Arsenal coped with the difficult visit of Everton and left with three points from the "Hill Dickinson Stadium". Mikel Arteta's team won 1-0, and the only goal of the match was scored by Victor Gökeres from a penalty in the 27th minute. In the second half, the Londoners hit the post twice after shots by Trossard and Subimendi.
The success returned the "Gunners" to the top after Manchester City stayed there for several hours. Arsenal has a two-point lead over the "citizens". By the end of the year, the team has home games against Brighton and Aston Villa, and at the beginning of 2026, an away game against Bournemouth and a duel against Liverpool at the Emirates.
"The Caramels" controlled the match well and did not allow the opponent to threaten Pickford's goal. The hosts ended up in a scuffle in David Raya's penalty area. Gradually, Arsenal began to play more with the ball and have more control. After a breakthrough by Saka and an attempt to clear Keane, the ball reached Subimendi, but he shot over the goal. A try by Gökeres followed, which did not trouble the goalkeeper.
After a corner kick, Jake O'Brien jumped and played with his hand in front of Calafiori's head. At first, the referee did not see exactly what had happened, but after reviewing the situation on a monitor, he had no doubts and awarded a penalty. Gökeres stood behind the ball and with a powerful shot left Pickford no chance.
The match continued evenly, but the visitors' attacks looked more dangerous. O'Brien intervened decisively in one situation to prevent the ball from reaching Trossar. Shortly before the break, Gökeres was brought into a good position by Saliba, but his first touch was not good. Tarkovsky caught up with him and prevented him from taking a good shot.
After the break, Everton increased the pace and began to cause serious problems for Arteta's team. The hosts managed to make several dangerous crosses, but the Londoners' defense coped. In the 52nd minute, Arsenal missed an excellent opportunity to double their lead. Saka did a double with Timber and shot past Pickford, but Tarkovsky blocked on the goal line.
A few minutes followed in which the "caramels" twice they had claims for a penalty. In the first case, Barry fell in the penalty area after a duel with Subimendi. The referees decided that there was no foul, and even if it had been awarded, it was outside the penalty area. The next situation was more controversial, as there was no doubt that Saliba kicked Barry. The ball was not dangerously close to the goal, but it was not clear exactly what the referee judged.
Arsenal missed another excellent chance in the 65th minute. An excellent combination ended with Rice passing to Trossar, but his shot hit the post. A little later, the post saved Everton again, this time after a shot by Subimendi. The Londoners had good moments in this period, while David Moyes' team acted aggressively, but did not reach real goal situations.