Arsenal claimed a narrow 1-0 win against Everton on Saturday, keeping themselves ahead in the Premier League title race as rivals continued to apply pressure.
Gatekeepers News reports that the Gunners reclaimed a two-point lead after Manchester City briefly climbed above them with a dominant win over West Ham.
The decisive moment at the Hill Dickinson Stadium came in the first half when Viktor Gyokeres converted a penalty to settle a tense contest.
Arsenal were far from fluent, but they did enough to secure maximum points, with Everton left frustrated by several penalty appeals that went their way. The visitors later struck the woodwork through Leandro Trossard and Martin Zubimendi as they protected their slim lead.
Manchester City kept the pressure on Arsenal with a 3-0 home win against West Ham, inspired by Erling Haaland. The Norwegian struck early, set up another goal before the break, and later added his second of the match to cap a commanding performance.
Despite the result, Pep Guardiola made it clear that his side still have work to do. He said, “I want to be honest. I said to the players, ‘Merry Christmas everyone but it will not be enough if we don’t improve’.”
Liverpool also claimed an important win, beating Tottenham 2-1 despite a nervy finish at Anfield. Spurs were reduced to nine men as discipline issues hurt their chances, while Liverpool capitalised with goals that lifted them further up the table.
Elsewhere, Chelsea came from two goals down to draw with Newcastle, easing some pressure on Enzo Maresca after a difficult run of results. Brentford continued their strong form with a win over Wolves, who remain without a league victory this season.
Burnley ended a long losing streak with a late equaliser at Bournemouth, while Leeds boosted their survival hopes with a convincing home win. A goalless draw between Brighton and Sunderland rounded off the day’s action.
The results leave Arsenal leading the table at Christmas, with Manchester City close behind.
