EPL title race gets a lot tighter

LONDON, England (AP):

The Premier League title race just got a lot tighter.

Arsenal benefited from two second-half errors from Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker to claim a 3-1 victory over the league leaders yesterday.

Arsenal moved up to second place and just two points behind Liverpool (51 points) after 23 of 38 games in what might shape up to be a three-way fight for the title.

Manchester City are in third place, five points off Liverpool but with two games in hand, and the defending champions will likely be happy with the result at Emirates Stadium. City are away to Brentford on Monday.

Liverpool fell to only their second loss in the league, with the other also coming in north London – at Tottenham. If that defeat was in contentious circumstances, this one was of Liverpool’s own making after being dominated for large parts of the game, and because of the nature of Arsenal’s crucial second goal in the 67th that made it 2-1.

Alisson, widely seen as the league’s best goalkeeper, came out of his area in an attempt to clear a long pass forward but kicked fresh air and the ball hit the back of covering defender Virgil van Dijk. Gabriel Martinelli had the simple task of tapping the loose ball into an empty net.

The same Liverpool players had a role in a stoppage-time third, too, with Leandro Trossard’s shot deflecting off the outstretched boot of Van Dijk and going through the legs of Alisson as he tried to make the save at his near post. Liverpool were down to 10 men at that point after Ibrahima Konate’s sending off for two yellow cards.

Bukayo Saka gave Arsenal the lead in the 14th minute, only for Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes to score an own-goal when the ball struck his hand and flew into the net.

HALF-TIME

That pulled Liverpool level at half-time, despite the visitors not having a shot on goal in the first half in what was a below-par display overall by the leaders.

“It just shows the boys are human beings,” manager Jurgen Klopp said. “Today we were really human.”

Arsenal are back in sight of the lead after a third straight win, which came after a run of three consecutive losses in all competitions that led to doubts over the title credentials of last season’s runner-up.

“We were top at Christmas and then had a few sloppy results,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice said. “We seem to have ourselves back on the right track.”

Rasmus Hojlund failed to find the net in his first 14 games in the Premier League for Manchester United. Now he cannot stop scoring.

The Denmark striker marked his 21st birthday by scoring for the fourth straight league game, setting United on its way to a 3-0 win against West Ham at Old Trafford.

Alejandro Garnacho, a 19-year-old winger, netted the other two goals in the second half – and celebrated the first of them by perching on an advertising board with Hojlund and 18-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo. They are three young players around whom United are building their future.

“I think that picture covers the lot – how they are together and want to play football with adventure and enjoyment,” United manager Erik ten Hag said. “If we keep this process going, I am sure we will achieve high levels.”

Manchester United are currently is sixth place (38 points), a point above West Ham in seventh and six points behind Tottenham in fifth.