Arsenal has taken flight at the summit of the Premier League. With both City and Liverpool slipping up, the Gunners now hold a six-point lead over City and seven over Liverpool — a commanding advantage this early in the season.
Arsenal pulls away at the top of the league
This was Arsenal’s chance to make a statement. With their direct rivals faltering, a win against Crystal Palace would give them a precious cushion. But Palace, a physical and tactically disciplined side, were never going to make it easy.
As expected, Arsenal struggled to find rhythm in open play. The Eagles, set up with a back five, closed every gap and left no room between the lines, forcing the game into a slow, cagey affair. Palace even had a few dangerous moments, but Sarr and Pino wasted promising positions near Mateta with poor technical execution.
When the door won’t open, you go through the window — and in football, that window is set pieces. For the 13th time in their last 26 goals, Arsenal struck from a dead ball. From a well-worked free kick, Gabriel headed the ball across goal and former Eagle Eberechi Eze turned it in to give Arsenal the lead. Gabriel nearly doubled it with another header that rattled the crossbar.
Arsenal controlled proceedings, managed the tempo, and once again looked every bit like a team built for a title run.
City stumbles again
Set pieces decided things at Villa Park too — but this time, to City’s detriment. Manchester City fell 1–0 to Aston Villa, their third defeat of the season, as Matty Cash scored the game’s only goal from a clever corner routine.
The Villans could have made the scoreline heavier if not for the wastefulness of Watkins and McGinn. City, meanwhile, looked toothless in attack, and Pep Guardiola’s decision to keep Rayan Cherki on the bench until late in the game proved costly. The French prodigy’s creativity might have been the key to unlocking Villa’s defense — but by the time he came on, it was already too late.