Arsenal Moves to Premier League Summit as Arteta Urges Team to Learn from Wins
Arsenal reclaimed the top spot in the Premier League after a narrow 1-0 victory over Everton at Goodison Park on December 20, 2025. Swedish forward Viktor Gyokeres scored the decisive goal from the penalty spot, marking his first strike since November 1, helping the Gunners move two points ahead of Manchester City.
Despite the win, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta emphasized the need for his team to improve their game management. Following a tense stoppage-time win against Wolves last weekend, Arteta admitted that the team again faced a challenging 96 minutes on Merseyside, even against a weakened Everton side. “The margin should have been bigger. We have to learn while we are winning,” Arteta remarked after the match.
Everton struggled to pose a real threat, although they appealed for a penalty in the second half after William Saliba caught Thierno Barry in the box. Manager David Moyes highlighted the team’s lack of a striker, pointing out that they had created chances but failed to score. “You can play as well as you like and do good things, but we need to get some goals. The effort and spirit were there, but we lacked the quality to challenge Arsenal more effectively,” Moyes said.
This marks the third time in four years that Arteta’s Arsenal side has topped the Premier League table on Christmas Day. On the previous two occasions, Manchester City managed to overtake them, with Pep Guardiola’s side currently riding a seven-game winning streak across all competitions.
Arteta, however, praised his players’ consistency and resilience, noting that maintaining high-level performance in the Premier League is particularly challenging. “It gives me belief and confidence in the performances and consistency of the team. That is very difficult to do in this league and it shows the team is constantly there,” he said.
Everton were missing key attacking players, including Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall due to injury and Iliman Ndiaye, who joined the Africa Cup of Nations. Moyes lamented the absence of goals in the last two matches and stressed the importance of having a reliable striker to turn performances into points.
Arsenal now heads into the festive period with momentum and a small advantage at the top, but Arteta’s message is clear: continue learning and improving while in the lead.
