Manchester City threw down the gauntlet for the second successive weekend and Arsenal proved undaunted as they kicked off their festive fixtures with a narrow 2-1 defeat of Brighton & Hove Albion to stay as Premier League leaders on Saturday.
City won 2-1 at Nottingham Forest with Rayan Cherki grabbing a goal and an assist to briefly move top of the pile.
But Arsenal, just as they had done last week by beating Everton after City’s earlier win over West Ham United, were unwavering as captain Martin Odegaard scored his first goal of the season for Mikel Arteta’s side.
Arsenal also needed an own goal and a spectacular save by keeper David Raya to preserve their lead as the halfway point in the Premier League season looms.
The London side have 42 points from 18 games with City on 40.
Aston Villa remain in the thick of the title race in third with 39 points thanks to Ollie Watkins’ double in a 2-1 comeback win over Chelsea. Villa equalled their all-time club record of 11 consecutive wins across all competitions.
Florian Wirtz scored his first Liverpool goal as they beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 on an emotional Anfield afternoon when both sets of fans remembered the late Diogo Jota who died in a car crash in July.
Wirtz doubled Liverpool’s lead shortly after Ryan Gravenberch had put them in front although Wolves rallied in the second half and Santiago Bueno pulled a goal back.
Reigning champions Liverpool moved fourth on 32 points while the misery for bottom club Wolves goes on.
They have now broken the Premier League record for winless starts to a season and have two points from 18 games and are 16 points behind fourth-from-bottom Nottingham Forest.
“We’re trying,” Wolves boss Rob Edwards said. “The players are giving everything, they’re trying really hard. And they are showing they’re not caving in, they’re not going under.”
Some timely perspective was offered though in the shape of former Wolves and Liverpool forward Jota’s young sons Dinis and Duarte walking out alongside Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk as they acted as mascots.
Burnley stay in 19th place after a 0-0 draw with Everton while 18th-placed West Ham United’s relegation fears grew as a 1-0 home defeat by Fulham left them five points from the safety zone.
When Odegaard drilled in a 14th-minute opener for Arsenal and Georginio Rutter’s own goal from a Declan Rice corner made it 2-0 shortly after the break, it should have been a routine three points for the hosts.
But Diego Gomez’s reply for Brighton changed the complexion of the contest and there was relief at the final whistle as Arsenal cleared another obstacle in the title chase.
