MANCHESTER, Dec 21 — Arsenal will spend Christmas atop the Premier League after a 1-0 win at Everton yesterday, reclaiming first place from Manchester City hours after their 3-0 dismantling of struggling West Ham United.
Champions Liverpool climbed to fifth with a 2-1 win over nine-man Tottenham Hotspur that was marred by an injury to the Reds’ British-record signing Alexander Isak.
Newcastle United let slip a two-goal lead to Chelsea to draw 2-2 while Burnley ended a seven-match losing streak with a late equaliser at Bournemouth.
Bottom club Wolverhampton Wanderers lost 2-0 at home to Brentford -- their 10th successive league defeat, meaning they have failed to win any of their first 17 games, matching the record set by Sheffield United in 2020-21.
Leeds United climbed six points clear of the danger zone with a 4-1 thrashing of Crystal Palace.
City’s win put them on 37 points, one more than the Gunners ahead of their late kick-off, but that lead lasted for only a few hours as Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres scored from the spot midway through the first half after a handball at a corner by Everton’s Jake O’Brien.
The win moves Arsenal to 39 points, while Everton slip to 10th in the table on 24 points.
Arsenal’s Bukaya Saka said there had been no added pressure from City’s earlier victory.
“We take the emotions out. We focus on our job... we focus on coming here and winning. We did that today,” Saka said.
“We’re back on top of the table but we’re not watching City too much, or the other teams. We’re in control now. We know if we win every week we’ll stay there.”
At Etihad Stadium, Erling Haaland bagged a double to top Cristiano Ronaldo’s Premier League goals tally in less than half the time, while City have now won seven successive games in all competitions and are beginning to display the sort of consistency that was a feature of Pep Guardiola’s title-winning sides.
City stamped their authority early on with Haaland firing home at the second attempt after his initial effort was parried by Alphonse Areola. Tijjani Reijnders doubled City’s lead in the 38th minute with Haaland assisting.
Haaland sealed the win in the 69th minute with an easy tap-in after some woeful West Ham defending for his 104th league goal for City. The 25-year-old’s 104 goals have come in 114 games with Ronaldo’s 103 coming from 236 appearances.
“(Reaching top in the table) is a good job from us and we have to keep going,” Reijnders told Sky Sports. “We will keep the pressure on them (Arsenal).”
West Ham are 18th in the table with 13 points.
Liverpool hang on to win
Isak came off the bench for Liverpool in the second half after a turgid opening period in which Spurs’ Xavi Simons was shown a straight red card, and put his side ahead in the 56th minute before hobbling off with a potentially serious injury.
Hugo Ekitike doubled the visitors’ lead with a header in the 66th minute but Liverpool switched off and Tottenham substitute Richarlison fired home after a scramble in the area in the 83rd minute,
Tottenham ended with nine men after captain Cristian Romero was sent off for a second yellow card. Liverpool were hardly convincing but victory lifted them to fifth with 29 points while Tottenham are down in 13th place with 22 points.
“When they scored, they were pushing and it was difficult,” Ekitike told Sky Sports. “It was very physical. It was a great war and we won.”
Woltemade scores double
Nick Woltemade’s first-half double inside 20 minutes looked set to give Newcastle victory over Chelsea but the visitors hit back after the break with a Reece James free kick and a goal from Joao Pedro.
The result left Chelsea in fourth place with 29 points while Newcastle, whose defensive frailties continue to cost them precious points, are 11th with 23.
Burnley, who are 19th, looked like slumping to yet another defeat when Antoine Semenyo’s curling effort midway through the second half gave Bournemouth the lead in a dull game. But Armando Broja headed in a 90th-minute equaliser.
After such an impressive start to the season Bournemouth are now on a winless run of eight games and in 14th.
There was no festive cheer for Wolves as Keane Lewis-Potter scored his first league goals since January to give Brentford a 2-0 win. Wolves could not even manage a late consolation as Jorgen Strand Larsen’s penalty was saved. Brentford are 12th while Wolves are 20th with just two points.
At Elland Road, Dominic Calvert-Lewin struck twice in the first half, while Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach also scored for 16th-placed Leeds, who are undefeated in four straight games. Palace are eighth.
The first-ever Premier League game between Brighton & Hove Albion and Sunderland was hardly a Christmas cracker as both sides struggled to make chances in a 0-0 draw. Sunderland are sixth, three points ahead of ninth-placed Brighton. — Reuters
