Arsenal won their fifth consecutive win at Fulham (3-0) on Sunday and took a five-point lead over Manchester City, while Newcastle ended a long period without a win against Wolverhampton (2-1) and Manchester United were held in check by Southampton (0-0) on matchday 27 of the Premier League.
Nothing can stop the Gunners as they keep their main rivals at bay in the title race, winners from the day before at Crystal Palace (1-0).
Apart from that important win in Fulham, Mikel Arteta’s players once again impressed with their compactness in midfield, tactical intelligence and the quality of their passing against the Cottagers, who are now bottom.
Rather borrowed in the first quarter of an hour, the leaders of the table were stung by a goal, which they were denied after a long check by the video assistant because of an offside position.
The arteta to remobilize them bore fruit as former Lilleer Gabriel scored five minutes later from a Leandro Trossard cross (1-0, 21′). The Belgian striker, who arrived from Leicester in January, gave Gabriel Martinelli (2-0, 26′) and Martin Odegaard (3-0, 45’+2) two more assists, showing that he had a solution for the position of the central defender could be. forward, time to see Gabriel Jesus return to his best level. The latter, who was inextricably linked to his team’s good start to the season, also played for the first time since his knee injury at the end of December and went into the last quarter of an hour.
Eleven days from the finish line, the Gunners have every reason to believe in an ideal end to the season, as indicated by a banner bearing the message “Believe” (“Believe it”) from a hundred of their supporters who have arrived by barge on the Thames alongside the Craven Cottage Stadium.
Newcastle is recovering
Two months after their last league win, the Magpies resumed their good habits from the first part of the season with a win against Wolverhampton (2-1), which has allowed them to return to fifth place, four points from the first qualifier for the next Champions League, Tottenham, and with two more games.
The best defense in the championship (18 goals in 25 games) also scored two goals in the same game for the first time since December.
Swede Alexander Isak opened the scoring with a header after a cross from Trippier (26′). Coming into play a few seconds earlier, Hwang Hee-chan equalized midway through the second period (70′) before Miguel Almiron, who also came on eleven minutes earlier, scored a one-two with Joe Willock (2-1, 79′). ).
Casemiro beats Manchester United
Third in the table, Manchester United could only manage a draw (0-0) against bottom-placed Southampton and Betis Sevilla (4-1) a week after exploding at Liverpool (7-0) and retiring from the Europa League.
Casemiro’s ejection in the 34th minute for dangerous play didn’t make the Red Devils’ task any easier.
But even before that turning point, Erik ten Hag’s players were uneasy at the bottom of the championship, determined to take advantage of every opportunity, like that goal from Theo Walcott, saved by David De Gea (24′). In the second half, the Saints even hit the bar through James Ward-Prowse (54th).