Arsenal down United to take title race to wire
Arsenal on Sunday kept their Premier League title dreams alive by ending an Old Trafford hoodoo to grind out a 1-0 win at Manchester United, moving back top of the table and taking the championship battle down to the final weekend.
Leandro Trossard scored the only goal on 20 minutes as Arsenal won for just the second time in 17 games away at United to go a point clear at the summit.
Manchester City still have the destiny of the title in their own hands as the defending champions have two matches left to Arsenal’s one.
However, the Gunners kept the pressure on Pep Guardiola’s men ahead of today’s tricky trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
“Our history wasn’t very optimistic [here], but we found a way to win it and that says a lot about how much the team wants it,” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said. “We want to knock that door and open that box of dreams to have in front of our people the opportunity to win the Premier League.”
Defeat further dented United’s chances of competing in Europe next season.
Erik ten Hag’s men showed more spirit than in a dismal 4-0 defeat to Crystal Palace on Monday last week, but have now won just one of their past eight Premier League games.
United remain eighth in the table, three points adrift of Newcastle United, who they face tomorrow, and Chelsea.
Arsenal have been in scintillating form this year to remain in the race for their first league title in 20 years. They have taken 46 from the past 51 available points to register a club record 27 wins in a Premier League season.
“It is a phenomenal thing they are doing,” Arteta said. “Winning I think encourages you to win more, to be better equipped and prepared to win in different contexts. Twenty-seven wins in the Premier League is the most in the history of this club. That is not progress, that is history. Big compliments to the players.”
However, Arsenal were far from their flowing best as the expected onslaught of an injury-ravaged Manchester United never materialized under unusually stifling heat in England’s northwest.
The manner of defeat at Palace had increased the scrutiny on Manchester United boss Ten Hag.
The Dutchman’s options were again hamstrung by a lengthy list of absentees with captain Bruno Fernandes among those sidelined and a bench littered with youngsters.
“It’s like trying to swim with your hands tied behind your back,” Ten Hag said of the injury crisis. “You see the fans are behind us. They fought with us. Today we gave them [something] back, but that should be the standard in every game. You see even when we miss seven starting players, we are competitive with one of the best teams in the league.”