Arsenal and City tied on 21 points after Villa win
Manchester City fell to Aston Villa while Arsenal defeated Everton in rainy conditions to close the gap at the top of the Premier League.
By Thabo Hoffmann ·
Arsenal and Manchester City now share the top of the Premier League table with 21 points each after eight rounds of play. The tie resulted from a split decision on Saturday, with Arsenal securing a victory over Everton while City lost to Aston Villa.
Heavy rain fell at the Emirates Stadium in north London, but Arsenal controlled the opening phase of the match. Martin Odegaard delivered a corner that Jordan Pickford initially saved, but Ezri Konsa poked the loose ball into the net from close range in the seventh minute. This marked Arsenal's first set-piece goal in 13 games and Konsa's first goal for the club.
The second goal arrived in the 68th minute, combining two players reaching career milestones. Ben White, appearing in his 200th game for Arsenal, crossed the ball to the far post. Gabriel, playing his 200th Premier League match, headed the ball home. Everton finished the match in ninth place.
In Birmingham, Nicolas Jackson scored twice for Aston Villa to secure a 2-1 victory over Manchester City. This result ended the visitors' unbeaten start to the season. Jackson scored in the sixth minute and the 60th minute, while Erling Haaland equalized for City in between. The win moved Villa to sixth place with 11 points.
City is currently on appeal after an independent commission found 114 breaches of financial rules. The club has denied wrongdoing, and manager Pep Guardiola is managing the team while the case proceeds. Jackson told TNT Sports that the team is working game by game as they face this off-field pressure.
Tottenham Hotspur defeated Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, a venue where Spurs had only won twice in 36 years. Mike Penders, making his first league start for Chelsea, punched a corner into his own net in the 77th minute. Mathys Tel added the final goal in the 87th minute to lift Spurs to 12th place.
Fulham defeated Coventry City 1-0, with Oscar Bobb scoring in the 80th minute. The win moved Fulham to 13th place, while Coventry remains 19th in the standings.
Source: Al Jazeera
