EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal travel to Everton looking to make it back-to-back wins and secure their Premier League top spot at Christmas, but Mikel Arteta has a tough few weeks to come
10:00, 20 Dec 2025
Mikel Arteta spoke about Viktor Gyokeres after Arsenal beat Wolves
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Mikel Arteta avoided 'disaster' ahead of the trip to Everton(Image: (Photo by Javier Garcia/Shutterstock))
Arsenal face a tough run coming up in the Premier League as Mikel Arteta's side look to retain their top spot for Christmas.
The Gunners travel to the Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday to face an Everton who have struggled to put a consistent run of results together, but have proved they pose a threat to anyone on their day.
A last-gasp escape against Wolves last weekend saved their blushes and returned them to the top of the table. But Manchester City and Aston Villa are breathing down their necks after the Gunners have picked up just seven points from a possible 12. Meanwhile, their two closest runs have won their previous four league matches.
Mikel Arteta praying
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Arsenal came close to squandering a priceless win vs Wolves(Image: Getty Images)
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star Sport via NetBet Online Casino, Arsenal legend Ray Parlour expressed his concerns that Pep Guardiola’s side are firmly back in the title race, and suggested had Arsenal slipped up against Wolves, City would have become the new favourites for the title.
“Man City are now starting to click into gear a little bit. Obviously Haaland and the players they've got have all started to make it work and look a better team now than they did early in the season,” he said.
“You've got to be wary of them because they're very experienced at winning titles and all that sort of stuff. But I still think Arsenal are favourites.
“It was a poor performance the other night against Wolves, but the most important thing is winning football matches, and I think Mikel will be relieved. He'd be angry really with the performance because it wasn't a great performance.
Pep Guardiola - Erling Haaland
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Manchester City are motoring heading towards Christmas(Image: SmartFrame/News Images)
"But on the other hand he'd be relieved that they didn't drop two points because he could easily have drawn that game and it would have been a disaster drawing with Wolves.
“I think it would have flip flopped to say Man City are favourites to win the league now. So they got the job done, but they've got some tricky games coming up.
“Everton away at the weekend is not an easy game. It's going to be similar to Villa, where the atmosphere is electric. They've got to go there and be hard to beat and try and nick one, but they've got options now.
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“They’ve got Jesus, and people like that coming back. It's going to be a big month. It's always a hard month, December, it's all about recovery. Next game, next game.
“But the injury list is getting bigger and, you know, that's a bit of a concern if you're a goal setter, especially defensively.
“It’s also a concern in the long run as well that these fitness issues are just coming up again.”