X reacts as Arsenal earn crucial win away at Man Utd

Arsenal recorded a tight 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in a game that marked a crucial moment in their Premier League title campaign.

The Gunners headed into the match knowing a victory was compulsory if they were to move back ahead of Manchester City into first place.

Mikel Arteta’s side delivered an uncharacteristically poor performance, but it was still enough to continue their season’s dreams.

United were forced to begin the match on a sour note, with late news that both Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford would not be available against the Gunners. Their absence meant a midfield trio of Sofyan Amrabat, Kobbie Mainoo and Scott McTominay were forced to start.

Despite going up against United’s depleted squad, Arsenal opened the fixture looking somewhat nervous, claiming just 30% possession in the opening 15 minutes. Arteta looked twitchy on the sidelines, encouraging his players to relax.

However, the Gunners didn’t need much longer to get ahold of the game, and soon put a shot into the back of Andre Onana’s net. It was Leandro Trossard who opened up the scoring, receiving the ball from Kai Havertz and slotting in from a low cross.

The Gunners can also thank Casemiro for their goal, with the Brazilian mistakenly offering acres of space and keeping the players onside.

United may have been trailing 1-0 at half-time, but their performances provided a few positives for fans, who were especially keen to see Amad Diallo dictating the game.

But, for the first time in 15 years, Arsenal led the way at the half-way mark at Old Trafford.

The Gunners struggled to see another chance at goal to more comfortably solidify their win, with very few opportunities arising in the second half. A moment did come late on, but a save from Onana denied Gabriel Martinelli.

Just minutes later, he proved vital again, blocking Declan Rice.

It was anything but a comfortable performance for the Gunners, but it was enough to see their title chances extended. The outcome means the title will be decided on the last day of the season.

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Man Utd 0-1 Arsenal: Player ratings as Gunners move back into top spot

The Premier League title race will go to the last day of the season after Arsenal beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday.

The Gunners have leapfrogged Manchester City back into first place, sitting one point clear of the reigning champions and boasting a slightly superior goal difference.

City will take back top spot with a win at Arsenal’s rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, but Mikel Arteta’s side have ensured the English crown could still be sitting atop their heads next weekend.

United were blunt back on home soil after being mauled by Crystal Palace on Monday but at least put up a respectable fight amid a new batch of injuries. They remain in eighth place and are an outside shot to qualify for Europe at this point.

How the game unfolded

Arsenal sought to get on the scoresheet early and pressed United from the off. Bukayo Saka stung the gloves of Andre Onana, while an in-swinging corner had to cleared off the line.

An opportunity arose at the other end when Thomas Partey was caught napping in possession and forfeited it to Scott McTominay, but Rasmus Hojlund slipped when trying to hit his strike cleanly.

Despite United starting brightly and actually seeing more of the ball, Arsenal went in front midway through the first half. Casemiro was caught way out of position and Kai Havertz was able to race in down the right and deliver a low cross for Leandro Trossard, who got in front of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and made no mistake from close range.

Ben White then flashed a shot across the face of Onana’s goal as United threatened to collapse again after going one down, but the hosts got to the break without giving up another major chance, though they did not create one more for themselves.

There wasn’t much more quality to shout about from either side in the second half – Declan Rice had a shot blocked and Martin Odegaard’s effort from the edge of the box was easily claimed by Onana as Arsenal continued to play on the break.

United weren’t creating enough openings despite their territorial dominance but went close when Alejandro Garnacho, for once, created a yard of separation from Ben White, only to fire into the side-netting.

Substitute Gabriel Martinelli then forced a fine save out of Onana having been give apt room to run into the United box and pick his spot.

Onana was again on hand to prevent the Gunners going two up when he clawed away a header from teammate Aaron Wan-Bissaka off a corner, before Rice stung the Cameroonian’s goves with a drive from distance.

Arsenal rode out six minutes of added time to take all three precious points back to north London.

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Onana kept Man Utd in the game / PAUL ELLIS/GettyImages

GK: Andre Onana – 6/10 – One of United’s most reliable routes through Arsenal came from Onana’s kicks. Didn’t have a lot to do in way of shot-stopping, which must have made a nice change.

RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka – 5/10 – Never looked comfortable whenever Trossard or Martinelli were running at him.

CB: Casemiro – 3/10 – Didn’t completely embarrass himself like at Crystal Palace on Monday night, but not maintaining his position at all leading to Trossard’s goal was unforgivable.

CB: Jonny Evans – 6/10 – Unlike Casemiro knew how to play in a high line despite his older age. Came up with some important interceptions on the halfway line.

LB: Diogo Dalot – 5/10 – Drove with the ball into midfield and the channels but didn’t really know what to do with it after that.

CM: Sofyan Amrabat – 4/10 – Tasked with trying to control the game and open it up for United. This ended with a lot of side-to-side passing and his alarming lack of technique being given a platform.

CM: Kobbie Mainoo – 6/10 – Left to drown under pressure at some points though at least managed to get his head up and distribute the ball more effectively than his midfield partner.

RW: Amad Diallo – 5/10 – Put in a mildly threatening performance that Antony would have been proud of, but that’s a low bar to set. Began the day brightly but was soon after swarmed by multiple Arsenal defenders to not afford him freedom to operate.

AM: Scott McTominay – 5/10 – Pushed up alongside Hojlund when Arsenal had the ball. The Gunners’ defenders didn’t allow him to simply run at them or crash the box at will.

LW: Alejandro Garnacho – 4/10 – Like Amrabat saw a lot of the ball and ultimately failed to do enough with it. Was only able to carve a couple of openings but even then took them poorly.

CF: Rasmus Hojlund – 4/10 – Spent far too long trying to bully Gabriel and Saliba that he almost forgot to make himself an outlet. Hooked late on for academy graduate Wheatley with minutes remaining when United were chasing a goal.

Substitutes

SUB: Antony (69′ for Amad) – 5/10

SUB: Willy Kambwala (75′ for Evans) – 5/10

SUB: Omari Forson (88′ for Wan-Bissaka) – N/A

SUB: Ethan Wheatley (88′ for Hojlund) – N/A

SUB: Christian Eriksen (88′ for Amrabat) – N/A

Subs not used: Altay Bayindir (GK), Harry Amass, Habeeb Ogunneye, Toby Collyer

Manager

Erik ten Hag – 5/10 – Not a bad performance considering the state of his squad and the level of opposition, but United just didn’t threaten at all.

Martin Odegaard, Gabriel, JorginhoMartin Odegaard, Gabriel, Jorginho

The rain didn’t dampen Arsenal’s spirits / Michael Regan/GettyImages

GK: David Raya – 6/10 – Lost control of a cross early doors but was flawless in collecting them there on in.

RB: Ben White – 8/10 – Either muzzled Garnacho or left him the space to barely trouble Arsenal. Came up with the pass that led to Havertz’s assist for Trossard.

CB: William Saliba – 9/10 – Oustanding. Another perfect performance at the back when his side needed one.

CB: Gabriel Magalhaes – 8/10 – Likewise was imperious throughout and was usually the centre-back to deal with Hojlund’s futile attempt at a shove-off.

LB: Takehiro Tomiyasu – 6/10 – On skates at times when isolated with Amad, though this was not often enough for it to be a worry for Arsenal.

CM: Thomas Partey – 4/10 – Everyone in the midfield battle should have left the pitch feeling ashamed of themselves because of how awfully they played, but none more so than Partey, who stuck out like a sore thumb technically and mentally.

CM: Declan Rice – 5/10 – Sloppy in possession but was strangely one of Arsenal’s most threatening weapons in the final third.

CM: Martin Odegaard – 5/10 – Sunk into the background of the game and never took control of it, despite United’s disadvantages.

RW: Bukayo Saka – 5/10 – Worked hard to help White in the defensive third but was silenced fairly easily after his bright beginning.

CF: Kai Havertz – 7/10 – Another goal involvement for the reinvigorated forward. Should probably have done more to hold the ball up to ease the pressure as the match wore on but this didn’t come back to bite him.

LW: Leandro Trossard – 8/10 – Came up huge with another goal in a big game. Gave United something to think about with his quick feet and movement in behind.

Substitutes

SUB: Gabriel Martinelli (66′ for Trossard) – 7/10

SUB: Gabriel Jesus (82′ for Saka) – 5/10

SUB: Jakub Kiwior (90′ for Partey) – N/A

SUB: Jorginho (90′ for Odegaard) – N/A

Subs not used: Aaron Ramsdale (GK), Oleksandr Zinchenko, Emile Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira, Eddie Nketiah

Manager

Mikel Arteta – 6/10 – Arsenal showed way too much respect to United, but he was able to rely on his defenders stifling their hosts. The title goes to the wire.

Player of the match – William Saliba (Arsenal)

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Saliba kept Hojlund quiet / PAUL ELLIS/GettyImages

Man Utd Women’s wait for a major trophy ends in style at Wembley

FROM WEMBLEY STADIUM – For Manchester United, feelings of ecstasy and jubilation took over as the final whistle sounded at the home of English football on the hottest dat of the year so far. The FA Cup trophy was theirs, a first piece of major silverware for a club who finally took the plunge in professional women’s football as recently as six years ago.

Ella Toone, whose superstar status off the pitch is growing and growing after recently launching – in addition to her YouTube channel – a new BBC podcast with best friend and former teammate Alessia Russo, further underlined her big-game reputation with a stunning goal absolutely worthy of the day. A customary FA Cup goal from Rachel Williams, who won the cup with Birmingham back in 2012 and has been determined to get her hands on it again ever since, was followed by a Lucia Garcia brace.

But somewhere in the shadows of the celebrations, there was also something akin to a relief.

The club walked the second tier Women’s Championship in their debut season in 2018/19, but the name ‘Manchester United’ naturally demands success and the last five years have been about trying to muscle in on the English football’s established ‘big three’.

At times, they have managed it, leading the WSL for some of 2020/21 under former manager Casey Stoney. Then, 12 months ago, Marc Skinner’s United were two agonising 1-0 defeats to Chelsea away from completing a remarkable WSL and FA Cup double.

United have competed with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal in patches, finishing above the latter two last season. Chelsea remained the last to be conquered, even in just a one-off game, until that finally happened in the semi-final of this season’s competition.

And while fans last year were hopeful of causing an upset as the underdog, there was a nervousness amongst the pre-match buzz in the blistering sun around Wembley from those of a red persuasion in case, now favourites, they slipped up. Spurs, who had never beaten United in 12 previous meetings, did threaten to in as recently as last month in a 2-2 draw in the WSL – only a last gasp equaliser from Maya Le Tissier prevented what would have been an unprecedented defeat in this fixture.

Ultimately, the thing hanging still over United coming into this game was silverware, or the lack of it.

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Ella Toone got the ball rolling in spectacular fashion / Julian Finney/GettyImages

There was a degree of controversy before kick-off as news filtered through that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had chosen to spend his afternoon at Old Trafford for the largely meaningless men’s Premier League clash with Arsenal, rather then support the women in person at Wembley – a video message was sent. Avram Glazer and what were described as other ‘senior INEOS representatives’ were in attendance.

Skinner named ten of the 11 players that started the semi-final in his lineup – there were seven survivors who had started the 2023 final last May. Williams, so often seen as an impact sub throughout her time with United, was given her chance from the outset after such a huge role in the club’s return to Wembley – four goals in the competition this season.

The heat of the sun was sapping, resulting in a drinks break in either half of the final. But United began well, with Toone linking up with Leah Galton inside the first couple of minutes. Galton had scored, but seen it disallowed inside 60 seconds against Chelsea 12 months ago, but the final ball was just a little too far in front of her and 50/50 challenge with Spurs goalkeeper Becky Spencer ended in a corner and no more. Williams threatened in the first half to do what she later would with headers that missed the target. Millie Turner, rising in slow motion above a crowd of players in the box, also saw a goal-bound header cleared just in front of the line.

With Spurs offering little threat, Skinner’s side had edged the first half by the time the fourth official signalled three minutes of stoppage time, albeit without finding a goal. That changed in an instant when Toone, scorer of quarter-final, semi-final and final goals for England across the last two summers, channelled something really special to break the deadlock.

The move was fittingly carved out of ‘The United Way’, a rapid counter attack that took play from back to front in a matter of seconds. Hannah Blundell won the ball near her own penalty area, with Lisa Naalsund’s reverse pass in midfield putting Toone into acres of space in front of the back four. She drove forward, feinted inside an attempted tackle and curled the ball majestically into the top corner, beyond the reach of Spencer and into the corner, with a devilish bit of help from Williams as she bumped into the onrushing defender that stopped the possible attempt at a block. Spurs players were furious, pointing to the replays on the big screen, but even with VAR in use there no intervention.

The longer the game was level at 0-0, the more it would have buoyed Tottenham. As much of a boost for United going into the break, it was an enormously deflating time to go behind.

There have been a few occasions this season when United have failed to capitalise on leads and put games to bed – Liverpool, West Ham, even Tottenham themselves mere weeks ago. Any remaining nerves among supporters dissipated in the space of three second half minutes. Williams, made sure her impact wasn’t done, rising highest at the far post to expertly direct a header into the bottom corner of the goal. There aren’t many players built like her in the women’s game and Spurs couldn’t really handle her boundless energy, even at the age of 36, or her bulldozing style.

Garcia, named player of the match, was gifted the third United goal as Tottenham’s resistance fully crumbled on a tough lesson in their maiden Wembley appearance. High pressing was rewarded when Spencer miscued a pass out from the back straight to her in the penalty area and the Spaniard could hardly miss in the biggest game of her career. Her second firmly killed the game off and ensured the Red Devils would enjoy the moment in style, firing high into the net when Lisa Naalsund forced her way into the box and laid the ball back for Garcia, who got to the ball before defenders closed in.

United fans had dripped off as soon as the final whistle blew a year ago, finding it too painful to watch Chelsea lift the FA Cup. This time, it was Spurs fans who quickly cleared out as all those dressed in red waited eagerly to see Katie Zelem lift the trophy high. On the pitch, the champagne sprayed as Mary Earps, still yet to resolve her future beyond next month, soaked her teammates, while Williams, covered herself from head to toe in the foil streamers that littered the turf.

But the feeling at United is this is the start, not the peak, delivered by Skinner talking to BBC One.

“We are history makers for Manchester United,” he said. “I didn’t need to remind the owners of that. There is a lot of support and love for our team and the growth. We want to compete for titles but you all know how important adding that first piece of silverware is. We’ve got nothing but growth ahead.”

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Three takeaways from Inter Miami’s 3-2 comeback victory over CF Montreal

Inter Miami picked up three more important points on the road against CF Montreal Saturday night at Stade Saputo in a 3-2 comeback victory.

Miami tightened their grip on first place in the Supporters’ Shield standings with their fifth consecutive victory in Major League Soccer action. Although the legendary Lionel Messi was unable to find the back of the net or dish out a mind-boggling assist, Miami were still able to prevail thanks to strong performances from players like Luis Suarez and Matias Rojas.

There will be nights where Messi may be “off it” or simply unavailable for selection through injury or international duty. It happened to be one of those nights for the Argentina international and it wasn’t a bad performance by any means — it just didn’t stack up to his recent showings, such as his five assists against New York Red Bulls last weekend.

Here are three main takeaways from the south Florida side’s latest victory.

Benjamin Cremaschi grabbed the winning goal for MiamiBenjamin Cremaschi grabbed the winning goal for Miami

Benjamin Cremaschi grabbed the winning goal for Miami / Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

Montreal opened the scoring in the first half through Bryce Duke’s low-drive effort through Drake Callender’s legs. This meant that this was the fifth-straight match that Miami conceded the first goal before going on the claim all three points and the seventh-straight match that they’ve allowed their opponents to strike first.

Miami made things harder for themselves when Jules-Anthony Vilsaint added Montreal’s second of the game moments later. However, Miami still managed to score three unanswered to take all three points back to Chase Stadium.

While this definitely is a cause of concern and will drive head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino crazy, it shows that Miami are never truly out of a fight. This could bode well when October and November roll around for MLS Cup playoffs, and it also shows that even with somewhat leaky defense, the Herons have what it takes up front to see just about see out matches.

Rojas has shined for the HeronsRojas has shined for the Herons

Rojas has shined for the Herons / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

If Rojas keeps up his impressive form, there’s a good chance he might be considered for signing of the season. However, Suarez will more than likely run home with the award as he bagged his 11th goal of the campaign, which is tied for the most in MLS alongside former Crystal Palace forward Christian Benteke.

In terms of value, Rojas has been an absolute bargain for Miami. The 28-year-old Paraguay international joined several weeks back as a free agent from Brazilian outfit Corinthians after the club and he decided to mutually terminate his contract. Rojas has the experience and quality to uproot Robert Taylor from the left-wing position in Martino’s lineup — which is exactly what he’s done with three goals and one assist in just 131 minutes played.

Miami’s attack was already lauded as one of the league’s best, but with Rojas now in the mix, the Herons’ frontline looks unstoppable.

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Messi couldn’t find the back of the net vs Montreal / Minas Panagiotakis/GettyImages

Messi’s teammates were able to pick up some of the slack as he was unable to register a goal involvement in the win over Montreal. It was the least they could do for the 36-year-old, as he’s already recorded a whopping 10 goals and 12 assists in the 2024 MLS campaign.

As you might expect, Messi has been at the focal point of Miami’s early success this season. The Barcelona legend has been directly involved in 22 of Miami’s 35 league goals — roughly 63% of the team’s goals scored in 13 matches played.

Messi has also recorded at least one goal or one assist in each match he’s played in all competitions this season dating back to the team’s 2-0 triumph over Real Salt Lake — up until the win over Montreal when the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner blanked.

However, Suarez and Rojas managed to do their fair share up front to inspire Miami to victory despite Messi taking the day off. Youngster Benjamin Cremaschi went on to find the winning goal just before the 60th minute in his first start of the season.

Although Messi himself will always want to be among the goals and assists in each match he plays, he knows that he has quality teammates he can rely on to chip in here and there to propel Miami to future victories.

Man Utd Women vs Tottenham Women: The results of their last 5 meetings

Both Manchester United and Tottenham are two teams that have risen in prominence in the women’s game over recent years following their promotion to the WSL in 2019.

Now, one will be crowned winners of the FA Cup for the first time when they battle it out at Wembley in the final of the competition on Sunday. While the Manchester club have arguably enjoyed a far smoother ride in the top flight, Spurs have had an impressive campaign under manager Robert Vilahamn following his arrival last summer.

Despite facing each other on 12 occasions across all competitions, if Spurs are to lift the trophy this weekend, they will need to overcome their opponent for the first time. United have won 10 of the 12 meetings and they’ve drawn only twice.

Here’s a look at the results of the last five meetings between the two teams.

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Tottenham celebrate after scoring in the 2-2 draw against Manchester United at Leigh Sports Village last month / Nigel Roddis/GettyImages

Given how comfortably United have won the majority of their games against Tottenham, many would have been surprised to see them trailing to Spurs last month. As the game at Leigh Sports Village approached the 90-minute mark, Vilahamn’s side appeared to be on their way to a historic victory over the Red Devils.

Melvine Malard had given the hosts an early lead in the first-half, but the Lilywhites fought back and goals from Jess Naz and Bethany England in the space of a few minutes fired them in front before half-time. 

In took until stoppage time, but Maya Le Tissier scored late to put United back on level terms and clinch a much-needed point right at the death for her side.

Melvine MalardMelvine Malard

Melvine Malard was on the scoresheet for United in the 4-0 win over Tottenham in December / Visionhaus/GettyImages

A relatively even opening half-an-hour at Brisbane Road in December was undone before half-time as Hannah Blundell put United ahead. It was the defender’s looped cross that found the back of the net and, although it appeared Melvine Malard got the final touch, the goal was officially awarded to Blundell.

It didn’t take long in the second half for Marc Skinner’s side to double their advantage, this time it was Ella Toone with the goal as she chipped goalkeeper Rebecca Spencer following a fantastic ball from Malard. The on-loan forward then turned goalscorer as she picked up a loose ball in the box and drilled it into the back of the net.

Hayley Ladd scored the fourth and final goal on what was a night to forget for Tottenham. After a positive start to the campaign for Vilahamn’s side, the result meant Spurs were without a win in five games.

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Former Manchester United forward Alessia Russo scored against Tottenham in the 3-0 win last season / Visionhaus/GettyImages

United maintained their WSL title charge last season with a comfortable 3-0 win late in the campaign against Tottenham. The Red Devils comfortably dominated the game with seven attempts on target compared to Spurs’ three.

The first of United’s efforts to find the back of the net came just after the half-hour mark as Leah Galton found the opener. Minutes later, former United star Alessia Russo doubled their advantage.

Nikita Parris, who has often stepped up for United in big moments, added a third shortly after the break. The result came at a point Spurs were under threat of relegation with interim manager Vicky Jepson in charge at the time.

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Ella Toone of Manchester United was shown a red card in last season’s away meeting against Tottenham but it was later rescinded upon appeal / Marc Atkins/GettyImages

One of the most fiery affairs between the two teams took place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in February last year. Galton opened the scoring with just over 20 minutes left on the clock to set up a captivating end to the game.

Bethany England handed Spurs a lifeline shortly after with an equaliser, but their hopes of a result were short-lived as Molly Bartrip conceded an own goal minutes later. As if three goals in the space of 10 minutes wasn’t dramatic enough, Toone was then given her marching orders for what appeared to be a shove. The red card, however, was later rescinded upon appeal.

Regardless, Skinner’s side were forced to play the remainder of the game with 10 players and Spurs came agonisingly close to another equaliser, but United just about held on to clinch all three points.

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Ashleigh Neville of Tottenham and Leah Galton of Manchester United / Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/GettyImages

The second meeting between the two teams in the 2021/22 season ended in a comfortable 3-0 victory for United. The Red Devils were two goals to the good at half-time following efforts from Vilde Boe Risa and Ladd.

Galton added a third in the second-half and it was a comfortable win in the end for the hosts at Leigh Sports Village. That season, United finished fourth in the standings, just five points behind their rivals Manchester City in third.

Spurs, on the other hand, ended the campaign in fifth, 10 points behind United. It was an impressive improvement on their two previous league finishes in the WSL following their promotion to the top flight.

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