Arsenal moved level on points with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League on Saturday, thanks to a 2-0 win over Everton at the Emirates.

Perhaps in typical Mikel Arteta fashion, both goals came from the centre-backs. Ezri Konsa opened the scoring in the seventh minute with his first goal for the club, which was also Arsenal’s first set-piece goal of the season, before his partner headed in a second in the 68th minute. As a result, Arsenal did something for the first time in 986 days.

Speaking in his post-match interview, Konsa revealed he’d been waiting a while for his moment. “I’ve been waiting to score my first goal for a while,” he said. “I said to the set-piece coach before the game and he said he had been waiting for it as well. It was only right I got it today. A goal from a set piece has felt like it has been coming. Today was the day.”

But he was just as quick to praise the man alongside him.

Ezri Konsa full of praise for Gabriel

“I’m pleased for Gabriel,” Konsa said. “He is a top player and a top human. He has made my life easy since I joined the club and it is a pleasure to play alongside him.”

Gabriel Magalhaes had quite the afternoon. On his 200th Premier League appearance, he headed home Ben White’s cross for his first goal since January. He also made a goal-line clearance in the first half and shook off an injury scare early in the second.

Ezri Konsa arrived from Aston Villa in the summer to cover for the injured William Saliba, and the pair have clicked straight away. Arteta said last week that the win at Nottingham Forest “was not possible without them”, while Forest boss Oliver Glasner called them “possibly the best centre-back pairing in the world at the moment”.

They’ll face a much tougher test next Sunday, when Arsenal travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool.