Arsenal Draw Level With Man City Atop Premier League After Villa Hand Leaders First Loss

Arsenal moved level with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League on Saturday, beating Everton 2-0 in heavy rain at the Emirates Stadium. The win came on the same day City suffered their first defeat of the season.

City lost 2-1 at Aston Villa, where Nicolas Jackson scored twice to end the visitors' unbeaten start to the league campaign. That result opened the door for Arsenal, who took full advantage and erased the three-point gap between the sides. Both teams now have 21 points after eight games, in a title race already looking tight, though City are playing under the cloud of their off-field financial case.

Arsenal made a fast start in north London. Martin Odegaard's corner caused problems in the Everton box, and although England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford stopped the first effort after a near-post flick-on, the ball was not cleared. Ezri Konsa bundled it in from a yard out in the seventh minute for his first goal for the club. It was also Arsenal's first set-piece goal since May, ending a run of 13 games in all competitions without one.

"We are champions and to be champions you've got to win games consistently," Konsa said. "This is our home, and we want to win as many games here as possible."

Two players marking milestones combined for the second goal in the 68th minute. Ben White, playing his 200th game for Arsenal, clipped a cross to the far post, where Gabriel headed in on his 200th Premier League appearance. Everton sit ninth.

At Villa Park, Unai Emery's side climbed to sixth on 11 points with their first home league win of the season and a third straight league victory over City. Jackson put Villa ahead in the sixth minute after Marc Guehi's heavy touch let captain John McGinn steal in and set up the striker. Erling Haaland levelled soon after halftime, heading in Iliman Ndiaye's clipped free-kick delivery. Jackson then won it on the hour, finishing after Ibrahim Mbaye's cutback from the right, with his shot sneaking under goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.

City are awaiting the outcome of an appeal after an independent commission found they committed 114 breaches of Premier League financial rules. The club has always denied wrongdoing. "It's just the beginning; we're trying to work game by game," Jackson told TNT Sports.

Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur beat fourth-placed Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, only their second league win there in 36 years. Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders, making his first league start, punched a corner into his own net in the 77th minute. Cole Palmer was sent off for a second yellow card in the 80th minute after a late challenge on Conor Gallagher. Mathys Tel sealed the result in the 87th minute with a run down the left and a low finish into the bottom corner.

"It's very special, because we came here a lot of times and didn't get a win," Tel said. Spurs rose to 12th.

Fulham beat Coventry City 1-0 for their second league win of the season, with Oscar Bobb scoring in the 80th minute when he curled a finish into the far corner, just as Fulham appeared ready to substitute him. Fulham are 13th, while Coventry are 19th.