Arsenal have tightened their grip over the Premier League (PL) title challenge after they saw off the challenge of Manchester United in their own backyard. The 3-2 win against United saw Eddie Nketiah score a double while maintaining the Gunners’ five-point deposit over title rivals Manchester City, who earlier in the day thumped Wolves 3-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
United fall short of Arsenal
Marcus Rashford gave United an early lead with a brilliant run and strike, the forward's ninth goal in nine games in all competitions since the World Cup finished - the most of any player in Europe's big five leagues.
However, Arsenal soon levelled through Nketiah, whose powerful close-range header made it 18 goals in his last 26 starts for the club.
Mikel Arteta's side went ahead for the first time thanks to Bukayo Saka's fizzing drive from distance eight minutes into the second half.
But United were back on level terms six minutes later as Lisandro Martinez scored his first goal for United, the Argentina World Cup winner taking advantage of Aaron Ramsdale's mistake to float a header into the net.
But there was late, late drama as Nketiah touched home Martin Odegaard's mishit shot - further improving his scoring stats - and, after a tense check for offside by the Video Assistant Referee, the roof came off the Emirates.
As a result, Arsenal restore their five-point lead over second-placed City, who had beaten Wolves 3-0 earlier in the day, while United - whose loss was described as a "reality check" by Erik ten Hag - remain fourth in the table and now lie 11 points off the leaders, who also have a game in hand on their title rivals.
How Nketiah kept Arsenal's title charge on track
This was a battle of the Premier League's two most in-form teams and it showed in what was a pulsating contest in the capital that was a throwback to some of the fierce title meetings these arch-rivals used to have on a regular basis in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
