Arsenal

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When I read back the notes I’d made about Arsenal during Sunday’s win over Manchester United, it was like a checklist of what it takes to be champions.

Mikel Arteta’s side had the mindset that meant they were able to handle the occasion, take control of the game and then see it out with the kind of defensive discipline and determination that has enabled them to keep 18 clean sheets in the Premier League this season.

When I was a Gunners player, winning at Old Trafford usually meant we also won the title too.

We will have to wait and see whether that is the case this year but, whatever happens now, Arsenal have shown fantastic mental resolve to get this far and overcome the obstacles they fell at last time.

They have won 15 of their past 17 Premier League games to make it as difficult as possible for Manchester City to defend their crown, going into the final week of the season.

The pressure was on the Gunners against United, and you could feel that tension in their performance. I think the history of this fixture was a big part of that, because there have been some huge games between these two teams down the years - I know, because I played in a few of them.

It all meant Arsenal were not at their best but sometimes when you are in a title race, you just have get through days like that and grind out the result, and they were so professional in the way they went about it.

I thought they were immense at the back, especially the two centre-halves, Gabriel and William Saliba, who were outstanding again.

Read Martin Keown's full analysis here

We asked for your views on Sunday's match between Manchester United and Arsenal.

Here are some of your answers:

Manchester United fans

Andy: Wow! How was that 1-0? United awful, disjointed, disappointed - just three adjectives I can think of. Luckily I was watching on TV but imagine spending good money to watch this team. I’m sorry but don’t blame injuries. This team is poor and lack confidence, direction and consistency. Worst team ever and I started watching them in 1972.

Ramesh: Very poor performance by Manchester United. Sad to see this United team playing like school boys.

Moeed: Chaotic, disorganised, confused. Those words summed up Manchester United's team performance today, except for the likes of Garnacho, Diallo and Dalot. Those three weren't even exceptional, they just showed the standard which would probably be labelled as average in a side like Manchester City or Liverpool. Huge reset needed this summer immediately!

James: Manchester deserve to be where they are, best of the mid-table in the Premier League. They have not played well enough to deserve European football. There are six players who deserve to be in that dressing room, the rest belong in Sunday league.

Arsenal fans

James: Sub-par performance, not enjoyable in the slightest, but a win. Some lazy passes when they ought to be more smooth. Not a good United team so perhaps a missed opportunity for the goal difference. But we’ve taken it to the last day, which is the very least I could have asked for before kick off.

Martin: Very nervy and as sloppy as I've seen Arsenal all season but our defence came through again, and United didn't have the quality to hurt us. Feels bad to depend on Tottenham, but that's where we are. Just get that win against Everton and see what happens.

Peter: The worst I've seen Arsenal play this season. They struggled to put two passes together. We were lucky it was United we were playing.

David: Arsenal never really looked at it. They seemed nervous and very unlike the Arsenal we all know. The players seemed nervous and very unsettled. They knew a win would take it to the last day so I think it played on their minds.

Image source, PA Media

Arsenal kept their 18th clean sheet of the season in Sunday's 1-0 win at Manchester United - a tally five higher than any other club in the Premier League this season.

The victory at Old Trafford ensured that the Gunners will have a chance of lifting the title on the final day of the campaign, regardless of Manchester City's result when they play their game in hand against Tottenham on Tuesday.

On BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast, ESPN journalist Mark Ogden said: "They've been doing what title-winning teams do - they've got results without playing as well as you'd expect them to.

"With Arsenal, everyone is blinded by the Invincibles team [of 2003-04] and the Arsene Wenger teams that were brilliant to watch and won by two or three goals away from home, but this is a bit more like the George Graham Arsenal. [On Sunday] there were two banks of four against a Manchester United team that hasn't got a cutting edge, and they were so rigid defensively, but that's what you need in a title-winning team.

"That's what Arteta has done really well - he's taken away that soft centre that Arsenal had for so long and he's made them tough to beat. That is the building block of any title-winning team. We can talk about the goals they score and how exciting some teams are, but if you can't defend, you can't win anything."

Listen to more analysis on BBC Sounds

Mark Chapman introduces highlights and analysis from Sunday's Premier League action.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, you can catch up on the action on BBC iPlayer here.

And you can watch highlights of Saturday's games on Match of the Day here.

Listen back to Sunday's BBC Radio 5 Live match commentary in full:

• Manchester United v Arsenal

Arsenal's hopes of signing 24-year-old Newcastle striker Alexander Isak this summer could be scuppered by Liverpool who are interested in his 23-year-old team-mate Anthony Gordon. (Express), external

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column

Mikel Arteta spoke to BBC Sport after victory against Manchester United: "We needed a result today in a really difficult place. Our history was not in favour of a result today, there was so much at stake and we're happy with the result.

"We started the game really well and were dominant. We scored the goal and I think the goal led to slightly bad things because we started to play too safe, too sideways, too backwards with not enough structure.

"We started to give the ball away in good areas and that is a danger against them. But we defended well and didn't concede too much."

• Arsenal have won three successive Premier League games against Manchester United for the first time since September 1998, while this season is just the fourth time they’ve done the double over them, after 1997-98, 2001-02 and 2006-07.

• Manchester United have lost 19 games in all competitions this season, their most since 1977-78 (also 19), while their nine defeats at Old Trafford this term is their joint-most at home in a season, along with 1920-21, 1930-31, 1933-34, 1962-63 and 1973-74.

• Arsenal’s win at Old Trafford was their 27th in the Premier League this season, only winning more league games in a campaign in the top-flight in 1970-71 (29) and 1930-31 (28).

• Manchester United have conceded in 10 successive games in all competitions for the first time since October 2021, while the 82 goals they’ve conceded this season is their most since 1970-71 (also 82).

• Only Cole Palmer (19) has been directly involved in more Premier League goals in 2024 than Arsenal’s Kai Havertz (14 – 8 goals, 6 assists), with eight of those involvements coming away from home (4 goals, 4 assists), bettered only by Kevin De Bruyne (11).

Image source, Getty Images

A huge cheer from the away end greeted the final whistle in this often hot-tempered and closely fought encounter.

This wasn't the big win that many perhaps predicted before kick-off but Arsenal dug in and ground it out against one of their fiercest rivals to ensure they take the title race to the final day.

The Gunners did show nerves at times, understandable given what was at stake, but in the end Leandro Trossard's first-half goal was enough to put them back on top of the table.

They may still fall short, given the relentlessness of Pep Guardiola's Manchester City, but Mikel Arteta's side are doing all they can, and the fans cannot ask for much more than that.

The pressure is now back on Manchester City, who head to Arsenal's rivals Tottenham on Tuesday.

Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League and ensured the title race will go to the final day with victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The Gunners delivered an unconvincing display against a severely depleted United side but did enough to secure the win that puts them one point ahead of Manchester City having played a game more.

Leandro Trossard struck after 20 minutes when lazy defending from struggling veteran Casemiro played Kai Havertz onside and his cross was turned in by the Belgian at the near post.

United showed plenty of endeavour but suffered from a glaring lack of quality and never seriously tested Arsenal keeper David Raya, as their own hopes of European football next season faded further.

Arsenal must now hope north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur do them a favour by getting a result at home to Manchester City on Tuesday.

The Gunners host Everton in their final game of the season next Sunday, while City are at home to West Ham.

Were you at the ground or following along from home?

United fans, give us your thoughts on the game.

Tell us what you made of the performance, Arsenal supporters.

Follow all the reaction here

The team news for Manchester United v Arsenal is in, with less than an hour to go before kick-off at Old Trafford.

Follow the build-up here

Listen to full match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live

Chris Sutton is making predictions for every Premier League game this season against a variety of guests.

For this weekend's matches, he takes on Kasabian frontman Serge Pizzorno.

Sutton's prediction: 1-5

Manchester United fans need to stop living in the past and pretending we are still in the Sir Alex Ferguson era.

My favourite team of the Premier League era was Ferguson's Treble-wining side of 1999, so for everyone who thinks I dislike United, I don't. They were also the best team the Premier League has ever seen but, while they were brilliant then, they are not anymore.

Their manager Erik ten Hag is off at the end of the season, I'm convinced of that, and Arsenal should wipe the floor with them at Old Trafford.

The only question is whether the Gunners turn up but even if they are below their best, this could end up being a cricket score.

I've got to say that while I've been critical of Bruno Fernandes in regards to the Manchester United captaincy, they missed him badly against Crystal Palace.

United really need Fernandes back for this game but, even if he is fit, the only way they can win is by defending in numbers and taking whatever chances they get on the counter-attack.

They will also need Arsenal to not quite be at it but, with what is at stake, I think the opposite will apply. I am expecting the Gunners to win easily.

Serge's prediction: 2-3

There are going to be a lot of goals but Arsenal are going to win this one and push Manchester City all the way.

Read all of the predictions here

Fresh off the back of a humbling 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace, Manchester United can dent Arsenal's title hopes at Old Trafford on Sunday.

With simply finishing in the top seven now looking like a challenge, The Football News Show finds out why the Arsenal game is crucial for Erik ten Hag to show United's new co-owners that the players are still responding to him.

Watch The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer

Image source, Getty Images

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal "want to change" Manchester City's dominance of the Premier League.

Pep Guardiola's side are aiming to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive league title - their sixth in seven years - and only the Gunners stand in their way.

"We are in the journey to try and catch them and be better than them," said Arteta. "That is the aim.

"Competition makes you better because it challenges you to go further and further. We are focused on what we have to do but the same time I am very enthusiastic and excited.

"The league has gone to a different level. There is still a lot to play for against very difficult opponents.

"We want to change that [dominance of City's]. That is what is driving my energy, it is that ambition and objective."

Asked if he would have taken Arsenal's current position at this stage of the campaign were it offered at the start of the season, Arteta said: "I would take the pen and sign it.

"My brain tells me when talking to the players that we are lifting the Premier League. That's what my brain is doing at the moment and I want to follow my brain and my gut.

"This is the way I want everybody to think as well. Hopefully we can achieve it."

Mikel Arteta has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game at Manchester United.

Here are the key lines from the Arsenal boss:

• There are "doubts" over the fitness of Bukayo Saka and Takehiro Tomiyasu but they will be assessed in the final training session on Saturday.

• Arteta said Jorginho, who has extended his contract with the club, is "a very important" part of the team and "it is impossible to not like him".

• On the psychological impact of not being in control of the title race: "It’s a very clear situation. We know what we need to do, but we have to perform at a high level in every match."

• He said he has been envisioning lifting the trophy and that is fuelling his "energy and ambition" to achieve it.

• On opponents Manchester United: "We know the difficulty of the game as it is in our results history against them. We will have to be at our best to try to win the game."

• He said the team will not be watching Manchester City's game against Fulham on Saturday as they will be training, but he is "sure people will be connected to it".

• On Pep Guardiola's side being 'juggernauts' and hard to catch: "We want to change that and we are doing everything we can to improve. We are in the journey to try to catch them and be better than them, which is the aim."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences here

Listen to BBC Radio 5 Live commentary of Man Utd v Arsenal at 16:30 BST on Sunday