Arsenal extend lead in EPL

MANCHESTER, England:

The wins just keep on coming for Arsenal –and Liverpool’s losing streak is finally over.

Mikel Arteta’s team extended their lead at the top of the English Premier League (EPL) to seven points yesterday with a 2-0 victory against Burnley. Liverpool won by the same scoreline against Aston Villa to end a four-game losing run in England’s top flight.

It’s 13 wins from 15 games in all competitions for Arsenal after a flying start to the season that has only strengthened the belief they will end their long-running title drought.

Not since 2004 has the London club been crowned English champions – but they have quickly established themselves as the team to beat this season.

First-half goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Declan Rice at Turf Moor made it nine wins in a row and put further distance between Arsenal and the chasing pack.

“Every weekend, I know how important it is to win football matches,” Rice said. “I realise the position we’re in and what we can achieve as a club.”

Liverpool are third after victory at Anfield, with Mohamed Salah scoring his 250th goal for the club.

Manchester United missed the chance to move up to second, but maintained their recent unbeaten run by scoring late to salvage a 2-2 draw at Nottingham Forest.

Chelsea beat Tottenham 1-0 and bottom of the table Wolverhampton remain winless after yet another defeat – losing 3-0 to Fulham.

Crystal Palace beat Brentford 2-0 and Brighton won 3-0 against Leeds.

VICTORY AT LAST

Liverpool’s defence of the title has been shaken by a four-game losing run that has left them playing catch-up with Arsenal.

A home game against an Aston Villa team that beat Manchester City last week presented another serious challenge and, when Morgan Rogers hit the post early in the match, the home crowd might have feared the worst.

That was until a misplaced pass by Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez gifted Salah the opening goal in first-half stoppage time. His 250th for the club was one of the easiest – sliding a first-time shot into an open net. Salah became only the third Liverpool player to reach that landmark – joining club greats Roger Hunt and Ian Rush.

In the second half, Ryan Gravenberch’s deflected shot effectively killed off any potential fightback from Villa.

Liverpool moved up to third in the standings – seven points behind Arsenal.

DEFENSIVE MASTERCLASS

Another win and another clean sheet for an Arsenal team that has by far the meanest defence in the league.

Victory at Burnley was the seventh straight shutout for the London club, which have only conceded three goals all term. This was also the third time in the league this season that Arsenal denied their opponents any shots on target.

Crucially, the goals are flowing at the other end and summer signing Viktor Gyokeres scored his sixth of the season to put Arsenal in front with a 14th-minute header from close range. Rice doubled the lead in the 35th with another header low into the corner.

“We knew it was going to be a tough test, but we had to stick to our principles,” Rice said. “In the end, our quality shone through.”

AP