Arsenal vs Manchester – Asenal restore five-point Premier Lead

Arsenal vs Manchester – Asenal restore five-point Premier Lead

The league leaders have restored their five-point lead over Manchester City.

Marcus Rashford gave United an early lead with a brilliant run and strike, the striker’s ninth goal in nine games in all competitions since the end of the World Cup – the most by any player in the five major leagues from Europe.

However, Arsenal quickly equalized through Nketiah, whose powerful close-range header has scored 18 goals in his last 26 starts for the club.

Mikel Arteta’s side took the lead for the first time thanks to Bukayo Saka’s lightning-fast long-range shot eight minutes into the second half.

But United were level again six minutes later when Lisandro Martinez scored his first goal for United. The Argentinian world champion took advantage of an error by Aaron Ramsdale to put a header in the net. But there was late, belated drama when Nketiah missed Martin Odegaard – further improving his scoring stats – and after a tense offside check by the video assistant referee, the Emirates’ roof fell.

As a result, Arsenal restore their five-point lead over second-placed City, who beat Wolves 3-0 earlier in the day, while United – whose defeat was described by Erik ten Hag as a “reality check” – remains fourth. and are now 11 points behind the league leaders, who also have a game to play against their title rivals.

How Nketiah kept Arsenal’s title fight on track

It was a battle between the two in-form Premier League sides, and was highlighted by vibrant competition in the capital which recalls some of the fierce title battles these great rivals have regularly had in the Premier League. League in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

United, who lacked the experience of key Brazilian midfielder Casemiro through suspension, were put under huge pressure from the start by the leaders to go through and open the scoring after 17 minutes.
The home side lost possession carelessly allowing Rashford to take the ball midway into the hosts’ half and England striker Thomas Partey found the target before hitting the bottom left corner of the net with a shooting at 25 meters. But that lead lasted a full seven minutes as Arsenal stormed their opponents and leveled things up with a sublime strike as Granit Xhaka’s superb left center was brought home by another in-form England striker, Nketiah, unmarked at the far post.

The first 45 minutes flew by with both teams close to regaining the lead, but it was the Gunners who struck next and drove the Emirates mad when Saka charged in from the right in the 53rd minute before firing a low shot in the direction. far corner of the net past David de Gea’s outstretched hand.
However, the visitors bounced back in this thrilling end-to-end game, with the usually reliable Ramsdale fouled out as the goalkeeper pressed a straight corner into Martinez and the defender somehow managed a header over Gabriel on the line and in the goalkeeper.

The hosts, who gave Leandro Trossard his debut in the second half, pushed for the decisive goal in the last quarter, but a combination between the outside of the post, which denied Saka a double, and the brilliance of De Gea initially held them back. until Nketiah’s late intervention in one of the games of the season.