Mikel Arteta hailed Arsenal's ability to solve problems after they overcame a hesitant start to thrash Everton 4-0 at the Emirates Stadium, moving five points clear at the Premier League summit.
Arsenal were kept quiet for 40 minutes on Wednesday by Sean Dyche's Toffees – who inflicted a surprise 1-0 defeat on the Gunners less than a month ago, but the floodgates opened with a quickfire double before the break.
Bukayo Saka hammered home the opener before Gabriel Martinelli got the second, with both men reaching double figures for Premier League goals this term to put Arsenal in control.
Skipper Martin Odegaard then added a third before Martinelli clinched his brace late on, dealing Everton their heaviest league defeat since they were thrashed 5-1 on the same ground last season.
The comprehensive victory saw Arsenal put daylight between themselves and second-placed Manchester City, and Arteta was delighted by the way his team grew into the game.
"I'm happy, we won in a convincing way after 20 or 25 minutes in the first half where we had some difficulties attacking that block, with the really good organisation they have," Arteta told Sky Sports.
"We were getting a little bit frustrated and allowed them to run in transition in a few moments.
"But afterwards we got control of the game, we scored two goals in perfect time, I would say, just before the break.
"Then the second half was really convincing, the way we attacked them, the composure in the box to score the goals that we wanted… I'm really happy.
"Everton posed some real questions – especially with how we could attack against that block, as they are really good at that.
"But we also had to not give them a licence to grow into the game, to play close to our goal and produce set-pieces, and I think we did that really well."
Arsenal's victory made them the first team in English league history to record 100 wins against a specific opponent, while they have also hit four or more goals in 12 separate Premier League fixtures against Everton – more than any other team has done against another.
McKenna fired up for 'biggest game in world football' against Man United
Kieran McKenna believes Ipswich Town's Premier League clash with Manchester United will be the "biggest game in world football" this weekend.
United are in action under new manager Ruben Amorim for the first time since the Portuguese officially replaced Arne Slot as head coach.
While plenty of focus is on the visitors at Portman Road, Ipswich are fired up after beating Tottenham 2-1 before the international break.
That was Ipswich's first league win of the season – and their first in the Premier League in 22 years – and now attention turns to facing United.
McKenna, who previously coached United, said at a fan event this week: "Sunday, what a game. It's one we're really, really looking forward to.
"Not for the personal connection, but as manager of Ipswich Town, to be on that stage, it's what we've worked so hard for.
"It's the biggest game in world football anywhere this weekend, the biggest game in the world in the biggest sport in the world and it's at Portman Road."
Ipswich's surprise win at Tottenham last time out moved them up to 17th, while United are 13th after beating Leicester City 3-0 in Ruud van Nistelrooy's final game in caretaker charge.
Amorim took his first training session on Monday, albeit with many first-team stars away on international duty, and the former Sporting CP boss believes his style of play will be clear to see from the off.
"I think you will see an idea," he told the club's website. "You could like it or not, I don't know, but you will see an idea.
"You will see a positioning. You will see something that we want to reach that kind of level. You will feel that.
"We have to know it's [only] two trainings before the first match. This is the best league in the world. But if I have to say something to you, [it's that] you will see an idea. This I can guarantee."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ipswich Town - Liam Delap
Delap scored what proved to be Ipswich's winner against Tottenham and has now netted six of his side's 12 Premier League goals this term.
That makes the Manchester City academy product one of only three players to have scored at least half of his side's goals in the competition this season, along with Erling Haaland at City (55%) and Chris Wood at Nottingham Forest (53%).
Manchester United - Alejandro Garnacho
Garnacho was among the scorers against Leicester two weeks ago and has now been directly involved in 20 Premier League goals for United (13 goals and seven assists).
The Argentina international is one of only two non-British players to reach that figure for United before turning 21, along with Cristiano Ronaldo (25 goals).
MATCH PREDICTION: MANCHESTER UNITED WIN
Ipswich are seeking back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since February 2022, with that run also beginning with a 2-1 victory against Tottenham.
The Tractor Boys are the only side in the competition without a home win this season. Only five newly promoted clubs have failed to win any of their first six home matches, all of whom went back down.
United have won 17 of their past 19 Premier League games against newly promoted opponents, meanwhile, including nine wins in a row in away fixtures.
The Red Devils were 1-0 winners on their most recent league trip to Portman Road in April 2022, but only once have they won successive league games away to Ipswich.
However, the Tractor Boys have lost four of their past five league matches against Man United, failing to score in each of those losses.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Ipswich Town - 22.2%
Draw - 23%
Manchester United - 54.8%
Slot deserves praise for modest approach to Liverpool job – Mills
Arne Slot deserves praise for not being "arrogant" with his approach to succeeding Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool boss, according to Danny Mills.
The Dutchman has made a hugely positive start to life at Anfield since replacing long-serving Klopp ahead of the 2024-25 season.
The 28 points Slot has collected is the joint-most of any manager in their opening 11 Premier League games along with Guus Hiddink at Chelsea.
Liverpool's only blemish on an otherwise perfect start to the top-flight campaign was a 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest in September.
Indeed, only in 2019-20 (31 points) have Liverpool collected more points after 11 games of a Premier League season than their 28 this campaign.
Former Leeds United and Manchester City defender Mills has been particularly impressed by Slot's approach to a new era at Anfield.
"Arne Slot has surprised me," Mills told Stats Perform. "They did have a difficult defeat against Nottingham Forest at home. That was a defeat not many people saw that coming, but the start he's had is unbelievable. It's incredible.
"Training might be slightly different, but the style of play is very similar. The players are comfortable with it. They've been high-energy, closing people down, and playing at 100 miles an hour when they win the ball back.
"It shows managerial intelligence to understand the players' qualities and build on what they had when they were successful. He hasn't overthought it or tinkered too much.
"He hasn’t been arrogant and said, 'I'm going to rip it up and start fresh'. It wasn't broken; it was already successful. He's just added to it."
Liverpool won a first ever Premier League title during Klopp's eight-and-a-half years in charge, as well the Champions League in 2018-19.
Klopp also lifted the FA Cup, two EFL Cups, the UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup, setting a high benchmark to follow.
"Liverpool identified the man they wanted, brought him in, and he's been very clever," Mills added. "He looked at the squad and thought, 'these are good players. I don't need to change too much'.
"That's smart because Liverpool were very successful under Klopp. If you come in and rip up the playbook and it doesn't work, players will question why they're not doing what worked under Klopp."
Liverpool have conceded just six goals in the Premier League this season – four fewer than next-best Nottingham Forest.
They are conceding at a rate of around 0.5 goals per game, compared to around 1.1 in Klopp's final season in charge (41 goals in 38 matches).
"Slot has tweaked things slightly, maybe made them more defensively solid, which they needed to really challenge," Mills said. "Championship-winning or Champions League-winning teams are built on solid defences.
"You don't win without that. He's shored up the defence and allowed the players to continue doing what they were doing before."
Ndiaye targets spot in Everton's Goodison folklore
Iliman Ndiaye feels privileged to be part of the final Everton squad to play at Goodison Park, as the Toffees prepare to resume their Premier League campaign at home to Brentford.
Everton will leave Goodison for their new 52,000-seater stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock at the end of the 2024-25 season.
A run of one defeat in seven matches (two wins, four draws) has boosted the Toffees' hopes of surviving the current campaign in the top flight, and Ndiaye – a pre-season arrival from Marseille – says being part of club history was a key attraction when he joined.
"Obviously, I wanted to be part of that history of playing in the last-ever season at Goodison Park," Ndiaye told the club's website.
"So many things have happened here, it's full of history and we are the last players to represent this club here, so it's important we give everything we have.
"Then, the new stadium that is coming, I think that excites everyone. It's seriously impressive.
"The players who have been here for a long time and the players who have just arrived, I know we are all ready to give more than 100% to have the best season possible and go into the new stadium in a good place."
Brentford are six points clear of Everton in 11th, just three points adrift of Manchester City in third, though all their 16 points have been won on home turf.
Sepp van den Berg has played in nine of their 11 Premier League games this term after arriving from Liverpool, and the defender has heaped praise upon Thomas Frank for making him feel welcome.
"For me, Brentford was one of the first clubs interested and, as well as getting the chance to play in the Premier League and live in London, it was speaking with Thomas Frank," he said.
"The first meeting we had, he was asking me some straight questions: 'Why do you want to play for Brentford? Why do we need you at Brentford?' It was so direct, it was like a proper job interview!
"Of course, the football part has to be right as well – and it was. But Thomas just made me feel like I was really wanted here."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Everton – Jarrad Branthwaite
Since the start of last season, Everton have a win percentage of 35% and have earned 1.3 points per game in the Premier League when Branthwaite starts, compared to a 17% win percentage and 0.8 points-per-game without him in their starting XI.
Indeed, the Toffees have lost just one of the last eight league games in which he has started (five wins, two draws). The England international made his first start since August last time out in their goalless at West Ham, which was a massive boost for Dyche.
Brentford – Bryan Mbeumo
Only Mohamed Salah (14), Erling Haaland (12), Cole Palmer (12) and Bukayo Saka (10) have been directly involved in more Premier League goals this season than Mbeumo (nine – eight goals, one assist).
He has, though, played more minutes without a goal involvement in the competition against Everton than any other side (528 – 13 shots, five chances created). He will be determined to set that record straight at Goodison Park.
MATCH PREDICTION – EVERTON WIN
This match should offer an interesting clash of styles. Only Crystal Palace (0.089) average a lower xG per shot figure than Everton (0.093) in the Premier League this season, while Brentford are the side with the highest xG per shot in 2024-25 (0.149).
The Bees have seen 44 goals scored across their 11 Premier League games so far this season (22 for, 22 against), the most of any side.
Indeed, only Newcastle United in 1999-00 and Arsenal in 2011-12 have both scored and conceded 20+ goals in fewer games from the start of a campaign in the competition (10).
Brentford have, however, lost all five of their Premier League away games this season; only in 1924-25 and 1961-62 (both nine) have they ever lost each of their opening six or more away matches of a league campaign.
Everton have lost only two of their last 10 Premier League games at Goodison Park (six wins, two draws), while they also have three straight wins against Brentford in the competition, after failing to win any of their first three against them (one draw, two defeats).
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Everton – 40.5%
Brentford – 32.5%
Draw – 26.9%
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