Manchester United\, Arsenal\, Wolves outclass opponents to stay in top-four hunt

Manchester United, Arsenal, Wolves outclass opponents to stay in top-four hunt

Bruno Fernandes, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Diogo Jota all played crucial roles in their teams' respective wins which kept United, Arsenal, and Wolves respectively in contention for Champions League.

By: Reuters | Updated: February 24, 2020 12:23:14 am
Manchester United’s Anthony Martial celebrates scoring their second goal with Bruno Fernandes. (Source: Reuters)

Manchester United kept alive their hopes of finishing in the Premier League’s top four after goals from Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood secured a 3-0 home win over Watford on Sunday.

The result lifted United two places up to fifth on 41 points from 27 games, three behind fourth-placed Chelsea and one ahead of Tottenham Hotspur. Struggling Watford stayed 19th on 24 points.

The home side looked disjointed in the opening 20 minutes but Fernandes converted a 42nd-minute penalty to register his first United goal before Watford had an effort ruled out for handball following a VAR check early in the second half.

United doubled their lead in the 58th minute when Martial picked up his own rebound after Ben Foster blocked his initial attempt, left Etienne Capoue dumbfounded with dazzling footwork and dinked the ball over the keeper.

Greenwood put the icing on the cake with another individual goal of the highest quality in the 75th minute, unleashing a piledriver into the top corner after he found space on the edge of the penalty area.

United fans unfurled a giant banner before the kickoff to honour their former goalkeeper Harry Gregg who died last Sunday at the age of 87. There was a minute’s silence for Gregg, a survivor of United’s 1958 Munich air crash which killed 23 people including eight of the team’s players.

AUBAMEYANG PUNISHES EVERTON

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored twice to earn Arsenal a 3-2 Premier League win over Everton on Sunday, extending the Gunners’ unbeaten start to 2020.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin put Everton ahead in the first minute with an acrobatic volley after poor defending from David Luiz but the Gunners reacted well.

Young forward Eddie Nketiah, who started ahead of Alexandre Lacazette, levelled for Arsenal in the 27th minute and six minutes later Aubameyang put the home side ahead.

Brazilian Richarlison brought Everton back on level terms though just before the interval but Arsenal struck straight after the break with Aubameyang heading in a Nicolas Pepe cross.

JOTA DOUBLE TOO GOOD FOR NORWICH

Diogo Jota struck twice as Wolverhampton Wanderers pushed Norwich City deeper towards the drop with a 3-0 win over the Premier League’s bottom club at Molineux on Sunday.

The in-form Portuguese forward, who scored a hat-trick in Wolves’s 4-0 win over Espanyol in the Europa League on Thursday, put his side ahead, in the 19th minute, with a left-foot finish after good work from Matt Doherty. Jota doubled Wolves’ advantage from close range after Norwich had failed to clear a corner.

Norwich keeper Tim Krul produced an outstanding save on the stroke of halftime to push a Ruben Neves free kick against the bar as Wolves looked to put the game beyond Daniel Farke’s side. The third goal came early in the second half with Mexican Raul Jimenez slotting home after a Jota drive had flown out off the post.

Norwich remained bottom on 18 points, seven points behind 17th-placed Aston Villa. Wolves are eighth on 39 points.