Manchester United relied on brilliant goalkeeping by David de Gea and a late, opportunistic finish by Wayne Rooney to snatch a 1-0 win at archrivals Liverpool on Sunday, sparking talk of an unlikely run at the English Premier League title.
With Arsenal only drawing 0-0 at Stoke City a few hours later to return to first place above Leicester City on goal-difference, United trimmed the gap to the leaders to seven points — with 16 matches still to play in one of the most erratic title races in years.
Talk of United even challenging for the title would been dismissed as fanciful at the end of last year, when the team was on an eight-game winless run and manager Louis van Gaal’s future looked precarious.
Photo: Reuters
Things look very different now.
“Our competitors [for the title] have lost points,” Van Gaal said. “When the gap is like this, seven points, you can overcome that. We started 2016 very good, with a lot of wins and a draw, and we didn’t lose. I think this will give a big boost to players, fans, everyone in the environment of Manchester United.”
Finishing in the top four and qualifying for the UEFA Champions League is the minimum requirement for United and Tottenham Hotspur are only two points away in fourth place.
Photo: Reuters
With Rooney back in the scoring groove, things look much brighter for the 20-time champions.
The England captain took his tally for this year to five goals in four games by smashing home a volley from close range in the 78th minute after Marouane Fellaini’s header rebounded off the bar. It was United’s first shot on target, with the team indebted to De Gea for keeping the score at 0-0.
De Gea produced two excellent saves to deny Emre Can, one with his feet and the other a diving, one-handed stop to his right.
Liverpool started without a recognized striker — playing Roberto Firmino alone up front — and while that helped the team dominate midfield, it left them short of firepower. Of their 19 shots, only four were on target.
Ninth-placed Liverpool dropped eight points behind Spurs in a damaging blow to their Champions League aspirations.
“A lot of the things we did today were good,” Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said.
“Our finishing wasn’t good,” he said.
Goalkeepers were also on top at the Britannia Stadium, with Stoke’s Jack Butland and Arsenal’s Petr Cech getting most of the plaudits after a tight, tense game.
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud had early chances in each half, but Butland reacted well to stop an angled shot and then a powerful header.
Though chasing possession for much of the second half, Stoke could have taken all three points if not for a superb double save by Petr Cech midway through the second half. Aaron Ramsey also cleared a shot from near the goal-line as Stoke mounted late pressure.
Arsenal, missing injured playmaker Mesut Ozil, failed to capitalize on Leicester’s 1-1 draw at Aston Villa on Saturday, and dropped four points in a week after also drawing at Liverpool on Wednesday last week. However, a draw at Stoke was welcome to manager Arsene Wenger, as Arsenal have not won at the Britannia since 2010.
“We needed to be strong physically and had great spirit,” Wenger said. “We fought very hard, but couldn’t take our chances. It is a hard-fought 0-0. We have done better than years before at this ground and showed we can fight even when we miss certain players.”
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