Villa Beat City; Arsenal Stretch Lead

Arsenal stretched their lead as Eberechi Eze — signed from Crystal Palace in a reported £60m move — volleyed in from a Declan Rice free-kick to secure a 1-0 win, while Bournemouth’s 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest moved them to second and left Arsenal with a healthy cushion. Matty Cash struck from the edge of the box to give Aston Villa a 1-0 win over Manchester City at Villa Park, Villa’s fourth straight league victory and a timely way to mark Unai Emery’s third anniversary. Erling Haaland was kept largely quiet, his scoring run ended and a late effort that looked to have levelled was ruled out for offside. Pep Guardiola questioned whether the corner that led to Villa’s winner should have been awarded, sparking post-match debate. The results leave City fourth, six points behind leaders Arsenal, with Villa rising into the top seven; Arsenal will monitor second-half injuries to Declan Rice and William Saliba.