Three minutes was all it took for Arsenal to lead against Manchester United at the Emirates – the two rivals meeting in a must-win match for their respective Champions League qualification hopes.
The Gunners had beaten Chelsea mid-week to consolidate their position as one of the favorites to qualify for the competition next season, which they strengthened on Saturday noon by condemning the Red Devils to a 3-1 defeat, all but ending the latter’s hopes of making it into Europe’s premier competition next season.
A missed clearance, first by Raphael Varane and then by Alex Telles, presented the ball to Bukayo Saka inside the United box in the third minute. The England international drew a superb save from David De Gea, but his parry fell straight to left-back Nuno Tavares, who slotted the ball home from close range, giving his side the lead.
The match flowed to-and-fro as United hit the bar and had a penalty appeal turned down shortly after. Arsenal, meanwhile, kept testing De Gea, and it was in the 27th minute when the Spaniard was beaten again by Eddie Nketiah from close range, only for VAR to rule the strike out for offside.
However, in the same phase of play, judging Telles to have fouled Saka, the video referee recommended a spot-kick for Arsenal – and the on-field official complied. Saka stepped up to the spot and, just like he did three days ago, sent the goalkeeper the wrong way.
Cristiano Ronaldo pulled a goal back for Manchester United within minutes of them conceding the second, thanks to some dubious defending from the Arsenal backline.
The Red Devils carried the momentum with them after the break and were awarded a penalty in the 56th minute – when Tavares fouled Nemanja Matic inside the box. Bruno Fernandes missed his kick, and the chance went begging.
As did several others in the minutes which followed. Ronaldo had a goal ruled out for a marginal offside while Aaron Ramsdale denied Diogo Dalot from close range. Granit Xhaka put an end to the Manchester United onslaught in the 70th minute with a thunderbolt from outside the box, and the Gunners held onto their two-goal cushion to see out another important win.
