Daijiworld Media Network - London
London, Dec 28: Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 win over Brighton, responding swiftly after Manchester City briefly moved into first place with a narrow victory at Nottingham Forest.
City’s 2-1 lunchtime win at the City Ground sent Pep Guardiola’s side to the summit for a couple of hours, inspired once again by the brilliance of Rayan Cherki. However, Arsenal hit back later in the day at the Emirates to regain pole position.
Mikel Arteta’s side dominated the first half, taking the lead through a fine strike from Martin Odegaard. Despite creating numerous chances, Arsenal made life difficult for themselves, with Arteta admitting the margin should have been far greater. “With the amount of chances we generated, it should never be 2-1,” he said.
The hosts doubled their advantage in fortunate fashion when Georginio Rutter diverted Declan Rice’s corner into his own net. Brighton set up a nervy finish after Diego Gomez pulled a goal back, but goalkeeper David Raya produced a stunning save to deny Yankuba Minteh as Arsenal held on for their seventh one-goal win in 13 league victories this season.
At Nottingham Forest, City were made to work hard despite Forest’s lowly league position. Cherki set up Tijjani Reijnders for the opener early in the second half, before Omari Hutchinson quickly equalised for the hosts. Cherki then struck decisively in the 83rd minute, firing home Josko Gvardiol’s knock-down to seal City’s eighth straight win. “A really, really important three points,” said Guardiola after the match.
Aston Villa stayed firmly in the title race with a dramatic 2-1 comeback win at Chelsea, leaving them just three points behind the leaders ahead of their visit to Arsenal on Tuesday. Chelsea dominated the first half and led through Joao Pedro, but Unai Emery’s triple substitution on the hour changed the game. Substitute Ollie Watkins scored twice in 19 second-half minutes, taking his season tally to five and keeping Villa dreaming of their first league title since 1981.
At Anfield, Liverpool edged Wolves 2-1 on an emotional afternoon marked by tributes to the late Diogo Jota. His children and family members were among the mascots as the Reds faced one of his former clubs for the first time since his death. On the pitch, Ryan Gravenberch opened the scoring before Florian Wirtz netted his first Liverpool goal following his £100 million move from Bayer Leverkusen. Santiago Bueno pulled one back for Wolves, who remain without a league win this season.
Elsewhere, Fulham beat West Ham 1-0 at the London Stadium through Raul Jimenez, leaving the Hammers five points from safety. Burnley extended their winless run to nine games with a 0-0 draw against Everton, while Brentford climbed into the top half after Kevin Schade’s hat-trick powered a 4-1 win over struggling Bournemouth.
With the title race intensifying, Arsenal, City and Villa remain locked in a tight battle as the Premier League heads into the new year.