Declan Rice celebrates a goal against Burnley. Photo: photosport
Clinical Arsenal have continued their English Premier League dominance with a straightforward 2-0 victory over Burnley as their mastery of set pieces again proved irresistible.
Viktor Gyokeres opened the scoring in the 14th minute from yet another corner routine involving Declan Rice and Gabriel, with the Swede touching in from close range.
Arsenal were in cruise control in the 35th minute, this time from open play, as a sweeping counter-attack ended with Rice thumping a header past Burnley goalkeeper Martin Dubravka.
Arsenal now have 25 points from 10 games, seven clear of Bournemouth, who play tomorrow against Manchester City.
Liverpool's finally halted its dreadful losing run with a 2-0 Premier League victory over Aston Villa on Saturday to climb provisionally into third place in the table, as Mohamed Salah became the third player in Reds history to score 250 goals.
Under mounting pressure after four successive league losses - and six in their last seven games across all competitions - Arne Slot's men climbed to within seven points of league leaders Arsenal with 18 points. Villa fell to 11th in the table on 15 points.
Salah, who has been criticised for his slow start to the season, 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.
Salah finished first time to the relief of the anxious Anfield crowd, and joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players to score 250 goals for the Merseyside club.
Ryan Gravenberch, in his first game after missing three with an ankle injury, 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.
In other matches, a stunning volley from Amad Diallo has earned Manchester United a battling 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest.
Looking to continue their revival under Ruben Amorim, United appeared to be on their way to securing a fourth successive league victory after Brazilian Casemiro headed them into a 34th-minute lead.
United, however, capitulated early in the second half when two goals in less than two minutes from Morgan Gibbs-White and Nicolo Savona turned the match on its head.
The visitors responded well but were frustrated in their efforts to restore parity until Diallo unleashed a blistering strike from the edge of the penalty area nine minutes from time to secure a point for his side.
The draw moves United into fifth.
Chelsea beat hosts Tottenham Hotspur 1-0, with Brazil striker Joao Pedro scoring the only goal of the game and getting back on the scoresheet for the first time since August.
Enzo Maresca's men, stung by last weekend's home defeat by Sunderland, took the lead when Moises Caicedo stole the ball from Micky van de Ven and squared for Joao Pedro who made no mistake from eight metres in the 34th minute.
Chelsea climbed to fourth place in the table on 17 points after 10 games, one rung below Spurs on goal difference.
Spurs have now registered just one win against Chelsea in their last 14 Premier League meetings.
In another London derby, Crystal Palace brushed aside Brentford in a comfortable 2-0 home win, thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta's header and a Nathan Collins own goal.
Mateta gave Palace a deserved lead in the 30th minute after Jefferson Lerma headed Yeremy Pino's booming freekick back across goal for the French striker to nod home his sixth league goal of the campaign.
Palace's second came six minutes after the break via the old-school method of a long throw into the box from Lerma, which the unfortunate Collins headed into his own net.
Palace's win was their first in four league games.
Fulham have also broken a winless streak, thumping Wolves 3-0.
The win was Fulham's first after four defeats in a row, with the goalscorers being Ryan Sessegnon, Harry Wilson, and an own goal from Wolves' Yerson Mosquera.
Wolves remain on the bottom of the table, while Fulham move to 14th.
And Brighton also enjoyed a comfortable 3-0 win over Leeds United, to move into the top ten.
Danny Welbeck scored in the first half, his sixth Goal in his last five Premier Leaguer matches, while Diego Gomez two more in the second half, to ease his side to victory.
- Reuters
