Heavy rain and a Villa upset leave Arsenal and City tied at the top
Arsenal's 2-0 win over Everton and Aston Villa's 2-1 shock over Manchester City created a three-way scramble for the lead in the Premier League.
By Lucia Orlov ·
The Premier League standings shifted on Saturday as two major results converged to erase the gap between the league leaders.
Arsenal defeated Everton 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium in heavy rain. On the same day, Manchester City fell 2-1 at Aston Villa, marking their first defeat of the season. Both clubs now sit with 21 points after eight matches, creating a tight race at the summit of the table.
Martin Odegaard delivered a corner that caused confusion in the Everton box. Jordan Pickford stopped the initial effort, but the ball remained loose. Ezri Konsa tapped it in from close range in the seventh minute. This marked Arsenal's first set-piece goal since May, ending a 13-game drought in all competitions. Konsa, playing for his new club, celebrated his first goal with the team.
The second goal arrived in the 68th minute, combining two players reaching career milestones. Ben White, appearing in his 200th game for Arsenal, crossed to the far post. Gabriel, making his 200th Premier League appearance, headed the ball into the net. Everton remains in ninth place following the loss.
At Villa Park, Nicolas Jackson scored twice to secure the win for Unai Emery's side. John McGinn set up the first goal in the sixth minute after Marc Guehi's heavy touch. Erling Haaland pulled one back for City after halftime by heading in a free-kick from Iliman Ndiaye. Jackson restored the lead on the hour, finishing a cutback from Ibrahim Mbaye and sending the ball under goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. This was Villa's first home league win of the season and their third consecutive victory over City.
City faces an ongoing financial challenge while awaiting the outcome of an appeal regarding 114 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules. The club maintains it has not committed wrongdoing. Jackson told TNT Sports that the team is working game by game. Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur beat Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, securing their second league win there in 36 years. Cole Palmer was sent off in the 80th minute, and Mathys Tel scored the final goal in the 87th minute.
Fulham defeated Coventry City 1-0 in their other fixture. Oscar Bobb scored the winner in the 80th minute with a curled finish into the far corner. Fulham sits in 13th place, while Coventry remains in 19th.
Source: Al Jazeera
