Arsenal scored a late winner to beat Nottingham Forest and keep the pressure on Premier League leaders Manchester City on Sunday, while struggling Manchester United dropped more points in a 1-1 draw at Leeds United.
The Gunners faced Forest a day after City maintained their perfect start to the campaign with a seventh consecutive victory, beating Ipswich at home despite the fallout from the club’s guilty verdict over serious financial irregularities.
Arsenal struggled to break down Forest but finally found the breakthrough in the 80th minute when substitute Noni Madueke’s effort deflected off Jair Cunha and found the net.
The goal was Arsenal’s only shot on target in an otherwise disjointed performance that lacked attacking quality. However, Mikel Arteta’s side once again demonstrated their ability to grind out results even when short of their best.
The 1-0 victory lifted Arsenal back into second place, three points behind leaders City, while Forest slipped into the relegation zone after failing to convert several late chances.
“We had to earn it until the last second,” Arteta told the BBC. “They are a well-coached team and hard to break down.
“We had to take risks, they are a dangerous team. We had to manage the emotional part really well. We stayed focused and the finishers made a huge impact.”
Man Utd’s winless run continues
Earlier, Manchester United travelled to fierce rivals Leeds seeking a much-needed victory but had to settle for a 1-1 draw after Dominic Calvert-Lewin cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s first-half opener.
United have managed just one win in seven Premier League matches this season and are now winless in their last six games across all competitions.
Manager Michael Carrick, in his first full season in charge at Old Trafford, is struggling to find answers as his team continues to show a lack of quality and confidence.
The growing crisis at United was compounded by a midweek outburst from defender Lisandro Martinez, who criticised the club’s hierarchy following a 2-0 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid.
Carrick, however, chose to focus on the positives after Sunday’s encounter at Elland Road, describing the performance as a step in the right direction.
“If there’s any weakness, it gets found out today,” he told Sky Sports.
“I could feel before the game that the players were ready for it. It wasn’t perfect, our confidence isn’t sky-high, but the players were trying to do the right things.
“In moments we looked really good. Defended really well as a team.”
Martinez, the Argentina international, gave an explosive interview in Spain on Tuesday in which he criticised the club’s lack of investment during the summer transfer window.
Carrick insisted on Friday that United had “moved on” from the controversy, and the defender was named in the starting line-up against Leeds.
Mbeumo, deployed as United’s central striker, wasted a couple of opportunities before opening the scoring in the 35th minute, guiding a Youri Tielemans cross into the bottom corner for his fourth goal of the season.
Leeds responded strongly after the break and drew level in the 51st minute when England forward Calvert-Lewin controlled the ball on his chest and finished at full stretch after Tarik Muharemovic headed towards goal from a corner.
United, who sit 13th in the table, have recorded their fewest wins at this stage of a top-flight campaign since the 1986/87 season.
Brighton run riot against Palace
Elsewhere, Brighton thrashed Crystal Palace 5-0, with Diego Gomez scoring a spectacular goal from near the halfway line.
Brighton’s emphatic victory took their tally to 23 goals in their opening seven league matches, a total surpassed by only three teams in Premier League history at the same stage of a season.
Meanwhile, Bournemouth defeated 10-man Sunderland 2-0, with Marcus Tavernier and Evanilson scoring to secure the Cherries’ first league win of the campaign.
AFP
