Arsenal defeats Everton, shares Premier League top spot with Man City

Arsenal, the defending champions, capitalized on Manchester City’s first loss of the season to move to the top of the table with a 2-0 victory over Everton in the ninth round of the English Premier League. Both City and Arsenal now have 21 points, but City remains at the summit thanks to a superior goal difference over their main title rival, the London club.

The two teams face difficult fixtures next week: Arsenal will travel to face Liverpool, while Manchester City will host Brighton.

Ezri Konsa opened the scoring early for Arsenal in the seventh minute, netting his first goal for the London club since joining from Aston Villa last August, and his defensive partner, Brazilian international Gabriel Magalhães, doubled the lead in the 68th minute.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta was forced to make changes to his lineup after Bukayo Saka suffered a muscle injury during the 2-2 draw with German side Bayern Munich in the Champions League in the middle of the week, prompting him to deploy Noni Madueke and Iheanacho Izzy on the flanks.

This marks Arsenal’s seventh win in their first eight matches, and their fifth consecutive league victory without conceding a goal.

Fulham continued their resurgence with a second consecutive win and their third of the season, defeating newly promoted hosts Coventry City 1-0, with Norway’s Oscar Bobb scoring the winner on his own initiative in the 80th minute.

The victory eased pressure on Fulham’s Spanish manager, Alvaro Arbeloa, as the club moved up to 12th place, distancing themselves from the relegation zone.