Arsenal beat Brighton 2-0 on Sunday to knock Liverpool out of the top of the Premier League as Jurgen Klopp's men prepared for a blockbuster clash against struggling Manchester United. Aston Villa, fresh from potentially season-defining wins against Manchester City and Arsenal, came from behind to beat Brentford 2-1, while West Ham crushed Wolves 3-0. Mikel Arteta's Arsenal, runners-up to City last season, dominated in the Emirates and squandered a series of openings, but finally broke through in the 53rd minute. Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke jumped to head away a corner but could only tap the ball into the path of Gabriel Jesus, who headed the ball into an empty net.
Kai Havertz doubled the Gunners' lead in the closing minutes, beating goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen after being found by Eddie Nketiah.
“Incredible performance,” Arteta told the BBC. “A pleasure to watch from beginning to end. The way we did against this very good team.
“Even at half-time the score didn't reflect that. We fully deserved to win the game.”
Across London, Unai Emery's Villa fell behind just before half time due to a goal from Keane Lewis-Potter.
However, Brentford's Ben Mee was sent off in the 71st minute and six minutes later Villa were level when Alex Moreno got on the end of Leon Bailey's cross.
Ollie Watkins completed the turnaround against his old club when he headed in Boubacar Kamara's ball from a corner five minutes before the end.
Kamara was sent off in the closing minutes for violent behavior.
Villa now has 38 points from 17 games, one behind Arsenal and one ahead of Liverpool, who kick off later in the day.
Mohammed Kudus scored twice and Lucas Paqueta provided all three assists at the London Stadium as West Ham put last week's 5-0 thrashing of Fulham behind them.
The Ghanaian forward scored midway through the first period after a quick counter-attack and finished strongly after being found by the impressive Paqueta.
West Ham doubled their lead in the 32nd minute, when Paqueta and Kudus again had a deadly effect and top scorer Jarrod Bowen hit the post with goalkeeper Dan Bentley a bystander.
Wolves thought they had scored a goal back just before the hour mark, but Pablo Sarabia's tap was disallowed for marginal offside.
West Ham put the result beyond doubt when Bowen drove flawlessly after receiving the ball from Paqueta.
On Saturday, Manchester City blew a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2 with Roy Hodgson's Crystal Palace before heading to Saudi Arabia to play in the Club World Cup.
It means Liverpool could move six points clear of the defending champions if they beat struggling United at Anfield in the late afternoon.
Erik ten Hag's men, who suffered a 7-0 defeat at Anfield last season, have lost 12 of their 24 games in all competitions this season.
With the exception of last season's 2-1 win at Old Trafford, United's recent record against Liverpool is poor: they have lost four of their past five meetings, conceding 21 goals in the process.
United captain Bruno Fernandes has been suspended, while the out-of-form Marcus Rashford was once again left on the bench.
Saturday's Premier League action was overshadowed by a shocking incident at Bournemouth, where Luton captain Tom Lockyer suffered cardiac arrest, forcing the match to be abandoned.
Luton confirmed that Lockyer responded before being taken to hospital and was in a “stable” condition. In an update on Sunday, the club said he was undergoing tests and scans.
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