London, Dec 4 (IANS) Mikel Merino’s powerful header and Bukayo Saka’s late strike gave Arsenal a 2-0 victory over Brentford to extend our unbeaten run to 18 matches in all competitions.

Merino kept up his scoring run with the opening goal in the 11th minute, and although it was not until stoppage time that Bukayo Saka made the points safe, Brentford failed to register a shot on target all game.

Good link-up play between Noni Madueke and Ben White allowed the full-back to find the Merino, who netted for the second game in a row.

As the game opened up late on, Saka latched onto Merino’s inch-perfect through ball to make it 2-0 and move Arsenal five points clear at the top of the Premier League table.

Leeds United stunned Chelsea with a 3-1 win at Elland Road, with Jaka Bijol and Ao Tanaka putting Daniel Farke’s side 2-0 up at halftime.

Pedro Neto got Chelsea back into the game in the 50th minute, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin sealed the win for Leeds in the 72nd minute.

Ollie Watkins scored twice as Aston Villa came back from 2-0 down to win a seven-goal thriller 4-3 away to Brighton and move third.

Brighton led 2-0 through Jan Paul van Hecke and a Pau Torres own goal, but Watkins had pulled one back before the break. Amadou Onana and Donyell Malen then looked to have assured the points by putting Aston Villa 4-2 ahead, before Van Hecke’s second of the game gave Brighton some late hope.

Florian Wirtz’s deflected shot saved a point for Liverpool in a 1-1 draw at home to Sunderland, with the visitors impressing and taking the lead thanks to Chemsdine Talbi’s 67th-minute goal after Virgil van Dijk got himself into trouble.

Daniel Munoz’s goal on the stroke of halftime gave Crystal Palace a 1-0 win away to a Burnley side that has now lost five consecutive games.

Nottingham Forest took a big step away from the bottom three with a 1-0 win away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, who remain rooted to the bottom with just two points all season.

–IANS

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