Manchester United came from behind to beat Premier League leaders Arsenal 2-3 at the Emirates Stadium, with stunning goals from Patrick Dorgu and Matheus Cunha. The result cuts Arsenal's lead at the top to four points after Manchester City and Aston Villa both won earlier.
Arsenal dominated the opening half-hour, scoring first and creating two more clear chances. But United equalised before half-time, and Dorgu's blistering strike early in the second half put them ahead. Cunha added a third with another remarkable effort, leaving Mikel Arteta's side with a painful defeat.
"It's a really painful one," said Mikel Arteta. "We were very dominant in the first half an hour, scored the goal and had two more brilliant chances – and then we gave them the goal. That changed the momentum. After that we dropped our standard a bit, and then they had two magic moments from Dorgu and Cunha."
Asked about a potential handball in the build-up to Dorgu's goal, Arteta added: "I haven't looked at it. It's fine, it's gone." The BBC's analysis noted that replays were inconclusive and the VAR decision to award the goal was correct, with the ball appearing to hit Dorgu's hip.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard admitted the performance was not good enough: "It's hard to tell exactly what went wrong. We had a lot of giveaways during the game that created dangerous moments. We're still top of the league. We have to stick together, keep going and bounce back."
The defeat ends a run of two consecutive 0-0 draws for Arsenal, but leaves them vulnerable with their nearest rivals closing in. Arteta insisted defeats are "part of winning" and called for unity: "When we win, it's easy. When we draw or lose, that's when we have to show togetherness."
