Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 and close the gap on Manchester City in the Premier League table

Arsenal close the gap on the leaders

Arsenal on Saturday beat Everton 2-0 at a rainy Emirates Stadium and moved level with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, AFP reports. Both teams have 21 points, but City have a better goal difference. The Londoners' win was made possible in part because City lost 1-2 away at Villa Park in the early kick-off — the first time Enzo Maresca's side dropped points this season.

How the match unfolded

The hosts opened the scoring in the seventh minute from their third corner: Martin Odegaard's cross, flicked on by Gabriel, reached Ezri Konsa, who got ahead of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford and bundled the ball into the net at the far post. It was Konsa's first goal for the club since his move from Aston Villa in Augustand also Arsenal's first goal from a set piece (not a penalty) in all competitions this season — the team built its reputation on such goals during last season's title-winning campaign. In the second half, around the 68th minute, Gabriel headed in Ben White's cross after a move down the right flank — 2-0. Everton had chances through Tyrique George, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and after a White error that Thierry Barry pounced on, but David Raya came to the rescue.

Squad problems and Arteta's words

Mikel Arteta had to reshuffle his line-up: Bukayo Saka suffered a muscle injury in the 2-2 Champions League draw with Bayern Munich, so Noni Madueke and Eberechi Eze started on the flanks. The team had been short of wide forwards even before that — Christos Tzolis is injured, while Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard were sold in the summer. After the match, Arteta praised the defenders' mentality: Gabriel, who gave the coaching staff a scare by falling ten minutes after the break, stayed on the pitch and scored. “Gabi is a great example of that, because we were all frightened... He immediately said he wanted to carry on, and then he scored the goal that helped us win”, AFP quotes him as saying. About Konsa, who is deputising for the injured William Saliba, the coach said that joining a club like this without a pre-season and immediately building an understanding with Gabriel is “very, very difficult.” According to Arteta, the set-piece goal should “unlock” the team: set-piece coach Nicolas Jover's work is Arsenal's “massive weapon”.

What the result means

For the first time this season, the result knocked Manchester City off the top of the table on their own and put Arsenal back in the race for top spot — although the goal-difference advantage still belongs to City, as AFP notes. For fans of both teams, this means the title race continues with the sides level on points. In practical terms, Arsenal will have to solve their wide attacking options due to Saka's injury, while Everton need to put things right after the defeat.