Arsenal will sit top of the Premier League table at Christmas after grinding out a 1–0 victory over Everton on Saturday, while Liverpool survived a tense finale to beat nine-man Tottenham Hotspur 2–1. Manchester City briefly moved to the summit earlier in the day following a comfortable 3–0 win over West Ham United.
At Goodison Park, Arsenal restored their two-point lead at the top thanks to a first-half penalty converted by Viktor Gyökeres.
The visitors were far from fluent but did enough to secure all three points in a match dominated by contentious officiating decisions.
The Gunners felt hard done by when a strong appeal for a foul on Gyökeres was waved away moments before they were awarded a spot-kick for a Jake O’Brien handball. Gyökeres calmly dispatched the penalty to put Arsenal ahead.
After the break, Leandro Trossard and Martin Zubimendi both struck the woodwork as Mikel Arteta’s side searched for a second goal.
Everton, however, were incensed by what they believed were two clear penalty incidents involving Thierno Barry that went unpunished, adding to the sense of frustration among the home supporters.
Earlier, Manchester City had temporarily climbed to the top of the table with a dominant performance against West Ham at the Etihad Stadium.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring inside five minutes and later provided an assist, continuing his prolific form.
Tijjani Reijnders netted his first goal for the club just before half-time to double City’s advantage, before Haaland completed his brace to seal a seventh straight win in all competitions.
Despite the convincing result, City manager Pep Guardiola struck a cautious note, warning that improvements are still needed if his side are to secure a seventh Premier League title under his leadership.
“I want to be honest,” Guardiola said. “I said to the players, ‘Merry Christmas everyone, but it will not be enough if we don’t improve.’”
At Anfield, Liverpool were made to work hard for their 2–1 win over Tottenham, who finished the match with nine men. The victory keeps Jurgen Klopp’s side firmly in the title race as the festive period approaches.
With the season entering a crucial phase, Arsenal’s narrow win ensures they lead the standings at Christmas, while Manchester City and Liverpool remain firmly in pursuit, setting the stage for a tightly contested title battle.
