Slick Arsenal ends United’s long unbeaten run
LONDON (Reuters) – Arsenal scored twice in three minutes through Granit Xhaka and Danny Welbeck to claim a deserved 2-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday and inflict a first Premier League defeat on the Red Devils in 26 games.
The victory at the Emirates Stadium keeps sixth-place Arsenal’s hopes of a top-four finish alive, but the Gunners remain six points adrift of Manchester City, which currently occupies the final Champions League qualifying slot, with one game in hand.
The win also takes Arsenal within two points of fifth-place United, which stayed four points behind Manchester City having played the same number of games as its local rival.
For all of United manager Jose Mourinho’s pre-match bluster about fielding a weakened team, his only concession to youth was 19-year-old Axel Tuanzebe, who made his league debut.
Everything else was familiar with United under orders to produce the sort of bodies behind the ball performance that makes them so hard to beat.
But the Red Devils were undone after the break with Xhaka’s 25-metre shot looping up off Ander Herrera to catch out ’keeper David De Gea after 54 minutes and then Welbeck heading the second against his former side from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cross.
The win was Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger’s first over Jose Mourinho in a league game.
Liverpool misses penalty in draw
Earlier on Sunday, James Milner missed a penalty as Liverpool was held to a 0-0 home draw by Southampton in a blow to the Reds’ hopes of finishing in the top four and securing a place in next season’s Champions League.
Phillippe Coutinho returned from the leg injury that saw him limp out of Monday’s 1-0 win over Watford, but Liverpool struggled to spark offensively against Southampton’s resolute defense.
The host was handed a lifeline in the second half when referee Robert Madley pointed to the spot after Southampton defender Jack Stephens handled the ball in the box, but Fraser Forster got down smartly to his right to keep out Milner’s spot kick.
Forster also tipped substitute Marko Grujic’s late header over, leaving Liverpool third in the table on 70 points, a point clear of fourth-place Manchester City, which has a game in hand.