London, Dec 21 (NationPress) Arsenal has secured the top position in the Premier League this Christmas after a challenging 1-0 victory against Everton on Saturday.

A powerful penalty from Viktor Gyokeres in the 27th minute, awarded due to a handball by Jake O'Brien, was enough to clinch the win for Arsenal, keeping them ahead of Manchester City, who had earlier applied pressure on Mikel Arteta's squad, as reported by Xinhua.

Erling Haaland scored two goals as Manchester City comfortably defeated West Ham United 3-0. The Norwegian started the scoring in the fifth minute, assisted Tijjani Reijnders to extend the lead before halftime, and netted his second in the 69th minute.

Newcastle United might feel disheartened after only managing a draw at home against Chelsea. Nick Woltemade had given them a 2-0 advantage within 20 minutes, scoring a rebound early and then contributing to another goal.

After halftime, Chelsea improved their performance, with Reece James netting a free kick and Joao Pedro equalizing after a long ball.

Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike both found the net as Liverpool triumphed 2-1 against Tottenham, who played with 10 men following a red card for Xavi Simons.

Richarlison scored for Spurs in the 83rd minute, but they finished the match with nine players after Cristian Romero was sent off in injury time.

However, Liverpool faced a setback with an injury to Isak, likely sidelining him for the Christmas fixtures, while Mohamed Salah is already participating in the Africa Cup of Nations.

Sunderland managed to hold off the loss of five players to the Africa Cup of Nations, finishing with a 0-0 draw against Brighton, while Bournemouth drew 1-1 at home with Burnley, who ended a seven-game losing streak thanks to a last-minute header from Armando Broja.

Leeds United dominated Crystal Palace 4-1, moving away from the relegation zone with two goals from Dominic Calvert-Lewin, along with contributions from Ethan Ampadu and Anton Stach.

Lastly, Wolverhampton Wanderers, currently at the bottom, faced another defeat at home against Brentford, with Keane Lewis-Potter scoring twice to improve Brentford's away record.