Arsenal’s fading hopes of winning the English Premier League on Sunday suffered a fresh blow as Manchester United held the Gunners to a 1-1 draw, while Chelsea boosted their bid to qualify for the UEFA Champions League with a 1-0 win over Leicester City.
After Liverpool’s 3-1 win against Southampton moved the leaders 16 points clear at the top on Saturday, there was no margin for error when Arsenal arrived at Old Trafford 24 hours later.
However, United captain Bruno Fernandes put the hosts ahead with a superb free-kick in first half stoppage-time.
Photo: Reuters
Declan Rice’s clinical finish from just inside the United area hauled Arsenal level in the 74th minute.
However, Mikel Arteta’s second-placed side could not find a winner and now sit 15 points adrift of Liverpool.
Despite holding a game in hand on Liverpool, Arsenal look certain to miss out on the title yet again after finishing as runners-up for the last two seasons.
Photo: Reuters
Liverpool are bidding to win a record-equaling 20th English title and their first since 2020 in Arne Slot’s first season in charge.
The Anfield club need a maximum of 16 more points from their last nine matches to ensure they clinch the silverware.
Not for the first time, Arsenal have faded as the title pressure mounts, with a run of three league games without a win effectively gifting the trophy to Liverpool.
Photo: AFP
Troubled Manchester United are down in 14th place, with just one win in their last six games in all competitions.
Adding to the gloom around Old Trafford, thousands of United fans staged a prematch protest against co-owners the Glazer family and Jim Ratcliffe.
At Stamford Bridge, Marc Cucurella struck with a long-range rocket in the second half to lift Chelsea above Manchester City into fourth place.
The Blues are two points ahead of City in the race for the top four finish that guarantees a Champions League berth.
Tottenham Hotspur fought back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with AFC Bournemouth in north London.
LA LIGA
AFP, MADRID
Kylian Mbappe and Vinicius Junior were on target for Real Madrid as they beat Rayo Vallecano 2-1 on Sunday to pull level with Spanish La Liga leaders Barcelona.
Real Madrid rose one point above Atletico Madrid who suffered a surprise 2-1 defeat to Getafe earlier, while Barca’s match on Saturday against Osasuna was postponed because of the death of one of the Catalan club’s doctors.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Madrid produced a solid, if not spectacular, performance to get the better of their local rivals, ahead of the huge Champions League derby clash against Atletico beckoning tomorrow.
“Vinicius and Mbappe scored two spectacular goals, and they had chances for the third,” Ancelotti said. “The first half was very good, when you get to the 70th, 75th minute with a 2-1 lead, you have to do one thing well, which is to defend it, so you don’t have problems.”
Atletico, now third, seemed on course for a narrow win against Getafe until Angel Correa’s red card left them exposed in the final stages.
Diego Simeone’s side, second, would have gone top with a victory and Alexander Sorloth struck from the penalty spot after 75 minutes.
However, Atletico forward Correa was sent off and Getafe midfielder Mauro Arambarri scored two late goals to snatch victory for the hosts.
“With the sending off, a man down, the game got away from us,” Atletico midfielder Pablo Barrios told DAZN. “[After scoring] we pulled back and with the red card we didn’t know how to keep control.”
Athletic Bilbao, fourth, were held to a 1-1 draw by Mallorca and are seven points behind Atletico.
SERIE A
Reuters, TURIN, Italy
Atalanta BC stunned Juventus as they cruised to a 4-0 away win on Sunday to strengthen their grip on third place in Italian Serie A while snapping the hosts’ five-game winning streak in the league.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side moved to 58 points, three behind leaders Inter, while Juventus remain fourth on 52.
It was Juventus’ first home defeat in Serie A by a margin of at least four goals since 1967, leaving frustrated fans at the Allianz Stadium jeering their team after a night to forget.
“This is football. You go from victories to defeats. You have to consider the whole journey. Juve were coming from a series of victories,” Gasperini told DAZN. “It was an unimaginable result for many, but it was the perfect performance from us.”
“I think today we were up against a team that was eager to capitalize on our mistakes,” Juventus coach Thiago Motta said. “After a defeat like that, we are certainly sad and disappointed. We will no longer be talking about fighting for the title.”
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
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