Greenwood shines as Man Utd routs Bournemouth
MANCHESTER: Manchester United’s threepronged attack combined to devastating effect as it crushed Bournemouth 52 in the English Premier League yesterday to move into the top four and stretch its unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions.
Mason Greenwood shone with two superb goals while Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and playmaker Bruno Fernandes added one each for United, which briefly climbed into fourth place on 55 points from 33 games before Chelsea’s win over Watford.
Bournemouth, which has now lost 17 of its past 22 league games, stayed 19th on 27 points and faces a mountain to climb if it is to avoid relegation from the top flight.
Rashford, who scored his 20th goal of the season in all competitions and the first since the league resumed on June 17 following a threemonth break due to the Covid19 pandemic, was delighted.
‘‘The lads enjoyed it today,’’ Rashford told BT Sport.
‘‘Definitely exciting times. It doesn’t matter who scores as long as we are scoring and picking up points in the table.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard said his team must embrace the pressure in its remaining matches as it looks to secure a topfour finish and qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Firsthalf goals from Olivier Giroud and Willian and a late strike from Ross Barkley earned Lampard’s fourthplaced team a comfortable 30 victory over struggling Watford.
It was the perfect response to Chelsea’s 32 defeat at London rival West Ham United in its previous match.
‘‘Every game is going to be pressure now. West Ham was pressure because we knew we could go third. It’s a different kind of pressure. But it’s still the same; it’s how you focus on the game and the job in hand,’’ Lampard said.
Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal’s willingness to ‘‘suffer’’ will bring the good times back to the north London club.
His side’s 20 win at inform Wolverhampton Wanderers yesterday was arguably the best result since Arteta replaced Unai Emery in December and put it seventh in the league.
It was Arsenal’s third successive victory and means the side is still in the hunt for a European spot.
Youngster Bukayo Saka’s first Premier League goal and a late effort from Alexandre Lacazette sealed the points, but it was a disciplined show from the Gunners that caught the eye — a far cry from some of the feeble displays earlier in the season.
‘‘I’m delighted with the performance, the shift that the players put in, the energy that we played [with], the fight for every single ball from the first minute to the last from every single player who touched that grass,’’ Arteta said.
Arsenal is six points behind fifthplaced Manchester United with a topfive finish possibly bringing Champions League qualification this season. Fourthplaced Chelsea is eight ahead of the Arteta’s side.
Jamie Vardy netted his 100th Premier League goal as Leicester City notched its first victory since the league resumed, beating Crystal Palace 30 to keep up its drive for Champions League football next season.
‘‘I will wait until the end of the season when I can reflect on things. We have a game in three days,’’ Vardy told the BBC when asked about his century, and he added that the afternoon had been something of an emotional roller coaster.
‘‘I’m always frustrated if I miss a chance. You want to score as many as possible, but to get the two goals and the three points is all you can ask for,’’ he said.
The result means Leicester remains third on the table, eight points behind Manchester City with five games remaining.
The Foxes are three points ahead of Manchester United and four ahead of Chelsea, while Crystal Palace is 13th on 42 points. — Reuters