Arsenal consolidated their position at the top of the Premier League table with a 1-0 victory over Crystal Palace at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, opening up a four-point gap over second-placed Bournemouth.
Eberechi Eze, who left Selhurst Park for the Gunners in a £60 million transfer in August, scored the decisive goal against his former club to hand Mikel Arteta’s side all three points.
The England international found the net six minutes before half-time, volleying home after Palace failed to clear Declan Rice’s free-kick delivery.
Arsenal’s defence once again proved impenetrable, recording their 10th clean sheet in 13 matches across all competitions this season. However, the victory came at a potential cost as both Rice and William Saliba were forced off in the second half with injuries.
The result caps a perfect weekend for the North London club, whose title rivals suffered setbacks on Saturday and earlier on Sunday.
Manchester City’s nine-match unbeaten run came to an abrupt end at Villa Park, where Matty Cash’s spectacular long-range strike in the 19th minute secured Aston Villa a 1-0 victory. The defeat also ended Erling Haaland’s remarkable 12-game scoring streak, with the Norwegian striker having a late effort ruled out for offside.
The loss leaves Pep Guardiola’s side six points behind Arsenal in fourth place, raising concerns about City’s over-reliance on Haaland, who remains the only player in their squad to have scored in the league over the past month.
Bournemouth climbed to second place with a comfortable 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the Vitality Stadium. Marcus Tavernier opened the scoring directly from a corner before Eli Junior Kroupi added a second goal, his fourth in six Premier League appearances.
The defeat marked a disappointing start to Sean Dyche’s tenure at the City Ground, despite his midweek Europa League victory over Porto. Forest remain in the relegation zone following the loss.
At Molineux, Burnley snatched a dramatic 3-2 victory over bottom-placed Wolves in stoppage time through Lyle Foster’s late winner. Zian Flemming had put the visitors 2-0 up inside the opening 30 minutes, but Wolves fought back through Jorgen Strand Larsen and Marshall Munetsi before Foster’s decisive strike.
