Arsenal tightened their grip at the top of the English Premier League table after a convincing 3-0 victory over Sunderland at the Emirates Stadium, stretching their lead to nine points.

The Gunners, missing captain Martin Odegaard and vice-captain Bukayo Saka, still delivered a dominant display, with Swedish striker Viktor Gyokores scoring twice to underline his importance in the title chase.

Midfielder Martin Zubimendi opened the scoring in the 42nd minute with a superb strike that bounced in off the post, giving the hosts a deserved first-half lead against a resilient Sunderland side.

Gyokores doubled Arsenal’s advantage in the 66th minute, finishing neatly after being set up by Kai Havertz. The forward then grabbed his second of the match, tapping into an empty net from Gabriel Martinelli’s unselfish square pass to seal the comfortable win.

The result takes Mikel Arteta’s side to 56 points from 25 matches, nine points clear of second-placed Manchester City, who are yet to play, while Aston Villa dropped points in a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth.

Elsewhere, Chelsea continued their fine run of form with a 3-1 away win over Wolverhampton Wanderers, inspired by Cole Palmer’s first-half hat-trick. The midfielder set a new league mark by becoming the first player to score three first-half hat-tricks in EPL history. The victory marks Chelsea’s fourth consecutive league win.

Manchester United also recorded their fourth straight victory, defeating 10-man Tottenham Hotspur 2-0. Goals from Bryan Mbeumo and captain Bruno Fernandes, one in each half, secured the points for the Red Devils.

Fulham, despite taking the lead, fell to a 2-1 home defeat against Everton. Nigerian internationals Alex Iwobi and Samuel Chukwueze featured from the start but could not prevent the turnaround.

Match Results:

Manchester United 2-0 Tottenham

Arsenal 3-0 Sunderland

Bournemouth 1-1 Aston Villa

Fulham 1-2 Everton

Burnley 0-2 West Ham United