The Daily Star Ireland
Arsenal closed the gap on Liverpool at the top of the Premier League with a vital 2-0 victory over Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium, reducing their lead to seven points.
After Fabian Schar’s late equalizer for Newcastle denied Liverpool a win, Mikel Arteta’s side seized the opportunity to move closer to the top. Arsenal delivered a strong performance, with Jurrien Timber and William Saliba both scoring from corners in the second half to secure the win and keep their title ambitions alive.
The match followed a period of mixed results for Ruben Amorim’s United, who had previously drawn at Ipswich and secured wins against Bodo/Glimt and Everton. Despite warnings about potential challenges, the first half at the Emirates was uneventful. Gabriel Martinelli had an early goal ruled out for offside, and although Arsenal earned several corners, they struggled to capitalize. Thomas Partey came closest with a misdirected header from Declan Rice’s delivery, and Martinelli later missed a shot following a blocked effort by Oleksandr Zinchenko.
United’s best chance of the first half came from Diogo Dalot, whose shot across goal was poorly executed when he should have tested goalkeeper David Raya.
In the second half, Arsenal wasted no time asserting control. Martinelli created a chance on the left, but his effort was deflected off Harry Maguire. Within nine minutes of the restart, Arsenal broke the deadlock. Timber, unmarked at the near post, redirected Rice’s corner past United keeper Andre Onana.
Arsenal continued to press, with Bukayo Saka forcing another save from Onana. United responded by bringing on Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee, but they failed to make an impact. Zirkzee nearly scored an own goal from another Rice corner, while United’s best chance came from a set-piece, but Raya produced an incredible save to deny Matthijs De Ligt’s header.
Arsenal doubled their lead in the 73rd minute. Partey, left unmarked at the back post from a Saka corner, headed the ball in, with it deflecting off Saliba’s shoulder. The goal marked Arsenal’s 22nd from corners since the start of last season, a league high.
Arsenal remained dominant, with Kai Havertz and Mikel Merino both failing to add another goal. However, the result was never in doubt as Arsenal sealed the victory and handed Ruben Amorim his first defeat as United manager.
