Arsenal and Mikel Arteta will be in high spirits after the week they have had in the Premier League. Victory over London rivals Chelsea was quickly backed up with a 3-1 win over Manchester United on Saturday, earning another important three points in the race for a top four finish.
Goals from Nuno Tavares, Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka cancelled out Cristiano Ronaldo’s finish on his return to the side, seeing the side temporarily climb up to fourth before Tottenham play against Brentford. It also puts the Gunners six points clear of United with one game in hand over them as well.
However, even before the game, Arteta was hesitant to claim that victory would knock the Red Devils out of contention for Champions League qualification: "I think there are going to be a lot of twists still. That’s what we have to do, perform and play well tomorrow to deserve to win the match, which I think will be difficult."
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Given that this stretch of games was viewed as the Gunners' tougher run of fixtures, the two victories give back some much-needed momentum. While the two-goal cushion suggests the game was relatively comfortable for the home side, it wasn’t always the case.
In fact, the game was very much a tale of two penalties. For Arsenal, a penalty was given for Alex Telles' foul on Saka inside the box after an intense VAR check.
The England international stepped up and scored to give the side a 2-0 lead at the time. Ronaldo pulled a goal back before Tavares gave away a penalty to the hosts, jumping high to attempt a header, but the ball struck his arm instead.
Playmaker Bruno Fernandes stepped up, having been reliable from the spot in the past, but following his stuttering run up he struck the post. Following the miss, goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale celebrated wildly in the box, evoking memories of Martin Keown's infamous celebration after a similar miss from Ruud van Nistelrooy back in 2003.
It was a key moment in the game, as the away side could have levelled things up, but instead the advantage was only added to by the hosts. It could be an important result in the context of the season, with the Gunners keeping the top four race in their hands for now.
