Konsa and Gabriel set pieces sink Everton as Arsenal close on City
Arsenal moved level on points at the top of the Premier League after a 2-0 win over Everton at the Emirates, with goals from Ezri Konsa and Gabriel Magalhães doing the damage on a day when Manchester City slipped up against Aston Villa.
The win takes Arsenal level with City after both clubs have now won at least seven of their opening eight matches this season, only the third top flight campaign in history to see two teams manage that feat, following 1892-93 and 1913-14, according to Opta.
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Mikel Arteta rotated heavily after the midweek exertions against Bayern Munich, making five changes to his starting XI, but it made little difference against an Everton side offering little going forward despite defending resolutely for long spells.
Set piece dominance returns
Arsenal took the lead in the seventh minute from a third corner in succession. Gabriel won the first contact at the near post, Jordan Pickford pushed the ball onto the crossbar, and Vitaliy Mykolenko's failed clearance under pressure from Viktor Gyökeres fell to Konsa to force home from close range. It ended a 13 game wait for a set piece goal, Arsenal's first since beating Crystal Palace in May, following a record breaking 25 set piece goals last season.
Gabriel then made sure of the points midway through the second half, heading in at the back post within a minute of Gyökeres being substituted, finishing off a brilliant cross from Ben White.
Everton, managed by David Moyes, created little of note. Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke both spurned good chances to extend Arsenal's lead in front of watching England head coach Thomas Tuchel, with Eze particularly lively and unlucky not to add a goal with an instinctive effort from the edge of the area. Thierno Barry had Everton's clearest sight of goal before half time but could not get enough on his header to beat David Raya.
Moyes's miserable record continues
The defeat was Moyes's 400th across all competitions as a manager, with 31 of those losses coming against Arsenal, more than against any other opponent. Everton have now won just twice in 35 visits to Arsenal's current stadium.
Speaking after the match, Arteta addressed the growing title race with City amid the uncertainty over the champions' punishment after being found guilty of 115 charges by the Premier League. “[We are] just focusing on what we can do,” he said. “We are very pleased with 90% of the results and performances that we have.”
Moyes was frank about the gulf in resources on display. “It was always going to be hard after conceding the early goal,” he said. “I want us to challenge the top teams but it's difficult when you see the strength of their bench.” Both managers were booked for protests during the second half, as reported by the Guardian.
Arsenal now sit level with City at the summit, with the title race shaping up to run deep into the season.
