Arsenal 2-0 Everton: Konsa and Gabriel draw Gunners level with City

Centre-backs Ezri Konsa and Gabriel Magalhães scored as Arsenal beat Everton 2-0 at a rain-soaked Emirates Stadium on Saturday to draw level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League. Konsa struck his first goal for the club in the seventh minute and Gabriel headed the second midway through the second half, after City had lost at Aston Villa earlier in the day.

Match facts

• Result: Arsenal 2-0 Everton (half-time 1-0)
• Competition: Premier League, Matchweek 8
• Venue: Emirates Stadium, London (attendance 60,207)
• Scorers: Arsenal - Konsa 7', Gabriel 68'; Everton - none
• Red cards: None
• Next: Fleetwood Town v Arsenal, Carabao Cup fourth round, Tuesday 27 October (20:00 UK); Everton v Newcastle United, Carabao Cup fourth round, Thursday 29 October (19:45 UK)

How the match unfolded

Before kick-off both sets of players joined a minute's applause for club stalwart Ken Friar, who died last week aged 92. Arsenal then laid siege to the Everton goal and led from their third corner in a row. Martin Ødegaard's near-post delivery was flicked goalwards by Gabriel, Jordan Pickford clawed it onto the crossbar, and Konsa reacted first to prod home from close range. It was Arsenal's first set-piece goal, excluding penalties, since May.

Everton responded. James Garner forced David Raya into a low save, and Tyrique George's curling effort was deflected wide. Noni Madueke, starting on the right with Bukayo Saka out injured, dragged one shot wide and then hit the side netting with an acrobatic first-time shot. Arsenal won 10 corners in the first half, but just before the break Ben White's under-hit header back let in Thierno Barry, and Raya kept out his glancing effort. Vitalii Mykolenko was booked in first-half stoppage time.

After the break Gabriel needed treatment after landing awkwardly, but he carried on. Myles Lewis-Skelly and Garner were booked, and Mikel Arteta was cautioned for protesting a foul given against Viktor Gyökeres, who was making his first Premier League start of the season.

In the 68th minute Arteta made a triple change: Riccardo Calafiori, Bruno Guimarães and Kai Havertz came on for Lewis-Skelly, Mikel Merino and Gyökeres. Moments later Bruno Guimarães released White down the right, and the right-back's cross to the back post was headed past Pickford by Gabriel on his 200th Premier League appearance. David Moyes was also booked after the goal.

Mykolenko went off injured in the 74th minute, with Garner moving to left-back, and James Tarkowski was booked in the 79th. With eight minutes left Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall flicked a header just wide from Garner's cross, Everton's best chance of the afternoon.

What it means

Arsenal have now won seven of their first eight league games, the same record as City, who stay top on goal difference after their 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa. It was the champions' eighth successive home win, after Arteta made five changes from the 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich in midweek.

Everton, without Jack Grealish (illness) and Jarrad Branthwaite, have now lost two league games in a row after starting the season unbeaten in six, following the 2-0 home defeat by Chelsea. They stay ninth on 10 points. Moyes has still not won a league game at Arsenal as Everton manager: in 13 previous visits his side had lost 10 and drawn three. According to Arsenal, it was the 400th defeat of his managerial career in all competitions.

What's next

Arsenal visit League Two side Fleetwood Town at Highbury Stadium on Tuesday, and Everton host Newcastle at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Thursday. In the Premier League, Arsenal travel to Liverpool on Sunday 1 November (16:30 UK), and Everton visit Newcastle on Monday 2 November (20:00 UK).

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