Arsenal draw with Man Utd to deal another blow to title challenge
Declan Rice cancelled out Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick but Mikel Arteta’s side trail Liverpool by 15 points.
Arsenal’s faint hopes of winning the Premier League took another blow on Sunday despite Declan Rice securing Mikel Arteta’s men a 1-1 draw on a day of protest at Manchester United.
The Gunners could ill afford any slip-up given their title hopes hung by a thread, but their failure to match Liverpool’s result the previous day leaves them needing a miracle with 10 games left.
Arsenal sit 15 points behind the leaders after Rice cancelled out Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick as United impressively overcame recent exertions and the fact they were without 11 players for a game Ruben Amorim simply wanted to “survive”.
The toothless visitors failed to turn first-half dominance into an opener in Arteta’s 200th Premier League match in charge, with Fernandes firing the Red Devils ahead with a stoppage-time free-kick.
David Raya produced key saves before and after Rice rifled Arsenal level as a tame opening period made way for a frenetic second half.
Anti-Glazer chants filled the air from the outset on a day when the 1958 supporters’ group organised United’s most significant protest since 2022.
Thousands marched on Old Trafford and director Edward Glazer got a firsthand taste of that fury as he watched from the stands, where co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was also in attendance and the subject of some ire.
Arsenal started on the front foot and Mikel Merino went close to an early opener, but they dominated possession in passive fashion as they lacked a cutting edge that injured trio Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus could have brought.
Martin Odegaard saw a low drive held and Leandro Trossard flashed wide as Arsenal looked for a breakthrough that United unexpectedly provided after Trossard fouled Alejandro Garnacho 25 yards out.
Fernandes stepped up to the free-kick and struck past Raya, whose positioning was suspect, in front of a bouncing Stretford End.
Arsenal sought a leveller early in the second half, with Onana getting a touch on a fizzing Odegaard strike before an unmarked Rice volleyed over the resulting corner.
United were looking more of an attacking threat, though, and Raya needed to produce some key saves.
The Arsenal goalkeeper superbly stopped Noussair Mazraoui volleying home a Diogo Dalot cross, then prevented Joshua Zirkzee flicking in.
But United looked tired, as they did in the final 20 minutes in Thursday’s 1-1 Europa League draw at Real Sociedad, and Arsenal half-chances were followed by a 74th-minute leveller as Jurrien Timber showed good awareness and cut back for Rice to slam a first-time strike past Onana.
Matthijs de Ligt and Fernandes had attempts for the home side, with substitute Gabriel Martinelli seeing a rifled effort clawed around the post by Onana at the other end.
Play was swinging from end-to-end and Rasmus Hojlund could have won it.
First Rice got back to stop the out-of-sorts substitute capitalising on fine work by Casemiro and, after Trossard struck wide, he was stopped from meeting a cross by Gabriel.
Garnacho lasered over before some stoppage-time drama. Odegaard saw a shot saved and an offside Martinelli lashed over the rebound, then Raya stopped a Fernandes piledriver before somehow getting back to stop the looping ball being bundled in.
