Mikel Arteta’s side are now seven points off the top of the Premier League table after seeing out a win at home on Wednesday

Arsenal took advantage of Premier League leaders Liverpool dropping points with a 2-0 win at home to Manchester United on Wednesday. Arne Slot’s Reds were held to a dramatic 3-3 draw by Newcastle earlier in the evening, allowing their rivals to make up ground in the title race.

The Gunners had the ball in the net inside four minutes when a poor ball from the back by Andre Onana was intercepted by Oleksandr Zinchenko, whose pass was bounced back by Kai Havertz to Gabriel Martinelli to finish, but an offside flag went up against the German and the goal was chalked off. The hosts also should have had the lead with their first corner of the night after Declan Rice’s delivery picked out Thomas Partey at the near post, but the ball bounced off his shoulder and behind.

United’s first opportunity came when Mason Mount’s second delivery from a quick free-kick was swiped back into the box by Harry Maguire. The defender’s low delivery was cleared by Jakub Kiwior, but only as far as Diogo Dalot, who flashed a shot narrowly past the far post.

Mikel Arteta’s side upped the ante after the break in search of an opening goal, and they got their reward when Rice’s teasing corner was glanced up and in by Jurrien Timber on 54 minutes – his first in Arsenal colours since his 2023 move from Ajax. Another in-swinger was cleared off the line by Ugarte moments later when Joshua Zirkzee diverted the ball towards his own net, while David Raya needed to be at full stretch to claw away a Matthijs de Ligt header down the other end.

To the surprise of nobody, Arsenal found their second goal from a corner once more. Bukayo Saka’s delivery travelled all the way to the back post for Partey to head back across the six-yard box, and the ball bobbled in off the back of William Saliba.

A third ought to have followed when Mikel Merino found himself completely unmarked for Saka’s next cross, only for his header to drop wide.

Goal

Kylian Mbappe has reacted to the “big mistake” of missing his second penalty in the space of a week for Real Madrid.

Having failed to find the back of the net from 12 yards during a Champions League clash with Liverpool, the World Cup winner fluffed his lines again when facing Athletic Club in La Liga. Mbappe had the chance to tie things up at 1-1 in that contest, but saw his spot-kick saved by Julen Agirrezabala.

Real went on to lose the game 2-1, with Mbappe’s miss proving costly. Questions are being asked of why the Frenchman continues to be handed penalty-taking duty – with Jude Bellingham having successfully converted against Getafe – but the 25-year-old has vowed to respond positively to another setback.

Mbappe has posted on social media, with more criticism coming his way during a testing start to life as another ‘Galactico’ at Santiago Bernabeu: “Bad result. A big mistake in a match where every detail counts. I take full responsibility for it. A difficult moment but it’s the best time to change this situation and show who I am.”

Real will continue to give Mbappe their full backing, with head coach Ancelotti telling reporters when asked about more spot-kick woe: “I haven’t spoken to him. I shouldn’t evaluate a player’s game based on a penalty. Sometimes you score them, sometimes you don’t. Obviously he’s sad and disappointed, but we have to carry on. People make mistakes in football.”

Ancelotti added: “He isn’t at his best level, but we have to give him time to adapt. He’s scored 10 goals, he can do better, and he’s working to do better. He took the responsibility to take it, and it didn’t go well. But in football, that can happen.”

Mbappe has reached double figures for goals through 20 appearances in all competitions, but more was expected of him in the Spanish capital. Real, who sit four points behind leaders Barcelona in the Liga table while boasting a game in hand on their Clasico rivals, will return to action on Saturday when taking in a trip to Girona.

Alexis Sanchez wanted to terminate his Manchester United contract after just his first training session at Carrington following his move from Arsenal.

The forward landed in England back in 2014, signing for the Gunners from Barcelona and made an immediate impact.

In his debut season, Sanchez won the FA Cup and netted 25 goals across all competitions, cementing him as the club’s Player of the Year. Despite a less impressive second campaign, the Chile international bounced back spectacularly with 24 goals the following year.

Sanchez became a pivotal figure in Arsene Wenger’s side, drawing interest from the likes of Manchester City and Manchester United. When the former withdrew their offer, the Chilean chose to switch allegiances to Old Trafford – a move that saw Henrikh Mkhitaryan go the other way.

At the time, hopes were high that the transition would pay off for Jose Mourinho’s team, but hindsight painted a picture of regret for Sanchez immediately after joining. In a candid revelation in 2020, as quoted by the Mirror, the former Arsenal and United star said: “I accepted the opportunity to go to United.

“It felt tempting, and it was something good for me. I liked this club a lot when I was a kid. Eventually, I signed, but I didn’t ask for information on what was happening inside the club. Sometimes there are things that you don’t realise until you get there, and I remember the first training session I had, I realised a lot of things.

“After the session I got home and I told my family and my agent, ‘Can you not rip up the contract to go back to Arsenal? ‘ They laughed. I told them there was something that didn’t sit right, it didn’t seem good.

“But I had already signed; I was already there. After the first few months, I carried on having the same feeling. We weren’t united as a team in that moment.”

With seven league goals to his name before the move, Sanchez would score just two more after his mid-season switch, also losing the FA Cup final to Chelsea. The following campaign, however, was nothing short of a disaster.

Having failed to find the back of the net in the first six league games of the season, he was dropped for a trip to West Ham – a move made by Mourinho that shot the forward’s confidence. Sanchez, who – according to the BBC, was on a four-and-a-half-year deal worth £14m a year after tax added: “In a game with West Ham, I wasn’t picked.