It was only a matter of time before we started to click because we are a good team," Byrne told Arsenal.com. "We were leaking too many goals at the start of the season but we're a lot more solid in defence and that's given us more confidence.
"We've had a few injured players come back after the break like Niamh Fahey, who has looked really solid at the back, and Jordan Nobbs, who adds another dimension to the midfield.
"People forget that we're a new team and it takes time to bond. Everyone was away on international duty before the season started so it was difficult for us to find our rhythm. It's taken time for us to get to know each other."
Byrne's penalty heroics proves that she remains one of the best keepers in the league and with England's Siobhan Chamberlain waiting in the wings, the Irish international knows she cannot afford any slip-ups.
"Everyone asks what it's like to have a great goalkeeper behind me but I've always had keepers pushing me here," she explains. "I've not changed anything and I've trained how I've always trained.
"Having Tony Roberts coaching us has been a huge help. Me and Siobhan push each other in training but I never look at what anyone else is doing. I'm lucky that I've stayed injury free - that’s so important.
"I'm always confident on penalties and there is big pressure on the forward to score while there's no pressure on the keeper. I should have saved Everton's first goal so I felt like I owed the team that and it was fantastic that we went on to take the three points."
Next up for Arsenal is the visit of Notts County on Sunday. The Gunners were unlucky not to take all three points at Meadow Lane when the sides met on the opening day of the season, missing a host of clear-cut chances after Scott had equalised midway through the second period.
Emma Byrne
Arsenal's home form needs a marked improvement if they are to climb the table and Byrne sees Sunday's clash as a big opportunity to close the gap on the top two.
"We know what Notts County are about," she says. "They like to play long balls and they've got a really quick centre forward.
"We should have won that game at the start of the season so we want to put things right on Sunday. John's done a lot of homework on them and we've gone through a lot of tactical work this week. We feel like we're fully prepared so it's all about how we perform on the day."
You can follow live updates of Sunday's game at Meadow Park from the @ArsenalLadies account.
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