Held in check (1-1) at the penultimate West Bromwich Albion, Manchester United saw City break away at the top of the Premier League on Sunday for the 24th day, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang woke Arsenal with a hat-trick against Leeds.
Manchester United wins
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men see their title dreams faded with just one win and three draws in the last five matches.
If they regain 2nd place at Leicester on goal difference, they are now 7 lengths behind the Citizens who will play a game late in the middle of next week, at Everton.
In the penultimate and worst defense of the championship, Manchester United found themselves behind after less than two minutes of play on a goal full of determination from Mbaye Diagne, who arrived this winter on loan from Galatasaray (1-0, 2nd).
A scenario well known by the Red Devils who have won 7 times out of the 12 matches in which they have found themselves led this season. But this time they could not do better than a draw thanks to a volley from Bruno Fernandes shortly before the break (1-1, 44th).
A point that could have escaped them if Diagne had not missed two huge opportunities to offer three points to his team who took only 7 over the last 14 days.
The Senegalese first resisted Harry Maguire to stand alone against De Gea, but the Spanish goalkeeper managed a decisive double save (79th). He then missed the frame closely, on a fleeing center (88th).
A head from Maguire in added time, touched by Sam Johnstone and pushed back by the post, leaves some regrets to the Mancunians, but their lack of offensive edge makes this draw ultimately quite fair.
Everton with absent subscribers
Surprisingly amorphous, Everton were beaten at home (2-0) by relegation Fulham and missed a great opportunity to get closer to European places.
A success would have allowed the Toffees to return to equal points with Liverpool, 4th with 40 units, before the derby which will oppose them at Anfield Road next weekend.
Instead, it was the Cottagers who confirmed their steady progress in the game since the start of the season, supplemented by a brace from Bordeaux-loaned Nigerian striker Josh Maja.
He first took a cross from Ademola Lookman at the far post to open the scoring (1-0, 48th) before being on the lookout to recover a shot from Harrisson Reed repelled by the post and double the bet (2-0, 64th).
With 18 points, the promoted, 18th, is still 7 points behind Newcastle, the first non-relegation, but he has given himself a little hope.
Everton, who will receive Manchester City in the middle of the week in a late match before going to Anfield, will have to quickly remobilize if they do not want to miss the European train.
Arsenal does not abdicate
After three games without a win, Arsenal beat Leeds (4-2), with a treble from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, his first in the Premier League.
With 34 points, the Londoners are only 10th but are only 6 points behind Liverpool, 4th, a rank which qualifies for the next Champions League.
Marcelo Bielsa’s men remain calm, with an 11th place and 32 units.
Even more than success, it is Aubameyang’s good performance that is encouraging for Arsenal, even though he was well helped by Leeds’ permeable defense.
The Gabonese, affected by the recent health problems of his mother, opened the scoring with a good individual action (1-0, 13th), before transforming a penalty stupidly conceded by the French goalkeeper Ilan Meslier (2-0, 41st ).
He added a third personal goal up close and head to bring the score to 4-0 (47th), while Hector Bellerin had scored the 3-0 goal just before half-time, taking advantage of a Meslier once again not exempt from all reproach by badly covering his first post.
In a burst of pride, Pascal Strujik (4-1, 58th) and Helder Costa (4-2, 69th) reduced the score and confirmed Leeds’ reputation as a great team, with 40 goals scored and 42 conceded in 23 matches.
Inter take the lead
Inter Milan took the lead of the Italian Championship on Sunday thanks to their victory over Lazio Rome (3-1), the day after AC Milan’s surprise defeat against La Spezia (2-0), in the 22nd day of Serie A.
One week before the Milan derby, Inter Milan can thank Romelu Lukaku, author of a double and an assist. The Belgian offers the Nerazzurri a point ahead of the Rossoneri, seven over Roma (3rd) and eight over Juventus Turin (4th).
“Big Rom” opened the scoring on a penalty obtained by Lautaro Martinez (22nd) and then doubled the stake just before the break in force (45th). With 16 goals, he joins Cristiano Ronaldo at the top of the scorers’ standings.
And just after the reduction of the Laziali score by Gonzalo Escalante (61st), who deflected a free kick from Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, it was still Lukaku who darkened against offering the third goal to Lautaro Martinez (64th), sealing this precious success for the Nerazzurri.
Unstoppable Frankfurt
Frankfurt, the team that is soaring in 2021, clinched its 8th victory in nine Bundesliga games on Sunday, 2-0 against Cologne, to temporarily take third place behind Bayern and Leipzig after 21 days.
Eintracht opened the scoring with the Portuguese André Silva (1-0, 57th), author of his 18th goal this season, which makes him the second best scorer in the championship behind the untouchable Robert Lewandowski (24 goals with the Bayern).
The French international hope Evan Ndicka, trained in Auxerre, doubled the bet (2-0, 79th) for the red and black.
With 39 pts, Frankfurt remains a good distance from Bayern (48 pts and one match to be played on Monday) and Leipzig (44 pts). But the team from the financial capital is currently the terror of the Bundesliga: unbeaten since December (eight wins, two draws), it arrives launched for its shock next week at home against the “Rekordmeister”.
Frankfurt can however still lose third place on Sunday evening if Wolfsburg (38 pts) wins in the shock of the day against Mönchengladbach, but will remain in the top-4, qualifying for the next Champions League.
Cologne, which had just extricated itself from the relegation red zone thanks to three wins in its last four outings (including a prestigious 2-1 victory last week at Mönchengladbach in a Rhine derby), remains 14th with four points d ahead of barrage Bielefeld, who travels to Munich on Monday.
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