LONDON (Interstat) — Arsenal opened its Premier League campaign with a commanding 2-0 victory over Everton on Saturday at Emirates Stadium, though the scoreline belied a tense affair that was decided by two late goals in a dramatic finale.

The match, played before a capacity crowd in Islington, was a story of patience and precision finally breaking down a stubborn Everton defense. For 88 minutes, the visiting Toffees frustrated the home side, adhering to a disciplined defensive structure that largely nullized Arsenal’s attacking threats. The game seemed destined to fulfill the pre-match projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which had forecast a 1-1 draw.

That narrative shattered in the 89th minute. Arsenal’s Swedish forward Viktor Gyökeres, the club’s marquee offseason acquisition, announced his arrival in the Premier League with a decisive breakthrough. He found space in the area and finished clinically to send the home supporters into delirium, scoring his first league goal for the club and breaking the deadlock.

Any hope Everton had of scrambling for an equalizer was extinguished in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time. Midfielder Max Dowman, a product of Arsenal’s academy, sealed the three points with a well-taken goal just moments before the final whistle. The sequence provided a perfect encapsulation of the match: Arsenal’s persistent pressure finally yielding a reward.

The result was a stark contrast to the pre-match analytics from Interstat, which, despite giving Arsenal a 92.90 percent probability to win, had predicted a lower-scoring draw. Instead, Mikel Arteta’s side turned its overwhelming possession and territorial advantage into a victory that felt more comfortable on the ledger than it did for long stretches of the match.

With the win, Arsenal begins its season with a perfect record of one win and no losses in the Premier League. The Gunners also move to one win and no losses across all competitions. For Sean Dyche’s Everton, the defeat marks a difficult start, as the Merseyside club now stands at zero wins and one loss both in the league and overall this season.

The performance of Gyökeres, who was involved in the critical moment, will be a major positive for Arsenal as they look to build momentum early in the season. Dowman’s contribution off the bench also highlighted the depth available to Arteta. Everton, while organized defensively for the majority of the contest, will rue its inability to create meaningful chances or see out the final minutes, leaving London empty-handed.