Manchester United 0-1 Arsenal: Gunners keep title pressure on Man City with Old Trafford triumph

Arsenal regained top spot from Manchester City heading into the final week of the Premier League season with a 1-0 win at Manchester United on Sunday.

Leandro Trossard scored the decisive goal at Old Trafford with 20 minutes on the clock as Kai Havertz profited from an intercepted Andre Onana pass to tee up the Belgian’s simple finish.

The Gunners move one point clear of City, who thrashed Fulham 4-0 on Saturday and still have a game in hand at Arsenal’s fierce rivals Tottenham on Tuesday, meaning the title remains in the hands of Pep Guardiola’s side.

City then host West Ham on the final day, while Arsenal are at home to Everton.

United, beaten 4-0 by Crystal Palace on Monday and now with just one win in their last eight in the competition, stay eighth in the table and are three points off Chelsea and Newcastle United directly above them with a game to go.

27 – Arsenal have won 27 Premier League games this season, their outright most ever in a campaign in the competition, and most in any league season since 1970-71 (29). Machine. pic.twitter.com/l1dmhAy1yR

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 12, 2024

Arsenal did not have any true sights of goal in an evenly contested opening, with United looking more coherent than in recent weeks, until the visitors’ breakthrough arrived through Trossard.

Onana’s pass was cut out on the halfway line and played to Havertz, who was kept onside by Casemiro failing to get up the pitch, and the German squared for Trossard to convert from point-blank range.

The Gunners, who failed to win on the two other previous occasions they had led at half-time at Old Trafford, were happy to sit back after the restart and invite United onto them.

Casemiro was invited to shoot from distance and did just that, forcing a save from David Raya, who then denied Antony’s poor attempt from a similar position.

But there was to be no way through for United, who had Onana to thank for late saves to deny Gabriel Martinelli and Declan Rice, as the visitors completed a league double in this fixture for the first time since 2006-07.

United continue to concede

Trossard’s goal, which came despite United having four players back in a position to intercept Havertz’s pass, makes it 82 goals conceded for the Red Devils across all competitions this season – the most they have shipped in a single season since 1970-71 (also 82).

Erik ten Hag’s men were ultimately unable to hit back and have therefore now suffered 19 losses across all competitions this term, which is their most since 1977-78 (also 19).

This is also just the third time in Premier League history they have lost at home to three sides from the capital in a single season, having previously fallen to Crystal Palace and Fulham.

Havertz and Trossard stepping up

Trossard has more than played his part in Arsenal’s title pursuit, with this his 12th league goal of the season. Three of his last four have put the Gunners 1-0 up, showing just how important he has been.

That crucial breakthrough goal was assisted by Havertz, who has scored and assisted a combined 14 goals in the Premier League since the start of 2024 – already surpassing his previous highest tally in a single year in the competition with Chelsea in 2022 (13).

Indeed, only Chelsea’s Cole Palmer with 19 can boast more direct goal involvements than the Germany international this calendar year among all Premier League players.