ARSENAL 2, MANCHESTER UNITED 0
- Jose Mourinho makes 8 changes after Celta Vigo win
- Arsenal take the lead in 54th minute after deflected shot by Granit Xhaka
- Danny Welbeck’s header makes it 2-0 in 57th minute
Manchester United’s top four hopes faded after goals by Granit Xhaka and former Red Danny Welbeck put a massive dent into Jose Mourinho’s quest to earn Champions League football for next season while boosting Arsenal’s own hopes.
Mourinho made eight changes to the side which won 1-0 at Celta Vigo but while Axel Tuanzebe got his first Premier League start at the Emirates stadium the side which was selected was hardly full of rookies – over £170m of talent came into the side – while ex-United striker Danny Welbeck was selected by Arsene Wenger.
Wenger celebrated his first win in 13 attempts in the Premier League against his rival Jose Mourinho but rather than being a top of the table clash it was a game against 5th and 6th wholly lacking in the kind of bite that had run through previous encounters when the title was on the table.
The result left United in fifth place on 65 points, with three games to play but four points behind Manchester City in fourth and with a vastly inferior goal difference.
Arsenal’s win kept them in sixth but took them closer to United, on 63 points with four games to play but in with a better chance of stealing into the top four in the event at Manchester City and Liverpool slipped up.
Mourinho was in no doubt about his priorities on the day, and he had to manage his tired squad.
He said: “I made eight changes, we knew we were not at our maximum power but that’s my decision.
“We want to win the Europa League and qualify for the Champions League through winning a trophy and we needed to give rest to players.
“The squad is really short, we were disappointed with the result but I am proud of the guys – they have a record playing unbeaten in the Premier League.
“We did six months without defeat, 25 Premier League games.”
Undefeated run comes to an end for Manchester United
Undefeated they may have been, the fact remains that 12 of 25 games were draws and the Reds have found it difficult to convert chances into goals the way that they used to.
Decent chances were missed by both sides in the first half with Wayne Rooney denied by Petr Cech with Juan Mata waiting on the penalty spot for the tap-in while Aaron Ramsey couldn’t beat David De Gea after being put through by Alexis Sanchez.
Despite a relatively even game, the Gunners were the more incisive side with their chances and had wrapped up the game in three second half minutes.
The deadlock was broken after Granit Xhaka’s shot looped up off Ander Herrera, who had turned his back, and wrong-footed De Gea after 54 minutes.
Three minutes later Danny Welbeck had headed their second from six yards out after a fine cross by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was converted by the delighted striker.
Mourinho called for reinforcements in Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford but while Rooney’s free kick at least tested Cech, the Gunners kept the Reds at bay without the game ever catching fire.