MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Manchester City’s perfect start to the Premier League ended in a 2-1 loss at Aston Villa, allowing Arsenal to move level on points atop the standings on Saturday.
asserted
Arsenal → end → Saturday
Also, Tottenham sealed its second win this week by beating 10-man Chelsea 2-0.
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Tottenham → seal → Chelsea
Nicolas Jackson scored both goals for Villa against a City that was aiming for an eighth straight league win.
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that → score → win
Victory extended Villa’s outstanding recent run to six wins from seven games in all competitions.
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Victory → extend → competitions
“It is incredible,” Jackson said.
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Jackson → say → ?
“It was difficult but we got the win and that is the most important thing.
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that → get → win
Now we can focus on the next one.”
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we → focus → one
After City’s defeat in the early kickoff, defending champion Arsenal took advantage by beating Everton 2-0 at Emirates Stadium.
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Arsenal → defend → Stadium
Ezri Konsa and Gabriel Magalhaes scored in each half for Mikel Arteta’s team, which is second on goal difference.
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which → score → difference
Spurs, without a league win until Monday against Coventry, followed that with a rare victory at Stamford Bridge.
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Spurs → follow → Bridge
Chelsea goalkeeper Mike Penders inadvertently punched the ball into his own net and gave Spurs the lead and Cole Palmer was sent off soon after.
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Palmer → punch → lead
Tottenham’s win was sealed late by Mathys Tel.
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win → seal → Tel
Meanwhile, Fulham beat Coventry 1-0.
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Fulham → beat → Coventry
Arsenal ends unlikely run
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Arsenal → end → run
Konsa scored his first goal for Arsenal since joining from Villa at the start of the season and ended the champion’s run of 13 games without scoring from a set-piece.
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Konsa → score → piece
Last season’s title victory relied heavily on Arsenal’s scoring efficiency from corners, in particular, but Konsa’s scrambled goal after seven minutes was its first in any competition this term, excluding penalties.
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goal → rely → penalties
“A goal from a set-piece has felt like it has been coming.
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it → feel → piece
Today was the day,” Konsa said.
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Konsa → say → ?
Gabriel was also on target, heading in the second in the 68th for his first of the campaign.
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Gabriel → head → campaign
After showing its Champions League credentials with a 2-2 draw at Bayern Munich midweek, Arsenal strengthened its title defense with victory against Everton to move to neck and neck with City, with just goal difference separating them.
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difference → show → them
“We’re very happy with the victory, the performance and the week, because we were given a terrible schedule,” Arteta said.
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Arteta → ’re → schedule
“We just have to focus on what we can do, and we’re very pleased with 90% of the performances and results.”
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we → have → performances
Emery a ‘tactical genius’
Villa is rapidly climbing the standings after a desperate start to the campaign saw it fail to win its opening four games and picked up just one point.
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it → climb → point
The difficult start was understandable after a hugely disruptive offseason when a raft of star players left the club including Morgan Rogers, Ollie Watkins, Konsa, Emi Martinez and Youri Tielemans.
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raft → leave → Rogers
Unai Emery, who transformed the club from relegation battler to Champions League contender, was forced to rebuild a team that won the Europa League last season, and has done that in double-quick time.
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that → transform → time
He fired the opener inside six minutes at Villa Park.
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He → fire → Park
Erling Haaland headed City level in the second half, but Jackson got his second and the winner with a first-time finish that squirmed under goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma.
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that → head → Donnarumma
City fell to a fourth defeat at Villa Park in as many seasons.
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City → fall → seasons
Especially against Man City at our place we have been really good,” Villa defender Matty Cash said.
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Cash → say → place
“He always has a plan for something and is always coming up with new ideas.
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He → have → ideas
When you play against top teams you have to adapt and we did that today.”
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we → play → that
Maresca not so perfect now
Maresca said City would learn lessons from its first league defeat.
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City → say → defeat
The Italian enjoyed a perfect start in England’s top flight since succeeding Pep Guardiola in the offseason.
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Italian → enjoy → offseason
Villa joined Arsenal and European champion Paris Saint-Germain as the only teams to beat City in any competition this season.
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Villa → join → competition
“I don’t think we deserved to lose today, but we lost,” Maresca said.
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Maresca → think → ?
“You can always learn something.”
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You → learn → something
Bottom of the standings at the start of the week, Tottenham climbed to 12th after a victory at fierce London rival Chelsea.
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Tottenham → climb → Chelsea
After steering Spurs clear of relegation at the end of last season, coach Roberto De Zerbi might have earned the standout result of his short reign — only Tottenham’s second victory at Stamford Bridge in 36 years.
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Zerbi → steer → years
“It’s a big moment for the fans, for the club, for the players also.
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It → ’ → players
They deserve this win,” De Zerbi said.
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Zerbi → deserve → win
…and 6 more, not listed.
The Aporia
