IMAGE: Arsenal’s Declan Rice scores. Photograph: Scott Heppell/Reuters
Arsenal maintained a searing pace at the top of the Premier League with a straightforward 2-0 win at Burnley, while Liverpool snapped a dreadful four-match losing run with a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa to climb provisionally to third.
The misery continued for Wolverhampton Wanderers at the bottom as they suffered yet another defeat on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal moved seven points clear of the pack ahead of the rest of the weekend’s action with first-half goals by Viktor Gyokeres and Declan Rice taking Arsenal to 25 points from their opening 10 games of the season.
Ten-man Wolves were hammered 3-0 at Fulham and prop up the table with only two points as the pressure intensifies on their manager Vitor Pereira.
Manchester United needed a stunning late volley from Amad Diallo to earn a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest who at least avoided a fifth successive league defeat.
Crystal Palace beat Brentford 2-0 while Brighton & Hove Albion were 3-0 winners at home to Leeds United, and Chelsea edged Tottenham Hotspur 1-0.
Arsenal have now gone seven games in all competitions without conceding a goal and were never seriously troubled at promoted Burnley as they produced another clinical display.
Nine of Arsenal’s 16 Premier League goals in their first nine games arrived via a set piece and they were at it again at Turf Moor with yet another corner routine paying off.
Rice swung over a corner in the 14th minute and Gabriel knocked it back across the area for Gyokeres to tap in his first league goal since September.
Arsenal’s second in the 35th minute was only their sixth league goal from open play this season — Rice heading in from Leandro Trossard’s cross after a fast counter-attack.
“The first half was exceptional, we scored two goals and gave nothing away. That was the platform,” Arteta said.
“We didn’t have that much control in the second half. Defending was exceptional again, we didn’t give anything.”
IMAGE: Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring their first goal with Conor Bradley. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
At Anfield, Mohamed Salah became the third player in Reds history to score 250 goals when he struck in first-half injury time, capitalising on a huge blunder from Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez who played the ball right into the path of Liverpool’s talisman.
Ryan Gravenberch doubled the home side’s lead in the 58th minute when he blasted a shot from the top of the box that deflected off Pau Torres and in past Martinez.
Arne Slot’s men climbed to within seven points of Arsenal with just their second win in eight games across all competitions. Villa fell to 11th in the table on 15 points.
“I think everyone who was here today felt the importance of the game, the players and fans as well,” Slot told TNT Sports. “We showed character and won the game.”
Wolves’ two points from their opening 10 games is not the lowest in Premier League history but it is one fewer than Derby County managed in 2007 at the start of what was the worst ever season in the competition, Derby ending with 11 points.
Ryan Sessegnon, Harry Wilson and Yerson Mosquera’s own goal gave Fulham the points while Wolves played more than half of the match with 10 men after Emmanuel Agbadou was sent off.
Defeat left Wolves eight points away from the safety zone.
“It’s just not good enough and we need to do better. We should be embarrassed,” Wolves keeper Sam Johnstone said.
IMAGE: Manchester United’s Amad Diallo scores their second goal. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters
Manchester United appeared to be on their way to securing a fourth successive league victory after Brazilian veteran Casemiro headed them into a 34th-minute lead at the City Ground.
United, however, capitulated early in the second half when two goals in less than two minutes from Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolo Savona helped Forest to turn the match on its head.
Diallo at least ensured United did not return empty-handed as he unleashed a blistering strike from the edge of the penalty area nine minutes from time and he also had the chance to snatch victory late in the game.
“We are really disappointed to go home with one point,” Diallo said.
United moved into fifth in the standings while Forest stay 18th after a first point in five league games.
Chelsea striker Joao Pedro got back on the scoresheet for the first time since August when Moises Caicedo stole the ball from Micky van de Ven on the edge of the Spurs penalty box and the Ecuadorian squared for Pedro who made no mistake from eight metres in the 34th minute.
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was asked by reporters if he regretted his side not winning by a more emphatic scoreline.
“I am happy with the 1-0, with the three points, especially because we kept the clean sheet,” the Italian said.
Chelsea climbed to fifth place in the table on 17 points after 10 games, one rung below Spurs on goal difference.
Jean-Philippe Mateta scored his fourth goal in two home league games for Crystal Palace as they beat London rivals Brentford 2-0 to move to eighth.
Brighton & Hove Albion’s seasoned striker Danny Welbeck scored his sixth league goal of the season as his side breezed past Leeds, volleying home the opener in the 11th minute.
Diego Gomez scored twice in six second-half minutes to underline Brighton’s superiority as the south-coast side moved into the top half of the table.
