Liverpool also conjure up huge victory
London: Manchester United held on with 10 men after Paul Pogba’s late dismissal to beat Arsenal 3-1 in a pulsating game at the Emirates Stadium on a day when Liverpool also kept up the heat on Premier League leaders Manchester City. Second-placed Man United closed the gap at the top to five points with a thrilling display that belied manager Jose Mourinho’s reputation as overly defensive away from home.
While goals from Antonio Valencia and Jesse Lingard inside 11 minutes, and a further second half strike from Lingard, showed the Red Devils at their best, Pogba’s crude ‘studs-up’ lunge at Hector Bellerin revealed another side in the 75th minute.
The Frenchman deservedly received a straight red card and will miss three games, including next week’s derby against Manchester City.
Until Pogba’s dismissal, everything had looked perfect for the visitors, for whom David De Gea was outstanding and was beaten only by Alexandre Lacazette just after the interval.
“What I saw today (Saturday) was the best goalkeeper in the world,” said Mourinho, who said he ‘did not know’ what to make of Pogba’s dismissal and would leave it to the television pundits to decide.
Liverpool took advantage of Arsenal’s first home Premier League defeat in 13 games to move fourth after thumping Brighton 5-1. Juergen Klopp’s side have now scored 15 goals in four away games in all competitions.
The German made even more changes than his team scored goals, leaving out six of the side who beat Stoke City 3-0 in midweek.
Liverpool were not weakened and after stand-in centre-half Emre Can put them ahead with a bullet header, Roberto Firmino hit a double, Philippe Coutinho scored from a free-kick and Brighton’s Lewis Dunk headed into his own net. With the visitors three up, Glenn Murray’s 51st-minute penalty was not enough to spark Liverpool’s usual defensive jitters.
Demarai Gray got on the end of Riyad Mahrez’s cross to give Leicester a 1-0 win over Burnley that continued the Foxes’ bright start under Claude Puel. Burnley’s bad day was made worse by an injury to Robbie Brady, who was taken off on a stretcher before the break.
