fbpx

EPL: Arsenal overpower Man United

Arsenal kept alive their Champions League qualification hopes and heaped more embarrassment on a below par Manchester United side by beating them 3-1. 

Cristiano Ronaldo, who came back to the squad after taking a leave to mourn the death of his newborn son, bagged his 100th Premier League goal.

But, it wasn’t enough for the Red Devils to salvage anything from their trip to the Emirates. 

Goals from Nuno Tavares, Bukayo Saka, and Granit Xhaka were enough to seal a vital victory that took the Gunners to the fourth spot ahead of Tottenham’s visit to Brentford. 

Arsenal dominate from start

Arsenal got a golden opportunity to break the deadlock early in the game when Raphael Varane failed to clear an Emile Smith Rowe cross and the ball went straight to Bukayo Saka.

David de Gea kept out Saka’s strike but he could not do anything to deny Nuno Tavares’s rebound shot. 

Eddie Nketiah found De Gea in an isolated position later in the first half, but he could not find a way past the Spanish custodian.

Minutes later Nketiah did put the ball on the back of the net, but the VAR ruled it offside. 

However, video officials found Alex Telles guilty of bringing down Saka inside the penalty box and awarded the home side a penalty.

Saka kept his calm and gave Arsenal a two-goal cushion right by the half hour mark. 

Ronaldo strikes for United

United responded immediately through Ronaldo as the Portugal international managed to overpower Tavares and Gabriel to reach a Nemanja Matic cross and send it past Aaron Ramsdale to cut the deficit short. 

Manchester United had a few good attempts before they scored the goal, and after Ronaldo brought them back in the game, they stepped up their efforts.

The Arsenal backline was looking nervy and the United attackers managed to force them into making a few mistakes. 

United’s attacking threat persisted after the break with Diogo Dalot forcing Ramsdale into making a fantastic save and Ronaldo’s second goal ruled offside by inches.

Penalty miss by Bruno

Bruno Fernandes made a rare penalty miss and squandered an easy chance to draw the scores level. 

Man United were growing in confidence and started to pile up the pressure on Arsenal defence.

Granit Xhaka’s long range strike tipped the balance towards Arsenal’s favour once again and the North Londoners managed the game well afterwards to see out a crucial win. 

Manchester United put on a far more impressive display than their disastrous 4-0 defeat at Anfield.

But, they could not capitalise on their chances and allowed the hosts to walk away with all three points. 

United’s Top four chances fade

The fourth successive away defeat pushed Man United six points away from the top four with only four matches to play.

Arsenal moved three points clear of their North London rivals Tottenham, who were scheduled to take on Brentford later in the day. 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

You may Also Like

IPL 2023: Full list of fixtures and timings

The 16th edition of the Indian Premier League – IPL 2023 will kickstart on March 31. The first match will be between Gujarat Titans and...

Revealed: Julian Nagelsmann’s next club will be…

Julian Nagelsmann has been heavily linked with the Tottenham managerial position following the sacking of Antonio Conte on Sunday night. The German has only recently...

Shreyas Iyer ruled out of IPL, who will be KKR captain?

In a massive blow for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), their skipper Shreyas Iyer will miss the upcoming edition of the cash-rich league due to...

Highlights