Leandro Trossard's goal sees Premier League title race come down to final day: Man United vs. Arsenal final score … – Sporting News
OLD TRAFFORD, MANCHESTER — Arsenal have taken a monumental three points in their final away game of the Premier League season after Leandro Trossard fired them back to the top of the Premier League table with a nervy 1-0 win over Manchester United.
Trossard’s first-half goal put the Gunners ahead after a long ball by Ben White down the right flank found Kai Havertz five or so yards behind United’s last line of defence. Well, it would have been United’s last line of defence had it not been for Casemiro’s tardiness, as he was caught napping.
The United makeshift defender was lazily strolling out of the box after clearing an attack, but he was that slow, White already had launched the ball for Havertz to chase. The German forward was then comfortably onside because of the Brazilian’s idleness, and the Gunner cut the ball back for Trossard to fire past Andre Onana from the six-yard box.
The remainder of the first half saw few chances for either side, but there was a penalty shot from the hosts as Amad Diallo beat two Arsenal defenders before falling over the trailing leg of Thomas Partey. No penalty was given, and the visitors went into the break a goal to the good.
In the second half, United started on the front foot and the crowd responded. Until the hour mark, Arteta’s side were held hostage in their own half of the pitch and couldn’t find a way out.
The best United opportunity came from Alejandro Garnacho who cut in from the left on his favoured right foot but curled an effort well wide of the goal. Bruno Fernandes, United’s captain who was sat in the stands due to injury, had his head in his hands.
The Gunners were then relieved of United’s pressure but still made uncharacteristic mistakes on the ball. The most costly came with 10 minutes to play as Saka’s ball into the middle of the park was dispossessed by Kobbie Mainoo. The 19-year-old slipped through Scott McTominay, who played the ball out to the left for Garnacho, who could only fire the ball into the side-netting.
The final 15 minutes of the match saw the game wide open as both teams frantically searched for a goal. Substitute, Gabriel Martinelli dribbled his way into the box and forced Onana into a cracking save. Declan Rice then tried his luck from outside the box, but the Cameroonian once again made the save.
Arsenal held on and, for now, have put the pressure back on Manchester City in the Premier League title race.
Despite the impending inevitability of a fourth consecutive Premier League title for Manchester City, Arsenal have kept the pressure on Pep Guardiola’s side with a narrow victory at Old Trafford.
The three points sees Arteta’s men take the title race to the final day of the season where they’ll host Everton at the Emirates. City have one final hurdle to leap as they travel to the Gunners’ North London rivals, Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday. For a normal side, that would serve as a tough test, especially given City’s record away to Spurs in recent seasons, but that’s perhaps Arsenal’s biggest problem because City are not a normal team.
Since their wobbly spell in November and early December, City have gone 33 games unbeaten in all competitions after their defeat at Villa Park. City will host West Ham United on the final day of the season but have not lost to the Hammers since 2015.
The fact that the Gunners could finish second despite dropping just five points in 2024 is not only a testament to City’s domination but also a reminder that to win the title in this Guardiola era, you cannot allow that to happen. Arsenal fans will once again be saying ‘If only we won there or didn’t draw here,’ and that’s the harsh reality of going up against this well-oiled winning machine the City Football Group have created.
Maybe it was naive of Arteta to be satisfied with a point at the Etihad in March after all.
Following a seventh-place finish in the league during the 2013/14 season under David Moyes, United experienced their first campaign without European competition in 25 years. However, they immediately bounced back to the Champions League under the management of Louis van Gaal, who succeeded Moyes, after a fourth-place finish in the league.
The current situation is that United will have to beat City in the FA Cup final to reach the Europa League, otherwise, they may fail to qualify for European competition next season.
After being sat sixth in the table for the majority of the season, Ten Hag’s disastrous April has seen the club fall behind both Newcastle United and Chelsea in recent weeks.
Seventh place will be enough to secure UEFA Conference League football in next season’s campaign, however, that appears unlikely with Eddie Howe’s men coming to Old Trafford in midweek before a tough trip to the south coast where United will face Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton.
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FT: Arsenal hang on and it is a MASSIVE three points in the title race which means we will now see the 2023/24 Premier League winners crowned on the final day. The question is: Who will it be? Manchester City or Arsenal? City travel to Spurs on Tuesday evening before playing West Ham next Sunday. Guardiola’s side face West Ham at the Etihad.
90+4 minute: Garnacho has yet another strike but it’s dragged slightly and is wide of the post. Raya is taking his sweet time to take the goalkick.
90+2 minute: It has just started raining buckets here, absolutely pouring it down. Could there be one last opportunity for the Gunners to slip up?
90th minute: Six minutes have been added on.
83rd minute: Rice now smashes a ball goalwards but Onana gets down well to his left to parry it wide. This is turning into quite the game.
80th minute: United come right back at Arsenal and it’s once again Garnacho causing the problems. He beats Odegaard who slides in and miserably misses the ball before driving into the box and his strike is deflected into the side of the net. It’s going to be a nervy finish for the Gunners.
79th minute: What a save from Onana! Martinelli finds space down the left and dribbles into the box and forces the Cameroonian goalkeeper into a cracking save to keep Arsenal’s lead to one.
77th minute: Garnacho again with a chance to draw United level but he finds the side-netting. Arsenal have been careless in possession, so unlike them.
70th minute: The Gunners have steadied the ship in the last five or so minutes and Arteta has made a change to try and hit United on the counter. He’s brought on Martinelli for Trossard.
64th minute: Arsenal are struggling to get out of their own half here as United keep them under intense pressure.
61st minute: Garnacho cuts onto his right but curls an effort far too wide of the far post. It’s woken the United fans, though.
57th minute: Saka’s corner is flicked on by Saliba but it’s not the contact he was looking for and it ends up on the top netting.
52nd minute: It’s been a fairly slow start to the second half but Arsenal are holding the ball well.
46th minute: Play resumes!
HT: That’s all for the first half, Arsenal have so far come to Old Trafford and are getting the job done but United have given them a few causes for concern.
45th minute: There are three minutes of added time to play.
39th minute: Not a stat that United fans will want to read…
Manchester United have now conceded 82 goals across all competitions this season, their most in a single season since 1970/71. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/zFHf8eUMry
37th minute: Huge penalty shout for United as Amad’s trickery beats a couple of Arsenal defenders before Partey brings him down in the box. It did, however, look as though he got the ball then Amad fell over his trailing leg.
35th minute: Perhaps the worst is yet to come for United as Arteta’s men need to boost their goal difference in case the title race could be decided on that tiebreaker.
MORE: Goal difference explained
29th minute: “Declan Rice, we got him half price!” is the chant from the Gunners faithful who have been in tremendous form since the goal.
24th minute: After watching the replays, Casemiro is at fault for that Arsenal goal. He was caught napping as he strolled out from the back playing Havertz onside. Jamie Carragher was right, it’s time for him to move on from United. Whether that be the MLS, Saudi Arabia or indeed retirement.
20th minute: GOAL! Arsenal lead after Leandro Trossard gets on the end of Havertz’s cutback.
15th minute: Dalot tries his luck from distance after being urged to shoot by the home crowd and it’s a poor hit as it misses the target by some distance.
9th minute: Saka’s corner is met by Gabriel who can’t quite keep his header below the bar. Both sides are going at it in these early stages.
5th minute: Hojlund is in on goal for United after Arsenal make a mess at the back but he slips as he strikes the ball and it flies over the bar.
4th minute: Arsenal haven’t left United’s half yet and they work it well for Saka to test Onana but it’s right at the goalkeeper.
1st minute: We’re underway at Old Trafford.
Come on United! 💪#MUFC || #MUNARS pic.twitter.com/GzLBf2XHhZ
15 mins before kickoff: Arsenal’s travelling support are making themselves heard to the right of the press box as their players applaud them for making the trip. They both know the stakes of today’s game and kickoff is next…
30 mins before kickoff: The sun is beaming down on Old Trafford as the players come out onto the carpet to warm up ahead of kickoff. Many United fans are surprised by Ten Hag’s starting XI but the Dutch manager is hardly spoilt for choice given the ongoing injury crisis.
1 hour before kickoff: Team news is in!
Man United lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Onana (GK) — Dalot, Casmiro, Evans, Wan-Bissaka — Mainoo, Amrabat — McTominay, Amad, Garnacho — Hojlund.
Arsenal lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Raya (GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu — Odegaard, Partey, Rice — Saka, Havertz, Trossard.
1 hour 30 mins before kickoff: It’s a gorgeous afternoon in Manchester and it really does have title-deciding vibes about the place. United are in the midst of such a dull campaign but have managed to pull off shock victories at Old Trafford this season, like when they dumped Liverpool out of the FA Cup. But Arsenal are not showing signs of falling off like this time last year, and they’ll be desperate to force the title race to the final day of the season. With the stakes at their highest, today is a case of getting the three points regardless of how they come for the Gunners.
Would be so United to win today. #MUFC pic.twitter.com/wtxWduD7CY
2 hours before kickoff: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ live coverage of Manchester United vs. Arsenal from Old Trafford. Mikel Arteta’s side need to put history to one side today as they’re desperate for three points to help them fight off Man City in the title race.
Old Trafford has not been a happy hunting ground for @Arsenal 🫣
The Gunners travel to @ManUtd this weekend, where they have only won once in their last 16 Premier League matches 😳 pic.twitter.com/ZamZnjdPkF
The Premier League clash between the Red Devils and the Gunners will take place at Old Trafford on Sunday, May 12 at 4:30 p.m. local time.
Here’s how that time translates across some of the major territories:
United will hope that captain Bruno Fernandes is available after missing the Palace defeat — his first injury-enforced absence from a game in his Red Devils career.
Ten Hag desperately needs defenders to recover fitness but there is little guarantee that any centre-backs except Jonny Evans, who played through injury against the Eagles, will be available. Lisandro Martinez returned to training this week but is unlikely to be risked given his comeback date was originally set for the cup final. As a result, Casemiro may be forced to continue at the heart of defence despite his poor performance at Selhurst Park.
Forward Anthony Martial could be in the matchday squad for the first time since December, while Marcus Rashford will make his 400th appearance for the club if plays for the first time since the FA Cup semifinal against Coventry City.
Man United predicted lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Onana (GK) — Dalot, Casemiro, Evans, Wan-Bissaka — Mainoo, Eriksen — Antony, Fernandes, Garnacho — Hojlund
Man United subs (9): Matchday squad released one hour prior to kickoff
Arsenal’s injury picture is far rosier. Jurrien Timber could be in the squad as he aims to return to first-team football before the end of the season, and the Gunners have an otherwise clean bill of health.
Arsenal predicted lineup (4-3-3, right to left): Raya (GK) — White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko — Odegaard, Partey, Rice — Saka, Havertz, Trossard
Arsenal subs (9): Matchday squad released one hour prior to kickoff
Here’s how to watch this Premier League match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
Fubo Canada
USA: This game is available for live broadcast on the NBC USA Network. Streaming options are available on Fubo who are currently offering a FREE trial to new users.
Canada: Every Premier League game this season is live streaming exclusively via Fubo in Canada. New users can sign up to a FREE trial.
Australia: Fans in Australia can stream every match live and on demand on Optus Sport.
UK: This match is available for live broadcast on Sky Sports with streaming access on Sky GO and Now TV.
Brad is a social content producer for The Sporting News
