(Football news) Things went from bad to worse for Manchester United despite Cristiano Ronaldo scoring his 100th Premier League goal as Arsenal defeated them 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. Despite a vastly improved performance compared to Man Utd’s midweek humiliation against Liverpool, major defensive errors have all but eliminated their hopes of Champions League qualification for next season.

Nuno Tavares opened the scoring in the third minute which immediately put Manchester United on the backfoot and a foul by Alex Telles on Bukayo Saka inside the box subsequently led to the Gunners doubling their lead in the 32nd minute. However, Ronaldo pulled a goal back just two minutes later, becoming the fourth player to score 100 Premier League goals for the club (after Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney). The Red Devils were then gifted a penalty after Tavares’ handball but Bruno Fernandes hit the outside of the post and was punished soon after when Granit Xhaka’s long range effort went into the back of the net. 

Speaking after the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said “A big performance in a game I think had everything. Moments where we showed real quality, a game where we had to suffer, a game where there were moments where we were a bit lost and lacking energy, a game where we were really efficient in the boxes, a game where we had luck when we needed it. Overall I am extremely happy.” On the race to finish in the Champions League, Arteta said "I said this is going to be a rollercoaster. The winning and losing in this league is small margins. Today things went our way and we are really happy."

Meanwhile at Anfield, Liverpool managed to secure a hard fought 2-0 win against local rivals Everton. A second half header from Andy Robertson and a goal from substitute Divock Origi from close range was enough for the Reds to secure three points and remain within touching distance of reigning champions Manchester City for the Premier League title. Sadio Mane was fortunate to have not received a red card after a first half altercation while Everton are just two points from safety after Burnley won their fixture earlier in the day.

Speaking after the match, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp praised Divock Origi’s performance by saying “He is a legend on and off the pitch, that is how it is. He is a fantastic footballer, for me. I know that sounds ridiculous because I don't line him up often. He is a world-class striker. He is our best finisher, he always was, and everyone would say the same. You see these things in training and then he is not in the squad because of the quality of the other players. That is really hard. I imagine today was the same. There are other players not in the squad who are in really good shape. Really hard decisions to make because all the boys want to contribute and all are responsible for the situations we are in. But everyone loves Div and rightly so. He was again very decisive. I am very happy for him." 

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