Mikel Arteta’s Gunners were strongly tipped to get the better of the visitors, who have not won in the league since August, but were made to sweat despite dominating the match. Manchester City can close the gap to three points if they beat struggling Nottingham Forest in the late kick-off as they seek to avoid a third straight defeat. Arsenal beat stubborn Hull 1-0 to stretch their lead at the top of the Premier League to six points on Saturday while Tottenham’s recent revival was halted by Leeds. Captain Martin Odegaard finally broke the deadlock for the champions and title favourites in the 72nd minute to give Arsenal their ninth win in 10 league games.
Arsenal, who bossed possession at the Emirates, had a claim for a penalty in the closing minutes of the first half after Kai Havertz had his shirt pulled by Nobel Mendy. But VAR ruled that the German forward was in an offside position in the build-up. Frustration mounted as the second half unfolded but Odegaard came to Arsenal’s rescue, scoring his first goal since early September with a poacher’s finish.
Elsewhere, Jacob Murphy put Newcastle on course for a much-needed win with a spectacular strike in the 80th minute at Craven Cottage but substitute Rodrigo Muniz levelled just three minutes later to earn a 1-1 draw. The Etihad club are still waiting to discover their fate after being found guilty of more than 100 breaches of Premier League financial rules — with a huge points deduction one potential punishment.
