Konsa and Gabriel set pieces sink Everton as Arsenal close on Man City
Ezri Konsa scored his first goal for Arsenal and Gabriel Magalhães added a second as the Premier League champions eased past Everton 2-0 at the Emirates, moving level on points with Manchester City at the top of the table after City's defeat to Aston Villa earlier in the day.
It took just seven minutes for Arsenal to break the deadlock, continuing their recent rediscovery of set piece danger. A third successive corner saw Gabriel make the crucial first contact at the near post, with Jordan Pickford tipping the ball onto the crossbar. Vitaliy Mykolenko then failed to clear properly under pressure from Viktor Gyökeres, allowing Konsa to ram the loose ball home from close range.
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According to Opta, it was Arsenal's first set piece goal, excluding penalties, since May against Crystal Palace, ending a run of 13 games without one after a record breaking 25 such goals last season.
Rotation ahead of a crucial week
Mikel Arteta made five changes from the side that faced Bayern Munich in midweek, a measure of the exertions of that Champions League fixture. Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke both passed up good opportunities to extend the lead with England head coach Thomas Tuchel watching on, with Madueke particularly lively and inches away from scoring with an instinctive effort on the half hour mark.
Everton, without Jarrad Branthwaite and the illness struck Jack Grealish, defended resolutely for long periods despite facing wave after wave of pressure, including ten corners in the first half alone. Ben White's momentary lapse almost gifted Everton an equaliser just before the break, but Thierno Barry could not quite flick the ball beyond David Raya from their clearest opening.
Gabriel settles it after Gyökeres frustration
Gyökeres, making his first Premier League start of the season and still without a goal for the club this term, looked laboured and was shown a yellow card for a foul on James Tarkowski that saw Arteta booked himself for protesting. The Swede was substituted shortly after.
Within a minute of the change, Gabriel headed home at the back post from a brilliant White cross to make it 2-0, with White's delivery offering a timely reminder of his quality to the watching Tuchel. David Moyes was also booked in the aftermath as his frustration boiled over.
It was a 400th career defeat for Moyes across all competitions, with 31 of those losses coming against Arsenal, more than against any other opponent. His only win at the Emirates came as West Ham manager in 2023.
Asked about the uncertainty hanging over the title race given Manchester City's punishment following their 115 charge guilty verdict, Arteta kept his focus on his own squad. “[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.”
Arsenal remain within touching distance of City at the summit, with the title race showing no signs of easing up.
