Manchester United held the Gunners to a 1-1 draw, dealing a further blow to Arsenal’s waning Premier League chances, while Chelsea’s 1-0 victory against Leicester on Sunday strengthened their bid to earn a spot in the Champions League.
There was no room for error as Arsenal arrived at Old Trafford 24 hours after Liverpool’s 3-1 victory over Southampton on Saturday sent the leaders 16 points clear at the top.
But in stoppage time of the first half, United captain Bruno Fernandes gave the home team the lead with an incredible free kick.
Arsenal tied the score in the 74th minute thanks to a brilliant strike from Declan Rice well inside the United box.
However, Mikel Arteta’s second-place team failed to find a winner and is currently 15 points behind Liverpool.
After finished as runners-up for the last two seasons, Arsenal appears certain to lose the championship again even though they still have a game left against Liverpool.
In Arne Slot’s first season as manager, Liverpool is vying for a record-tying 20th English championship, their first since 2020.
To secure the trophy, the Anfield team needs to accumulate a maximum of 16 more points from their final nine games. As the pressure to win the title grows, Arsenal has once again faltered, with a run of three league games without a victory essentially giving the trophy to Liverpool.
With just one victory in their previous six games in all competitions, struggling Manchester United is now in 14th place.
Thousands of United supporters demonstrated against Jim Ratcliffe and the Glazer family, co-owners, before to the game, adding to the melancholy surrounding Old Trafford.
Marc Cucurella put Chelsea ahead of Manchester City and into fourth position at Stamford Bridge with a long-range rocket in the second half.
The Blues are two points ahead of City in the race for the top-four finish that guarantees a Champions League berth.
It was only Chelsea’s fourth victory in their last 12 league games as they responded to boss Enzo Maresca’s challenge to win all their remaining home matches.
Maresca thinks it should be sufficient to guarantee Champions League play, but Chelsea will need to bounce back after a lacklustre showing against Leicester, who are currently in second place.
Cole Palmer of Chelsea was replaced after missing his first penalty kick of his career, leaving the England forward without a goal or an assist in seven league outings.
Leicester, now in second place in the league, has dropped five straight games and is six points from relegation.
Jadon Sancho was poleaxed by Victor Kristiansen’s awkward challenge, giving Chelsea a first-half penalty kick. Palmer, who is often such a vicious penalty taker, grabbed the ball, but Mads Hermansen made an incredible stop to save him from scoring.
On the hour, Spanish defender Cucurella fired a 25-yard shot into the bottom corner to give Chelsea the lead in dramatic way.
In north London, Tottenham rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie 2-2 with Bournemouth, sparing manager Ange Postecoglou from yet another humiliating loss.
Thursday’s Europa League last 16 first leg saw Tottenham lose 1-0 at AZ Alkmaar. Tottenham’s final opportunity to live up to Postecoglou’s claim that he consistently wins a trophy in his second season is that competition.
Postecoglou’s team has lost three straight games in all competitions and is currently languishing in 13th place in the Premier League.
After Pedro Porro foolishly gave up control, Marcus Tavernier finished off Milos Kerkez’s brilliant cross to give Tottenham the lead in the 42nd minute.
In the 65th minute, Evanilson sprinted onto Justin Kluivert’s pass and finished calmly past Guglielmo Vicario to give Bournemouth another goal.
Two minutes later, however, Tottenham midfielder Pape Sarr cut the deficit when he misread a cross and it miraculously dipped in at the far post, beating Bournemouth keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.
In the 84th minute, Kepa’s desperation lunge on Son Heung-min resulted in a penalty, completing Tottenham’s escape. Son scored his first goal in ten games with a composed shot from the penalty spot, bringing his season total to 11 goals across all competitions.
