Premier League aspirants Arsenal preserved their provisional lead over Manchester City at the top of the league rankings, courtesy of a 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon (May 12). Mikel Arteta’s side came out on top in the reverse fixture as well, beating them 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on September 3.
Leandro Trossard’s Goal Enough To Seal Arsenal Win At Manchester United
Having won their last four Premier League games, Arsenal came into Sunday’s mega bash in good form. Manchester United, meanwhile, had suffered an embarrassing 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace and were looking to produce a better showing in front of their fans. The scoreline suggests they performed better against one of the best teams in the league, but it does not paint an accurate picture of the gulf in quality between the two teams.
Arsenal moved the ball around much better than the hosts in the opening phase of the game and deservedly put their noses in front in the 20th minute. With Casemiro keeping him on, Kai Havertz had an abundance of space to run into in the attacking end. The German slid into the box, evaded Jonny Evans, and sent a low cross, which Leandro Trossard bundled into an empty net. The north London powerhouse created a few more opportunities throughout the first half whereas United also put pressure on the Arsenal backline. Ultimately, neither team showed the quality to strike again in the first half.
In the 64th minute, Martin Odegaard created a bit of room for himself and had a go at goal. Andre Onana, however, judged it superbly and made a comfortable save. Eleven minutes later, Alejandro Garnacho was on the end of Manchester United’s best opportunity of the night, as Scott McTominay played him through. The Argentine dispatched a venomous strike with his left foot but it missed the target and crashed into the side-netting. A couple of minutes later, Gabriel Martinelli came close to scoring for Arsenal, but Onana, once again came to United’s aid.
All Eyes On Manchester City’s Trip To Tottenham Hotspur
Sunday’s win at Old Trafford guaranteed a drama-filled final-day finish for Arsenal. Manchester City will play their game in hand against Tottenham Hotspur — Arsenal’s arch-nemesis. If they can win that game, City will go into the final game of the season two points clear of the Gunners. So, as Havertz has admitted, every Arsenal fan will be cheering for Spurs for their game against the reigning champions on Tuesday night (May 14).
Fifth-placed Lilywhites can still technically finish in fourth place ahead of Aston Villa. But bridging a four-point gap in two games seems like a tall order. To give themselves a fighting chance, they must keep City at bay at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which will directly benefit crosstown rivals Arsenal. Considering the permutations and combinations at play, the Tuesday night clash has become unmissable for Premier League fans.
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