Normal service was resumed in North London on Saturday as Arsenal banished the memories of their humiliating 2-1 home defeat by Hull City last month by coming from behind to beat a limited Everton team who failed to build on an early goal and an enterprising start.

Hull became only the second team to beat Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium by going for the jugular with three forwards, but Everton stuck to the tried and tested formula of parking their team bus in front of their goal after Leon Osman had put them in front in the ninth minute.

Theo Walcott’s introduction allowed Arsenal to wrest back the initiative and silence the fans who had booed them off at the interval. “We want to stay in the race for the title,” Arsène Wenger, the Arsenal manager, said. “We lost our last game against Hull and we couldn’t drop points at home straight away.”

Everton created nothing in the second half and the margin of their defeat would have been greater if Robin van Persie had brought his shooting boots. “I had a few chances and I missed too many,” Van Persie said. “In the end I got my goal and I think it was a vital one for the team.”

David Moyes last week signed a new five-year contract worth up to £65,000 a week and the Everton manager will have earned his money if his out-of-form team match last season’s fifth-place finish.

“At this time we don’t have the resources to compete with the best teams,” Moyes said. “But did Everton have the resources to compete over the last five seasons? No. But have we competed? Yes. We have done everything we can with what we have.”

Hull do not have the resources to compete with the top sides, either, but Phil Brown’s team left the capital with a famous victory. Arsenal were there for the taking again and a more adventurous approach from Moyes might have paid dividends.

Arsenal (4-4-1-1): M Almunia 6 – A Song 6, K Touré 6 (sub: T Walcott, 46min 7), M Silvestre 7, G Clichy 8 – E Eboué 5, F Fàbregas 8, Denilson 5, S Nasri 6 (sub: A Diaby, 82) – R van Persie 6 – E Adebayor 6. Substitutes not used: L Fabianski, C Vela, A Ramsey, K Gibbs, G Hoyte. Booked: Adebayor, Clichy. Next: West Ham United (a).

Everton (4-1-4-1): T Howard 6 – A Hibbert 6 (sub: J Vaughan, 80), P Jagielka 7, J Lescott 7, L Baines 6 – J Rodwell 7 – M Arteta 6, M Fellaini 6 (sub: L Saha, 74), L Osman 7, S Pienaar 7 – Yakubu Ayegbeni 7 (sub: P Neville, 80). Substitutes not used: C Nash, N Valente, D Gosling, J Wallace. Booked: Lescott, Hibbert, Pienaar, Osman. Next: Manchester United (h).

Referee P Walton Attendance 60,064