Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Manchester United dropped more points in the Premier League after Dominic Solanke struck in stoppage time to earn 10-man Tottenham Hotspur a 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Saturday, while Arsenal fought back to beat Leeds United 2-1 and Chelsea thrashed Bournemouth 5-1.
United appeared to be on course for a much-needed victory when Bryan Mbeumo broke the deadlock in the 73rd minute. However, Rodrigo Bentancur’s dismissal five minutes later failed to derail Tottenham, who found a late equaliser through Solanke to leave the hosts facing more questions about their start to the season.
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The result extended United’s frustrating run, with the club having managed just one league victory in their opening six matches. Their supporters voiced their displeasure at half-time and again at full-time after another uneven performance.
For Tottenham, the draw offered some relief but did little to resolve their own problems. Roberto De Zerbi’s side remain winless, with three points from six matches, although Solanke’s late intervention lifted them off the bottom of the table.
UNITED DENIED AGAIN
Tottenham began the contest with greater intensity, using a high press and quick passing to pin United back and create the better chances in the first half.
Solanke, Mohammed Kudus and Conor Gallagher all missed opportunities as Spurs struggled to turn their early dominance into goals. They have now failed to score in the first half of 18 Premier League matches in 2026, a statistic that underlines their recurring problems in front of goal.
United improved after the break and finally found a breakthrough in the 73rd minute. Mbeumo surged past Jan Paul van Hecke before sending a low finish beyond goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky and into the bottom-right corner.
The advantage was short-lived, however, as Bentancur was sent off in the 78th minute following a confrontation with Luke Shaw. The Tottenham midfielder moved his head towards the England left-back’s face after Shaw had shoved him to the ground following an earlier challenge.
Despite being reduced to 10 men, Spurs refused to surrender. Solanke, captaining Tottenham for the first time, met Sandro Tonali’s cross with a glancing header in the second minute of added time to snatch a point.
The equaliser was another damaging blow for United, who had also failed to capitalise on a numerical advantage in their recent derby defeat against Manchester City. For De Zerbi, meanwhile, the late goal offered evidence of his team’s fighting spirit, even as scrutiny of his record continued.
ARSENAL RESPOND
Arsenal returned to winning ways with a 2-1 comeback victory over Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium, recovering from their 3-0 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break.
The Gunners endured a frustrating first half but were forced into action when James Justin put Leeds ahead in the 55th minute, finishing a clever pull-back from Gabriel Gudmundsson.
Riccardo Calafiori restored parity seven minutes later, rising to steer home Ben White’s knock-down. Mikel Arteta then turned to his bench, introducing Bruno Guimaraes, Jurrien Timber and Viktor Gyokeres in search of a winner.
The decision paid off in the 70th minute when Guimaraes collected the ball on the edge of the box and fired a low shot into the far corner to complete the comeback.
The victory lifted Arsenal to second place on 15 points, behind Manchester City on goal difference ahead of the champions’ trip to Liverpool on Sunday. Leeds remain sixth with nine points.
CHELSEA HIT FIVE
Chelsea produced the most emphatic performance of the day, scoring twice in the opening three minutes before cruising to a 5-1 win over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.
Jordan Henderson opened the scoring in the second minute after Cole Palmer drove forward from the halfway line and set him up. Chelsea struck again a minute later when Henderson found Morgan Rogers, whose curling effort deflected in off defender Antonio Silva.
Joao Pedro extended Chelsea’s advantage just 40 seconds into the second half, but Evanilson briefly gave Bournemouth hope by pulling one back five minutes later.
Joao Pedro restored Chelsea’s three-goal cushion before Henderson completed the rout with a superb curling free kick.
The 36-year-old became the oldest player to be directly involved in three or more Premier League goals since Cristiano Ronaldo in April 2022. The result moved Chelsea into fifth place with 10 points.
BRIGHTON CLIMB THIRD
Brighton moved into third place with a 2-0 win away to Sunderland, closing the gap to the top of the table to two points.
Maxim de Cuyper and Jaouen Hadjam scored in the second half, helping Brighton secure the victory despite Pascal Struijk being sent off in the 57th minute.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa and Brentford played out a 2-2 draw. Yehor Yarmolyuk gave Brentford the lead before Nicolas Jackson and John McGinn put Villa ahead. Kristoffer Ajer equalised in the 79th minute to earn the visitors a point and leave them fourth on 10 points.
Ipswich Town secured a dramatic 2-1 victory over Fulham at Portman Road. Ryan Sessegnon had put Fulham ahead, but Abdoul Ouattara equalised in the 88th minute before captain Dara O’Shea struck in the 92nd minute to seal the win.
Fulham remain without a league victory this season, adding to the pressure on a side struggling near the foot of the table.
With Arsenal and Chelsea securing important victories, the day’s biggest talking point remained at Old Trafford. United once again failed to see out a game, while Tottenham showed resilience to salvage a point despite playing the closing stages with 10 men. Both sides have plenty to address as the Premier League season gathers pace.
– Ends
SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
