Arsenal regain 5 points lead in Premier League

LONDON (AP) — Arsenal restored their five-point lead as Premier League leaders by beating Fulham 3-0 on Sunday.

Gabriel Magalhães, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard scored the goals in a splendid first half at visiting Craven Cottage. Leandro Trossard provided the assists for all three goals.

It was the fifth consecutive win for Mikel Arteta’s side in the English tournament.

The Manchester City keeper put the pressure on Arsenal with a 1-0 away win over Crystal Palace to take them down to two points.

Arsenal and Man City have 11 games to play.

The Gunners had more good news when their Brazilian striker Gabriel Jesus came on in the 77th minute for his first game since undergoing surgery on December 6 after sustaining a knee ligament injury in world Cup.

Casemiro’s second sending off in his last three Premier League appearances left Manchester United shorthanded from 34 minutes onwards and had to settle for a 0-0 draw at home to bottom side Southampton.

United are third in the league, 16 points behind Arsenal.

The Gunners took the lead when Gabriel headed into the corner from Trossard in the 21st minute. The Belgian midfielder created the second goal five minutes later with a cross from the left that Martinelli combed through.

Trossard completed his “hat trick” of assists in the first half, a goal of great technical quality from Odegaard. The Norwegian midfielder tamed a cross in the heart of the area, made a cut and defined strong against Bernd Leno, former Arsenal goalkeeper.

CASEMIRO EXPELLED

The Brazilian midfielder was sent off for a reckless tackle on Argentina midfielder Carlos Alcaraz, an action that initially earned him a yellow card. The referee resorted to VAR and decided to show him red.

Casemiro will have to serve a four-game suspension for his second expulsion of the season. The other was during the visit to Crystal Palace on February 4.

Southampton were more dangerous when on the manpower, crushing a pair of shots from James Ward-Prowse – from a free kick – and Kyle Walker-Peters into the posts. Additionally, United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka cleared a ball down the line.

Instead of aiming for the top, United will have to defend their third place. With one game up for grabs, they are just two points clear of fourth-placed Tottenham.

Southampton remain bottom of the table. The bottom nine in the standings – with Crystal Palace in 12th place – are separated by just five points.

WEST HAM SEL DEL DESCENSO

Algerian striker Said Benrahma’s penalty after 26 minutes saved West Ham from a draw with visiting Aston Villa, a result which helped the London side exit the rest zone.

A header from Ollie Watkins to 17th place Villa in the lead.

West Ham woke up in the bottom three after Bournemouth’s upset victory over Liverpool on Saturday. The tie left David Moyes’ side in 17th place.