Arsenal topple Man United, Liverpool win
Soaked by the rain swirling around Arsenal’s stadium, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer watched helplessly as his dream Premier League start as Manchester United manager was brought to a halt yesterday.
After 12 unbeaten matches across three months since Jose Mourinho’s firing, United finally lost in the league under the interim manager.
Granit Xhaka’s swerving – potentially wind-assisted – strike flew past goalkeeper David De Gea in the first half. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted a second-half penalty to give Arsenal a 2-0 victory after Alexandre Lacazette was bundled over in the penalty area by Fred.
‘‘You have to be disappointed with the result,’’ said Solskjaer, who had 10 wins and two draws in the league. ‘‘But Aston Villa’s Jack Grealish had the last laugh yesterday by netting the winning goal in a 1-0 derby win over Birmingham City after he was attacked on the pitch by a fan. A man was arrested for punching the midfielder in the first half of the Birmingham derby in the second-tier English Championship. The man, who was wearing a Birmingham City jacket, ran on to the pitch from the home section of the club’s St Andrew’s stadium. He then blew kisses to the crowd as he was led away by stewards.
the performance, as you say, was a good one.’’
Arsenal and United were once slugging it out for the title in the era of Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. Now they are in a chase for fourth place.
Arsenal displaced United in the final Champions League qualification spot, sitting two points in front.
The title challenge is down to two teams, and Liverpool trimmed Manchester City’s lead back to a point after coming from behind to beat Burnley 4-2.
Chelsea, who won the title two years ago, remain in sixth place after being held 1-1 by Wolverhampton but are only one point behind United.
‘‘I don’t think nerves go into it yet. Tottenham Hotspur lose [at Southampton on Sunday], we lose, Chelsea draw,’’ Solskjaer said. ‘‘It is going to be down to the wire. Down to the last few games. Definitely. We’ve given ourselves a great chance to be in that fight.’’