Following the competition's brief winter break, the Premier League returned with a bang on Tuesday, with one team scoring after only 18 seconds and another after 21.
Arsenal's victory kept pressure on Liverpool at the top as they scored their goals much later.
Arsenal's frequently inept offense appeared to be in for another disappointing game until the second half, when goals from Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka helped the team overcome Nottingham Forest 2-1, move up to second place, and close the distance with first-place Liverpool to just two points.
Can Aston Villa continue to challenge for the crown as the season nears its end, or will Arsenal be able to?
This season, Unai Emery's team has come as quite the surprise, but a 3-1 loss to Newcastle at home hindered their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League, with Villa holding onto fourth position.
A total of 16 goals were scored in five games, with Luton striker Elijah Adebayo scoring three of them in a 4-0 thumping of Brighton to move his team out of the relegation zone.
In Sheffield United's 3-2 loss against Crystal Palace, Ben Brereton Diaz scored after 21 seconds, making Adebayo's goal the quickest of the game at just 18 seconds.
The other game on the first night of the league's midweek round ended in a 0-0 draw between Fulham and Everton.
Some have criticized Gabriel Jesus for not being the clinical finisher Arsenal may need to break through its 20-year Premier League title drought.
After heading over in the first half and blasting a shot against the post shortly after the restart, the Brazil striker was having another miserable game until he provided the motivation for the victory.
After receiving a pass from Oleksandr Zinchenko in the 65th, he drove goalward at a sharp angle and fired a shot that ricocheted off the heel of Forest goalkeeper Matt Turner, a former Arsenal player, and into the net.
The 72nd minute saw Jesus switch roles, leading a counterattack and transferring the ball to Saka, who took a touch and sent a right-footed shot into the bottom corner from just inside the box.
Taiwo Awoniyi, a substitute, scored for Forest in the 89th minute.
On Wednesday, Liverpool can regain its five-point advantage by defeating Chelsea at home.
Villa have not suffered a home loss since February of last year when they were defeated by Newcastle for the second time this season.
Fabian Schar gave Newcastle the lead with two goals in as many first-half minutes, while Alex Moreno added an own goal just after the intermission. Villa secured a point through Ollie Watkins, but if Tottenham defeats Brentford on Wednesday, they will tumble to fifth position.
Newcastle had dropped out of the top four after dropping six of its previous seven league games, but their win moved them up to seventh position, 11 points behind Villa.
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