Until a week ago, they were unbeaten; since then, they have suffered two defeats. Everton came off second best in their clashes against London sides, as after Chelsea, Arsenal also left them empty-handed this weekend – 2–0 (1–0). The reigning English champions returned to winning ways after Brighton had given them a footballing lesson two weeks ago, but they struggled quite a bit against both Leeds and Nottingham Forest away from home. And when it became clear that they had lost Bukayo Saka, leaving them with only two fit wingers available, Arsenal fans were suddenly gripped by fears of a potential slip-up against a side that had been unbeaten away from home until this weekend. As it turned out, those fears were unnecessary, as Arsenal dispatched Everton without too much trouble and made Manchester City's earlier slip-up count, drawing level with them at the top of the table after eight rounds.Gabriel marks his 200th appearance for Arsenal with a vital goal to put the game to bed. https://t.co/918h9ZMHiJ— CHARLES🔴⚪ (@ArdentCharles) October 24, 2026 What will particularly please Mikel Arteta is the knowledge that he has once again brought back to life a powerful weapon that had been his main asset until recently: set pieces. This aspect of the game often gave Arsenal a significant advantage over the previous two seasons, earning them the nickname ‘FC Corner’ among their rivals. Chaos reigned in the opposition six-yard box for the first time in a long while, and the June signing from Aston Villa Konsa made the most of it, giving Arsenal the lead in the sixth minute.13 – Arsenal scored their first set-piece goal in all competitions (ex. penalties) since May of last season against Crystal Palace, ending a run of 13 games without one. Reminder. https://t.co/z57wDQGgsI— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 24, 2026 Gabriel attacked Martin Odegaard's delivery at the near post. With the help of the crossbar, Everton's players somehow managed to keep out his effort, but Konsa was waiting for the rebound at the far post and bundled it into the net to score his first goal in a London club shirt. It was also the first goal the English champions had scored from a set piece – excluding penalties – since May, ending a run of 13 matches in which they had failed to do so. However, while set pieces gave Arsenal the lead, they could just as easily have cost them it. And that nearly happened very quickly, as the London side came close to conceding from one just ten minutes after scoring. David Raya failed to punch the ball clear properly and sent it straight into Jake O'Brien, but he was fortunate to have Gabriel Magalhaes covering for him, with the Brazilian clearing the danger off the goal line. ##EDITORS_CHOICE##The hosts looked vulnerable at times, and their uncertainty was most evident towards the end of the first half, when Ben White gifted Thierno Barry a chance to equalise with a back pass to Raya. However, the Spanish goalkeeper made amends for his earlier blunder at the corner. The attacking trio of Noni Madueke, Viktor Gyökeres and Eberechi Eze performed exactly as the majority of the fans expected. In other words, they did not really perform at all. Madueke and Eze occasionally showed some spark out wide, but neither delivered anything particularly effective. The entire attacking burden therefore fell on the defenders. Konsa, as mentioned, opened the scoring against Everton, while Gabriel finished them off midway through the second half. And he did so from a White assist – the defender's third in the league since the start of the season!16:00 (2.25) Manchester United (3.70) Bournemouth (3.00)
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