Arsenal’s win saw them go above north London rivals Tottenham and Manchester United to take third spot in the Premier League. Emery said his side face a tough task to hold on to that position until the end of the season. Unai Emery says Arsenal are in a ‘good moment’ “Spurs, Chelsea and Manchester United will win a lot of matches.
It’s going to be difficult and the next game at Everton is very difficult,” he said. “We need to continue being consistent, continue creating a big mentality, learning when we need to struggle and when we need to push together.”
Aaron Ramsey scored the opener before going off in the 67th minute with what Emery described as a “small injury”. French striker Alexandre Lacazette sealed victory with a deft chip seven minutes from time. Asked if Juventus-bound Ramsey’s display proved what he could have achieved if he stayed, Emery added:
“Aaron is happy, he’s helping us. He’s playing with big performances. We need to create a big atmosphere. He knows we are in the most important moment in the season and we need every player.”
Manchester City returned with a swagger from the international break on Saturday, resuming their quest for four trophies with another dominant 2-0 win at Fulham that thrust them back to the top of the Premier League on Saturday.
On the afternoon that Huddersfield Town were relegated and Manchester United celebrated the full-time managerial appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 2-1 win over Watford, City again demonstrated why they remain the league’s benchmark.
Bernardo Silva scored for the third game in a row and Sergio Aguero extended his league-leading tally to 19 in a dazzling early spell, allowing the champions to ease to a seventh straight league victory while never having to hit the heights.
It restored City’s advantage at the top, one point ahead of Liverpool on 77 points with both sides having played 31 games, though Juergen Klopp’s men could return to the summit with a win over third-placed Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Still, City, who have won the League Cup and are in the FA Cup semi-finals and Champions League quarter-finals, moved closer to an unprecedented, if still unlikely, ‘quadruple’ with 14 matches left.
Without seemingly having broken stride, their cosmopolitan crew reconvened after the international break and looked as if they had never been apart as soon as Bernardo Silva arrowed in a left-footed strike within five minutes.
For manager Pep Guardiola, the lunchtime stroll at Craven Cottage, featuring the return of key players like Kevin De Bruyne and Fernandinho after injury, felt like the most perfect resumption with the pressure immediately restored on Liverpool.
“The first 15, 20 minutes was incredible with the way we played,” he told the BBC.
“After the international break, you usually miss a bit with your rhythm. This game was tricky — 12:30 on a Saturday, a sunny day. That is unusual, and that is why I am so satisfied.
“We don’t think too much about what people say about the quadruple. What Liverpool and Manchester City have done in the Premier League both deserve credit. That’s why we are (both) here.”
Manchester United moved into fourth place, level with Tottenham Hotspur on 61 points having played a game more, as Solskjaer got his permanent reign off to a winning start with victory over unfortunate Watford.
Goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial secured United’s win, even though this was far from their most convincing performance under the Norwegian as Watford deserved more for their enterprise than a late Abdoulaye Doucoure consolation.
Still, the win lifted United above Arsenal, who host Newcastle United on Monday.
At the other end of the table, as 19th-placed Fulham’s defeat left them a step closer to what looks certain relegation, Huddersfield’s even more inevitable demotion to the Championship was confirmed with a 2-0 defeat at Crystal Palace.
The Terriers became only the second team in the Premier League era to be relegated before the end of March as they lost to goals from Luka Milivojevic and Patrick van Aanholt.
Wins for 17th-placed Burnley, 2-0 at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and 16th-placed Southampton, 1-0 at Brighton & Hove Albion, ensured their fate was sealed as they matched Derby County’s record, set in 2008, for the earliest relegation from the Premier League after 32 games.
Leicester City marked an emotional day for the club on what would have been the 61st birthday of their late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who died in a helicopter accident in October, by beating Bournemouth 2-0 at the King Power Stadium.
His image was flashed up on the big screen along with the words “Always in our hearts” before the match and, in the 61st minute, the fans rose to applaud his memory.
In the day’s late game, West Ham United, after six unbeaten matches at the London Stadium, came unstuck with a lacklustre 2-0 home defeat by Everton
Goals from Kurt Zouma and Bernard moved Everton above the Hammers into ninth, one point behind Wolves and Leicester.
Liverpool secured a last-gasp 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur thanks to an own goal by visiting defender Toby Alderweireld to maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League.
Liverpool are on 79 points with Manchester City, who won at Fulham on Saturday, on 77 points but with a game in hand.
Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris parried out a back post header from Mohamed Salah but the ball struck the unfortunate Belgian central defender and rolled over the line in the 90th minute.
It was a stroke of luck for Liverpool and one which sent Anfield wild with relief as a draw would have handed the advantage in the title race straight to Pep Guardiola’s side.
Title race is a battle of wills says Liverpool’s Klopp
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Questions will be asked of Lloris’s failure to smother the ball or push it away from danger but it was a cruel end to a strong second half display from Tottenham who are now level on 61 points with fourth-placed Manchester United.
Roberto Firmino opened the scoring in the 16th minute getting between the Spurs central defenders to meet a perfectly shaped cross from left-back Andy Robertson with a firm header.
Juergen Klopp’s side looked to quickly add a second but while they roared forward and had Tottenham’s defence shaking, their shots on goal were limited.
Tottenham recovered and were well on top after the break. It was no surprise when they drew level — Harry Kane swinging a wonderful cross-field pass to Kieran Trippier whose low ball was flicked on by Christian Eriksen and Lucas Moura drove home the loose ball.
Spurs could have made it even worse for Liverpool five minutes from the end but Moussa Sissoko, looking far from composed, blasted over at the end of a dangerous counter-attack.
Then came the late winner — a half-cleared corner was returned by Roberton deep to the far post and Salah’s header was pushed out by the French keeper against Alderweireld’s shins and into the net.
“It’s a massive result for us,” said Roberton
“The first half an hour we blew them away without getting a second goal. We got a wee bit sloppy and, to be fair, Spurs have beaten us comfortably in the second half.
“But we fought right to the end and it’s all about three points,” added the Scotsman.
Moura was dejected, noting Spurs had failed to take their opportunities to win the game.
“It is very hard to lose like this. We played very well. At this level of game we cannot make some mistakes and we had chances to win the game,” said the Brazilian.
Late goals from Cesar Azpilicueta and Ruben Loftus-Cheek helped Chelsea complete a thrilling comeback to beat Cardiff City 2-1 away in the Premier League on Sunday.
With Chelsea heading for an embarrassing defeat against third-bottom Cardiff, their captain Azpilicueta dragged them back into the match with a headed goal that appeared to be offside.
The visitors then completed the fightback when substitute Loftus-Cheek stormed in at the back post to plant a header in the bottom corner.
Maurizo Sarri’s Chelsea stayed sixth in the table with 60 points, level with fifth-placed Arsenal, who have played a game fewer, and a point behind Manchester United in fourth.
Cardiff’s plight looks increasingly bleak as the are now five points adrift of the safety zone with seven games remaining.
Chelsea, who started without talisman Eden Hazard and midfielder N’Golo Kante, struggled to create chances and failed to hit a single shot on target in the first half.
Aron Gunnarsson’s long-throws for striker Oumar Niasse troubled the Chelsea defence for the majority of the match and it was key to Cardiff’s breakthrough just after the interval.
The visitors failed to clear the delivery launched into the box, leaving midfielder Harry Arter to whip the ball back in for Victor Camarasa, who fired a first-time finish into the top corner.
The hosts had two penalty appeals turned down, with defender Sean Morrison tugged down by Marcos Alonso and Antonio Rudiger in two separate incidents.
“We worked three weeks for this but to get let down by decisions… no major decisions went for us,” Cardiff manager Neil Warnock said.
“It’s the best league in the world but the worst officials. They don’t understand what is at stake. They shouldn’t make mistakes at this level.
“My players feel like they have been kicked in the teeth. We’ve been kicked so many times. I don’t deserve officials like that today. There is no excuse for that, it’s criminal.”
Cardiff next face a trip to second-placed Manchester City on Wednesday, while Chelsea host Brighton and Hove Albion.