Madueke’s late strike lifts Arsenal over Forest, Leeds hold Manchester United as Brighton demolish Palace

Arsenal struck late to beat Nottingham Forest and keep the pressure on Premier League leaders Manchester City on Sunday, while struggling Manchester United dropped more points in a draw at Leeds.

The Gunners faced Forest a day after pacesetters City celebrated a seventh win out of seven at home to Ipswich.

Defending champions Arsenal huffed and puffed against Oliver Glasner’s struggling side but finally secured the breakthrough when substitute Noni Madueke’s effort found the net in the 80th minute after a deflection off Jair Cunha.

That was the only shot on target in the entire game for the under-par Gunners.

Forest defender Murillo went close to a sensational equaliser in stoppage time after jinking his way into the box, but Arsenal held on for a 1-0 win, taking them three points behind City.

“We did it all together,” Madueke told Sky Sports. “We showed great determination and I think we showed a champion spirit here tonight, so really pleased.”

Earlier, United travelled to the home of bitter rivals Leeds desperate to find a spark but were forced to settle for a 1-1 draw after Dominic Calvert-Lewin cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s first-half opener.

United now have just one win in seven league games this season and are winless in their past six matches in all competitions.

United manager Michael Carrick — in his first full season in charge — is scrambling for answers, with his team looking short of quality and confidence.

The sense of a growing crisis at Old Trafford was exacerbated by a midweek outburst from defender Lisandro Martinez, who took aim at the United hierarchy after a 2-0 defeat at Atletico Madrid in the Champions League. Carrick chose to focus on the positives after Sunday’s game at Elland Road, insisting that the draw was a step in the right direction.

“If there’s any weakness, it gets found out today,” he told Sky Sports. “I could feel before the game that the players were ready for it. It wasn’t perfect, our confidence isn’t sky-high, but the players were trying to do the right things.

“In moments we looked really good. Defended really well as a team.”

Argentina centre-back Martinez gave an explosive interview in Spain on Tuesday during which he criticised the lack of investment in the summer transfer window.

Carrick insisted on Friday that United had “moved on” from the incident and Martinez was named in the starting line-up at Elland Road.

Mbeumo, playing as United’s target man, wasted a couple of chances but broke the deadlock in the 35th minute when he guided a Youri Tielemans cross into the bottom corner for his fourth goal of the season.

Leeds put the visitors under sustained pressure after the break and were level in the 51st minute when England forward Calvert-Lewin controlled the ball on his chest and finished at full stretch after Tarik Muharemovic’s header from a corner.

Carrick made attacking substitutions in search of a winner, bringing on Mason Mount and Matheus Cunha, but neither side could make the breakthrough.

Elsewhere, Brighton’s Diego Gomez struck a sensational goal from inside his own half in a 5-0 rout of Crystal Palace.

Brighton got on the scoresheet in the fourth minute through a Jaydee Canvot own goal, before Gomez struck a goal of the season contender three minutes later, robbing Adam Wharton of the ball near the halfway line before taking a touch and firing the ball over keeper Walter Benitez and into the net.

“When I got the ball I knew the goalkeeper was a little bit ahead,” Gomez told Sky Sports. “When I scored I didn’t know where to run or what to do. I was very happy with the goal.”

Yasin Ayari padded Brighton’s lead three minutes later, before Charalampos Kostoulas and Jack Hinshelwood completed the rout after the break.

Kostoulas scored just after halftime when Ayari’s shot deflected into the Greece international’s path, and Hinshelwood struck in the 84th when Luka Vuskovic’s header was scooped off the line by Benitez and he fired home the rebound.

Agencies