Ezri Konsa's first Arsenal goal and a Gabriel header on his 200th Premier League appearance gave Mikel Arteta's side a 2-0 win over Everton at a rain-soaked Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Arsenal and Manchester City are now tied on points at the summit after this result, and goal difference alone is what distinguishes them.

The corner routine returns

Arsenal had not scored from a corner this season before Everton's visit, according to the Daily Mail, and the breakthrough came from a set piece after a spell of early pressure that had already brought two corners in quick succession. Martin Odegaard's delivery on seven minutes found Gabriel in a crowded area, Jordan Pickford's fingertips pushed the ball onto the crossbar, and Konsa was quickest to react at the back post, prodding in from close range.

The Mail noted that Arsenal had six set-piece goals by the same point of last season and finished that campaign with 19. Konsa, who arrived in the summer, spoke in his post-match interview about how long he had waited for his first goal for the club, arseblog reported.

Gabriel stays on to double the lead

Midway through the second half Gabriel went down in discomfort after overstretching himself while making a clearance, and Cristhian Mosquera began preparing to come on. The defender instead received treatment and stretched by the touchline to make clear he did not want to be replaced, and he stayed on the pitch.

Ten minutes later he met Ben White's cross to the back post with a powerful header to make it 2-0. A VAR check for offside followed, but White's run had been well timed and the goal stood. At that point Arteta had already introduced three substitutes: Kai Havertz, Bruno Guimaraes and Riccardo Calafiori came on for Viktor Gyokeres, Mikel Merino and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who had been booked.

Chances at one end, little at the other

The Daily Mail recorded 18 shots for Arsenal, who spent long spells camped around Everton's box. Noni Madueke, who started the midweek Champions League draw with Bayern Munich, was prominent with his dribbling, dragging one effort wide of the far post and later forcing Pickford to watch a curling strike from the edge of the area fizz past the near post. Eberechi Eze, Declan Rice and Odegaard all featured in attacks that nearly produced goals; Merino saw a shot blocked and flicked a Rice free-kick over the crossbar; and Gyokeres just missed connecting with an Eze cross across the area.

Everton's clearest openings were rare. Thierno Barry seized on the chance after Ben White, unaware he was there, headed back toward his own goal, but David Raya made the save; Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall then sent a header wide. Max Dowman and Martin Zubimendi came on late for Arsenal.

Level at the summit

The win was Arsenal's seventh in eight league games this season, matching Manchester City's record after City were beaten at Aston Villa earlier in the day. Arteta had changed his side from midweek, with White, Lewis-Skelly, Merino, Eze and Gyokeres all starting; the Mail reported that Gyokeres and Merino were making their first Premier League starts of the campaign. Zubimendi, who started 34 of 38 league matches last season, was among the substitutes again.

Arsenal return to action on Tuesday, when they travel to Fleetwood Town in the Carabao Cup.

Photo: Ronnie Macdonald from Chelmsford, United Kingdom via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0, resized.