Gyokeres' Penalty Heroics Send Arsenal Back to Premier League Top Spot for Christmas

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Arsenal's Viktor Gyokeres ended a long drought from the penalty spot, scoring a stoppage-time winner that sent the Gunners back to the top of the Premier League with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Everton. The win, which came despite an unconvincing performance, restored Arsenal's two-point advantage over Manchester City. Mikel Arteta's side had been usurped at the top of the table earlier on Saturday, but Gyokeres' crucial penalty in the 90th minute secured a third Christmas at the top of the table in four years for Arsenal. However, the team's title aspirations may be threatened by the gulf in class between their striker and Manchester City's Erling Haaland, who scored his 38th goal of the season in a 3-0 win over West Ham. Gyokeres' goal was a result of a series of events that saw Jake O'Brien handle Declan Rice's corner, leading to a penalty being awarded. Bukayo Saka, Arsenal's normal penalty taker, stood aside to allow Gyokeres to take the spot-kick, which he successfully converted past Jordan Pickford. Despite failing to win their previous three Premier League road trips, Arsenal ran into Everton at the right time, with the Toffees missing three key players due to injury and international duty. The Gunners' victory was secured despite struggling to kill the game off, with Everton's lack of quality in the final third evident throughout the match. The win marked a ninth clean sheet in 17 league games for Arsenal, with Arteta granted the gift he wanted to mark his sixth anniversary in charge of the club.