Arsenal secured a decisive victory in the big match of the 14th round of the English Premier League, defeating Manchester United 2-0 on Wednesday evening at the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal capitalized on set-piece opportunities to secure their two goals, with Jurrien Timber scoring in the 54th minute and William Saliba adding a second in the 74th.
This victory elevated Arsenal to 28 points, placing them third on goal difference behind Chelsea and narrowing the gap to seven points behind league leaders Liverpool. Meanwhile, Manchester United endured their first defeat under coach Ruben Amorim, leaving them stuck on 19 points in 11th place.
The match’s first clear opportunity came in the 8th minute when Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice delivered a corner, which Thomas Partey attempted to head towards goal, but his effort narrowly missed the target.
Arsenal continued to threaten with quick counter-attacks, although winger Bukayo Saka struggled under tight one-on-one marking from Manchester United full-back Tyrell Malacia.
In the 22nd minute, United goalkeeper Andre Onana cleared the ball directly to Partey, but his weak follow-up attempt sailed over the crossbar.
Arsenal created more danger from another corner in the 25th minute. The ball caused chaos in United’s penalty area, eventually falling to Oleksandr Zinchenko, whose shot was blocked by the defence. Gabriel Martinelli latched onto the rebound, but his effort veered wide of the left post.
The Gunners appealed for a penalty in the 28th minute, arguing that the ball struck Harry Maguire’s hand, but the referee waved play on.
United’s first real chance came in the 41st minute. A free kick was played to Mason Mount, who then directed a header towards Diogo Dalot. However, Dalot’s shot from a tight angle narrowly missed the far post.
At the start of the second half, Amad Diallo replaced Tyrell Malacia, and Martinelli’s counter-attack attempt was blocked by Harry Maguire, with the ball eventually finding its way into the hands of goalkeeper Andre Onana in the 47th minute.
Arsenal captain Martin Ødegaard then played a pass to Declan Rice, who fired a shot from outside the penalty area, but his effort was deflected off a defender and went over the goal in the 49th minute.
The Gunners broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, with Rice delivering a corner that found Jurrien Timber. The full-back rose to head it into the net, giving Arsenal the lead.
Manchester United made several substitutions, bringing on Marcus Rashford, Joshua Zirkzee, and Lenny Yoro for Alejandro Garnacho, Mason Mount, and Harry Maguire.
Zirkzee almost gifted Arsenal a second goal in the 61st minute when he tried to clear a corner, but the rebound went the wrong way. Fortunately, United midfielder Manuel Ugarte was on hand to clear it off the goal line.
Arsenal doubled their lead in the 73rd minute, once again from a corner. This time, it was William Saliba who converted, heading in a delivery from Thomas Partey.
Arsenal came close to a third goal in the 77th minute when Mikel Merino’s header from a corner just missed wide of the far post.
Manchester United responded by bringing on Anthony for Rasmus Højlund, but Arsenal nearly extended their lead in the 83rd minute. Ødegaard’s close-range shot was blocked by United defender Noussair Mazraoui.
In the 86th minute, United captain Bruno Fernandes took a clever free kick, passing to Anthony, who shot from inside the penalty area, but Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya made a crucial save.
The remaining minutes passed without incident, and Arsenal held on for a valuable 2-0 victory over Manchester United.
other games results come as follows :
- Wolverhampton 0-4 Everton
- Nottingham Forest 0-3 Manchester City
- Liverpool 3-3 Newcastle United
- Chelsea 5-1 Southampton
- Brentford 1-3 Aston Villa
