Arsenal capitalized on Manchester City’s setback to reignite the Premier League title race, defeating Everton 2-0 on Saturday evening to secure their seventh victory in eight rounds.
The win came at the Emirates Stadium as part of the eighth matchday, just hours after City’s loss to Aston Villa, allowing Mikel Arteta’s side to maintain pressure on their rivals and eliminate the points gap between them.
Ezri Konsa opened the scoring in the seventh minute with his first goal in an Arsenal shirt, before Gabriel Magalhães added the second with a header in the 68th minute, celebrating his 200th Premier League appearance for the Gunners.
Arsenal raised their tally to 21 points, leveling with Manchester City, but remained in second place on goal difference; City holds a +11 goal difference compared to the London side’s +8, meaning Arsenal did not claim sole possession of the top spot.
In contrast, Everton remained frozen at ten points after suffering their second consecutive league defeat following a loss to Chelsea, halting David Moyes’ team’s efforts to regain their balance against the reigning champions.
Arsenal now awaits an away test against Fleetwood Town on Tuesday, October 27, in the round of 16 of the EFL Cup, a match in which they seek to continue competing for another trophy while managing player workload.
They will then head to Anfield to face Liverpool on Sunday, November 1, in the ninth round of the Premier League—the most prominent test over the coming week for the Gunners’ ambitions to maintain pressure on City and defend their title.
