Arsenal will sit at the top of the Premier League table at Christmas after edging Everton 1-0 in a hard-fought encounter on Merseyside, while their closest challengers ensured the title race remained tight with wins elsewhere on Saturday.
The Gunners restored a two-point cushion at the summit after Manchester City had briefly climbed above them earlier in the day, thanks to a dominant 3-0 victory over West Ham inspired by Erling Haaland.
Victory at the Hill Dickinson Stadium did not come easily for Mikel Arteta’s side, who were far from fluent but did enough to secure maximum points. The decisive moment came from the penalty spot, as Viktor Gyokeres calmly converted after Jake O’Brien was penalised for handball.
The match was overshadowed by several controversial penalty calls. Arsenal felt Gyokeres had been fouled moments before they were awarded the spot-kick, while Everton were left angered when two challenges on Thierno Barry inside the box went unpunished.
Despite the narrow margin, Arsenal had chances to put the game beyond doubt, with Leandro Trossard and Martin Zubimendi both striking the woodwork in the second half.
Earlier, City continued their relentless pursuit of the leaders by extending their winning streak to seven matches in all competitions. Haaland opened the scoring inside five minutes against West Ham before setting up Tijjani Reijnders’ first Etihad goal just before the break. The Norwegian completed his brace late on to reach a remarkable 38 goals for club and country this season, lifting City to within one point of Arsenal.
However, Pep Guardiola remained demanding of his players despite the convincing display.
“I want to be honest. I said to the players, ‘Merry Christmas everyone but it will not be enough if we don’t improve’.”
At Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Liverpool overcame a tense finish to claim a 2-1 win over nine-man Spurs, extending their unbeaten run to six matches. Xavi Simons’ reckless challenge on Virgil van Dijk left the hosts with a difficult task after the red card.
With Mohamed Salah away at the Africa Cup of Nations, Alexander Isak began the match on the bench before being introduced at half-time. The Swedish forward marked his appearance with a goal — his third since completing a £125 million move — but was forced off again through injury. Hugo Ekitike later added a second, though Richarlison’s late strike made the closing moments uncomfortable for Arne Slot’s side.
Reflecting on the nervy ending, Slot said: “The thing in football is you always remember the last few minutes and they were the worst minutes of our total game. It became very chaotic and hectic.”
The defeat further increased pressure on Spurs boss Thomas Frank, compounded by captain Cristian Romero’s stoppage-time dismissal. Liverpool climbed to fifth, while Tottenham slipped to 13th.
Chelsea stayed fourth on goal difference after fighting back from two goals down to draw with Newcastle. Nick Woltemade’s brace had put the Magpies in control before Reece James’ sublime free-kick and a Joao Pedro equaliser rescued Enzo Maresca. Chelsea have now won just once in five league games, raising fresh questions about their title ambitions.
Meanwhile, Wolves’ miserable season continued with a 2-0 home loss to Brentford, leaving them without a league win. Burnley halted a seven-game losing run thanks to Armando Broja’s stoppage-time equaliser at Bournemouth. Leeds boosted their survival hopes with a 4-1 win over Crystal Palace, while Sunderland moved up to sixth after a goalless draw at Brighton.
