11 points: Villa's third straight win over City caps 21-point tie at top

Arsenal closed the gap at the top of the Premier League on Saturday, finishing level with Manchester City on 21 points. The Gunners defeated Everton 2-0 at the Emirates Stadium in heavy rain. This result erased a three-point deficit after Manchester City lost their first league match of the season.

Manchester City fell 2-1 at Aston Villa, capping a campaign where they had previously remained unbeaten. Nicolas Jackson scored both goals for the visitors' hosts. His first goal came in the sixth minute after Marc Guehi's heavy touch allowed John McGinn to create the chance. The second goal arrived in the 60th minute, with Jackson finishing a cutback from Ibrahim Mbaye to beat Gianluigi Donnarumma. Erling Haaland had equalized for the visitors in the first half following a free-kick from Iliman Ndiaye.

Arsenal took an early lead in north London. Martin Odegaard delivered a corner that Jordan Pickford initially blocked, but Ezri Konsa scored from close range in the seventh minute. This marked the club's first set-piece goal in 13 games. The lead was secured in the 68th minute when Ben White crossed to Gabriel for a header, a goal that coincided with both players reaching the 200th match milestone for the club.

Aston Villa climbed to sixth place with 11 points, securing their third consecutive league victory over Manchester City. Unai Emery's team also improved their home record in the league this season. The result keeps the title race tight as both top sides await the outcome of City's financial appeal.

Manchester City are currently facing 114 alleged breaches of Premier League financial rules, a finding by an independent commission that the club has denied. Nicolas Jackson told TNT Sports that the team is working game by game, noting that the current situation is just the beginning.

In other Saturday results, Tottenham Hotspur defeated Chelsea 2-0 at Stamford Bridge. This was only the second league win for Spurs at that ground in 36 years. Mathys Tel scored the final goal in the 87th minute, while Chelsea's Cole Palmer was sent off in the 80th minute. Fulham also won 1-0 against Coventry City, with Oscar Bobb scoring in the 80th minute to lift the hosts to 13th place.

Both Arsenal and Manchester City now have 21 points after eight games. The next round of fixtures will determine if either team can break the deadlock at the summit of the table.