Paul Pogba Archives - SportsNewsIreland https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/tag/paul-pogba Sports News, Live GAA scores, GAA fixtures Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:08:57 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://i0.wp.com/www.sportsnewsireland.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/sni-icon.jpg?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Paul Pogba Archives - SportsNewsIreland https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/tag/paul-pogba 32 32 229439223 Our Euro 2020 team of the tournament https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer/our-euro-2020-team-of-the-tournament https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer/our-euro-2020-team-of-the-tournament#respond Mon, 12 Jul 2021 20:08:08 +0000 https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/?p=17843 We created a list of the best performing players (in our opinion) throughout the course of the tournament. After over a month of ups, downs, upsets and drama, the 2020 European Championships have come to an end. Needless to say, it was one of the best international tournaments in recent years and provided fans with […]

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We created a list of the best performing players (in our opinion) throughout the course of the tournament.

After over a month of ups, downs, upsets and drama, the 2020 European Championships have come to an end. Needless to say, it was one of the best international tournaments in recent years and provided fans with plenty of memorable moments including Switzerland’s triumph over France, Denmark’s progression to the semi-final despite their traumatic experience in their opening game and of course Italy’s deserved final win last night.

Throughout the tournament, plenty of players proved their worth and put in some fantastic performances; some of which were household names, others which were relatively unknown on the international stage.

With that said, here’s our picks for the 2020 European Championship team of the tournament.

GOALKEEPER

GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA | ITALY/FREE AGENT 

The recipient of player of the tournament and Italy’s hero in not one, but two penalty shootouts, Donnarumma’s inclusion on this list is a no-brainer.

At just the age of 22, Donnarumma has already made close to 300 senior appearances for AC Milan and Italy combined. No surprise given his performances over the tournament.

Currently a free agent but destined for Paris Saint-Germain, his stock will certainly have risen over the past month. The fact that PSG will be signing him on a free is a robbery of the highest order.

Italy captain Georgio Chiellini said it best: “I’m lucky because I’ve played with Gigi Buffon – now I play with Gigi Donnarumma and it’s the same.”

RIGHT-BACK

KYLE WALKER | ENGLAND/MANCHESTER CITY

Often a scapegoat at international level in the past, Kyle Walker showed what he can bring to the table over the tournament.

In terms of natural right-backs, it’d be hard to argue that he wasn’t the most consistent in that position. Obviously, you also have Giovanni Di Lorenzo who deputised incredibly well for the injured Alessandro Florenzi but his poor positioning in last night’s final led to the opening goal of the match and could well have been the winner only for Leonardo Bonucci’s second half equaliser.

Overall, it was a very solid tournament for the Manchester City man.

LEFT-BACK

LUKE SHAW | ENGLAND/MANCHESTER UNITED

Surprisingly, left back was probably the hardest position to choose from in the entire list, owing to the amount of exceptional performers in the position throughout.

We’ve went with Luke Shaw given his performance over the knockout stages in particular, but you could also make a strong case for Italy’s Leonardo Spinazzola who was arguably player of the tournament up until his until his injury in the quarter-finals against Belgium. Even Denmark’s Joakim Mæhle could be an outside shout having earned himself plenty of fans for his performances which helped his country to the semi-final.

Shaw though, after years of being vilified for years by fans, the press and even previous managers just came off the best season of his career and topped it off with some brilliant showings during the European Championships. We think he deserves his place.

CENTRE-BACKS

GIORGIO CHIELLINI | ITALY/JUVENTUS

A great character and an even better footballer. Although Donnarumma officially won Player of the Tournament, I’m sure Girogio Chiellini wasn’t too far behind in that decision.

Being 36 years of age, Chiellini has been around for a long, long time. His vast experience and know-how was on full display from the opening match all the way to the final. Making up for his lack of pace with his exceptional positional awareness and defensive IQ, he was a joy to watch throughout and his performances really encapsulated the art of defending which is so often forgotten about in comparison to the offensive side of things.

Italy’s final win was Chiellini’s first senior international honour to add to his illustrious career at club level. Well deserved.

LEONDARDO BONUCCI | ITALY/JUVENTUS

You can’t have Giorgio Chiellini on here without Leonardo Bonucci.

Like Chiellini, Bonucci isn’t blessed with pace, but that doesn’t matter when you have a partnership at centre-back like those two. The understanding they’ve developed after years and years of playing together at international and club level is unmatched in world football.

Bonucci’s equalising goal against England last night was undoubtedly Italy’s most important of the entire tournament also, and perhaps of his entire career.

Harry Maguire and Simon Kjær may have been slightly unlucky to miss out, but it would have taken something extraordinary to get in ahead of the Italian centre-back pairing.

CENTRE-MIDFIELD

JORGINHO | ITALY/CHELSEA

What a few months it’s been for Jorginho. Winning the Champions League in May and the European Championships last night, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Some people have even been calling for Ballon d’Or shouts, although that title will likely go to Lionel Messi after Argentina’s Copa America win. But even so, the fact that he’s been considered by some people just shows how much he’s progressed over the last few months. Those kind of plaudits would have almost been unimaginable a couple of months ago.

One of the heroes in the semi-final as he dispatched the winning penalty, he was very nearly at the opposite end of the spectrum having missed what would have been the winning penalty in the final. Thankfully for him though, Gianluigi Donnarumma spared his blushed with a save moments afterwards.

Other than his penalty miss in the final, Jorginho was the image of consistency and more than deserves his inclusion.

PEDRI | SPAIN/BARCELONA

At just 18 years of age, Pedri was Spain’s youngest player at the tournament. He also happened to be their best.

Him being named Young Player of the Tournament was consistent with his performances over the past month.

He became somewhat of a conductor in the Spanish midfield, creating chances, rarely losing the ball and remaining calm under pressure.

His pass into the box to Mikel Oyarzabal’s feet against Italy was arguably pass of the tournament and deserved a finish at the end of it.

We’ll be hearing a lot more about Pedri in the coming years.

PAUL POGBA | FRANCE/MANCHESTER UNITED

Paul Pogba can hold his head up high despite France’s early exit to Switzerland.

The Manchester United man was France’s best player during their tenure in the competition and some of the skill he displayed over the four games was just unbelievable.

This is probably a controversial selection due to the impressive form of Marco Verratti, Nicolò Barella, Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, but Pogba proved just how good he can be in his short stint at the tournament and should receive the plaudits he deserves.

LEFT-WING

RAHEEM STERLING | ENGLAND/MANCHESTER CITY

Criticize Sterling all you want for diving etc. but he carried England on his back for much of the tournament, particularly during the absence of Harry Kane goals in the the group stages.

Three goals and an assist isn’t bad going for a man who was excluded from his club’s starting XI towards the end of the season. He was also electric in the semi-final against Denmark, winning a controversial penalty and causing panic throughout.

He didn’t have the best final based on his standards the rest of the tournament, but at the same time he was arguably their most dangerous player going forward, instilling momentary panic for the Italians when in the box.

The fact he started every game despite the likes of Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho being available tells you all you need to know.

RIGHT-WING

FEDERICO CHIESA | ITALY/JUVENTUS

No disrespect intended to Domenico Berardi who’s a good player in his own right, but it’s hard to believe that he started three games ahead of Federico Chiesa.

Chiesa looked the player most capable of making things happen when on the pitch for Italy with his electric pace, directness and eye for a goal. He was almost unlucky to end up with just the two goals, however he did only start four games, so that’s not a bad return.

At just 23, Chiesa should have a long and fruitful career ahead of him.

STRIKER

PATRIK SCHICK | CZECH REPUBLIC/BAYER LEVERKUSEN

Although Patrik Schick had the same amount of goals as Cristiano Ronaldo, the latter was awarded the Golden Boot due to having more assists to his name. We think Schick had the better tournament, though.

Schick was ever-present as his side made it all the way to the quarter-finals, eventually losing to Denmark despite arguably being the better side over the 90 minutes.

He was particularly impressive in the group stage against Scotland, scoring two goals in a 2-0 win. His second goal in particular was a thing of beauty and was many people’s choice for goal of the tournament, lifting the ball over David Marshall’s head from near the halfway line.

Having come off a solid campaign at club level as well as an outstanding Euros, there could be a few clubs looking at Schick over the summer.

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Standout players over the European Championship group stages https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer/standout-players-over-the-european-championship-group-stages https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer/standout-players-over-the-european-championship-group-stages#respond Thu, 24 Jun 2021 17:18:12 +0000 https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/?p=16982 The knockout rounds will commence this Saturday. Just over a week after kicking off, the European Championship group stages have come to an end. The next step being the knockout rounds in which 16 teams will compete for a place in the final – the ultimate hope being to lift the trophy. With each team […]

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The knockout rounds will commence this Saturday.

Just over a week after kicking off, the European Championship group stages have come to an end. The next step being the knockout rounds in which 16 teams will compete for a place in the final – the ultimate hope being to lift the trophy.

With each team playing just 3 games in their group, it’s still difficult to gauge just how well some will fare in the knockouts.

During those games, there has been a number of players who have impressed.

That said, we’ve compiled a list (in no particular order) of 5 footballers who have impressed us the most in the tournament so far.

ROMELU LUKAKU | BELGIUM | STRIKER

One of the favourites to claim top scorer before the tournament commenced, Romelu Lukaku has certainly lived up to expectation so far.

The Inter Milan striker had a prolific season at club level and appears to have continued that form into the Euros, scoring 3 goals in 3 games.

Not only has Lukaku been impressive in terms of goal contributions, he’s also received praise for his general play. His role in the build-up for Belgium’s 2 goals against Denmark being particularly evident of his improved link-up play over the years.

Naturally, Belgium are one of the favourites to win the tournament and with Lukaku up top complimented by the creative talents of Kevin De Bruyne among others, they’ll be hard stopped.

CRISTIANO RONALDO | PORTUGAL | STRIKER

You wouldn’t think Ronaldo was one of the oldest players at the tournament. 3 games in with a massive 6 goal contributions (5 goals, 1 assist), the Portuguese legend is showing no sign of slowing down. In fact, he currently leads the top scorer table by 2 goals with the aforementioned Romelu Lukaku being tied second.

Not only is Ronaldo top scorer at the Euros, his last goal against France left him equal at the top with Iran’s Ali Daei for the top men’s international goal scorer of all time with 109 goals – incredible.

Although Portugal have qualified for the knockouts, their reliance on Ronaldo so far has been worrying. The Juventus striker has been involved in all but one of their goals and to tell the truth, their hasn’t been many standout performers other than him.

Even Bruno Fernandes – who is Manchester United’s main source of goal contributions – was dropped against France for his lacklustre performances in the other games.

That said, though, Portugal did manage to win the last European Championships despite poor performances in the group stages. Time will tell.

PAUL POGBA | FRANCE | MIDFIELDER 

Often a scapegoat for when things go wrong at club level, the same can’t be said for Pogba on the international scene.

He has his critics, but his performances so far in the tournament should silence them – at least for the time being.

Arguably France’s best player so far, Pogba has shown his importance to the national side, dictating play and spraying some magnificent passes to find his team mates.

Pogba was one of the key players when his country lifted the World Cup in 2018, can he be just as instrumental in this tournament?

GEORGINIO WIJNALDUM | NETHERLANDS | MIDFIELDER

The newly-signed PSG man wasn’t necessarily known as a goal scorer during his time at Liverpool, but his time with the national team and previous sides would say otherwise.

Wijnaldum is currently the joint-second in the scoring charts after scoring 3 goals in 3 games from midfield.

His scoring record for the national team is so impressive in fact, that he has more goals than AC Milan and Ajax legend Marco van Basten.

Not only is he scoring at will, he also has a highly impressive pass completion rate of 90% over the 3 games which is nothing to be scoffed at.

EMIL FORSBERG | SWEDEN | WINGER

It would be unfair not to include a Swedish player on the list. Not many fancied the Scandinavian side before the tournament but they’ve arguably been the biggest surprise package so far, winning 2 of their 3 games and drawing the other.

In fact, they’re still being overlooked by many despite reaching the quarter final being a realistic target. They’re up against Ukraine in the round of 16 who were less than impressive in their most recent showing.

There are a number of players we could have picked including Alexander Isak, who despite not scoring a goal as a striker has earned himself plenty of fans or alternatively, Victor Lindelöf, who’s been a rock at the back for his county.

But we’ve gone for Emil Forsberg.

The winger has long been regarded as one of the best talents in the Bundesliga, but inconsistency has been a problem for the 29-year-old over the years. But so far this tournament, he’s been nothing but consistent.

Like Wijnaldum and Lukaku, Forsberg currently sits second in the scoring charts having scored 3 goals.

His last performance was particularly impressive, scoring 2 brilliantly taken goals as his side ran out 3-2 winners over Poland.

With Forsberg and a recently fit Kulusevski on either wing, Sweden will be a tough challenge for any team to get past.

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Paul Pogba moment of brilliance clinches win for Manchester United https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer/paul-pogba-moment-of-brilliance-clinches-win-for-manchester-united https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer/paul-pogba-moment-of-brilliance-clinches-win-for-manchester-united#respond Wed, 20 Jan 2021 22:12:53 +0000 https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/?p=13009 The Red Devils reclaim top position after tonight’s win. Manchester United had the chance to reclaim their position on top of the league tonight with a win over Fulham. Leicester City and Manchester City had overtaken them with wins over the past couple of days. United needed a win to go 1st once again. FIRST […]

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The Red Devils reclaim top position after tonight’s win.

Manchester United had the chance to reclaim their position on top of the league tonight with a win over Fulham.

Leicester City and Manchester City had overtaken them with wins over the past couple of days.

United needed a win to go 1st once again.

FIRST HALF

It wasn’t the start Manchester United had in mind.

Fulham opened the scoring after just 5 minutes. Ademola Lookman was the goalscorer, he latched on to a Zambo Anguissa lofted ball and took a couple of tidy touches before producing a placed finish into the corner.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was partly to blame for the goal. His poor positioning allowed Lookman to time his run to perfection before putting the ball into the back of the net.

There wasn’t too much in terms of chances for United in the first half, but when an opportunity presented itself, it fell to exactly the right person.

Edinson Cavani was in the right place at the right time as he equalized from an Alphonse Areola mistake caused by a Bruno Fernandes cross. The Portuguese international struck the post just moments earlier with a thunderous strike from outside the box.

Both teams had a handful of half chances thereafter, none of which ended up in the back of the net.

The first half finished level. Fulham gave a good account of themselves and would have been pleased with their first half performance.

SECOND HALF

Fulham started the second half well and nearly caught United out on the break on numerous occasions.

That said, however, United’s quality showed in the end. Moreover, Pogba’s quality. He received the ball and beat a couple of defenders on the edge of the area before unleashing a piledriver from the edge of the box.

Cavani nearly got his brace just moments later. He met a cross with a brilliant header inside the box but Alphonse Areola produced a brilliant save to atone for his previous error.

Rub Loftus-Cheek caused United problems on occasion and he could have got the Fulham equalizer in the 74th minute. The Chelsea loanee shot from inside the box but unfortunately for him and Fulham, his shot was comfortably saved by David de Gea.

Loftus-Cheek again had a chance to equalize in the 82nd minute. The ball fell nicely to Loftus-Cheek’s feet inside the box but he failed to make appropriate contact. Instead, he blazed his shot over the bar.

The match finished 2-1 to Manchester United as Fulham were unable to conjure up any further chances.

They move up to top position in the league after tonight’s win.

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Paul Pogba the hero as Manchester United go top of Premier League https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer/paul-pogba-the-hero-as-manchester-united-go-top-of-premier-league https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer/paul-pogba-the-hero-as-manchester-united-go-top-of-premier-league#respond Tue, 12 Jan 2021 22:15:09 +0000 https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/?p=12835 Their win against Burnley tonight leaves them three points ahead of Liverpool. Manchester United were one of the most feared teams in Europe for decades – predominately during the 1990’s and 2000’s. Over the past 10 years or so, though, they’ve been on a steady decline. That said, this season they’ve managed to prove many […]

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Their win against Burnley tonight leaves them three points ahead of Liverpool.

Manchester United were one of the most feared teams in Europe for decades – predominately during the 1990’s and 2000’s. Over the past 10 years or so, though, they’ve been on a steady decline.

That said, this season they’ve managed to prove many doubters wrong – despite a shaky start to the campaign.

Statistically, they’re in the best spell of form out of all the teams in the Premier League. They’d won 4 of their previous 5 league games which left them level on points with title rivals Liverpool going into tonight’s fixture.

Manchester United travelled to Turf Moor with their sights firmly set on the top of the league.

As mentioned previously, the top two were on equal points prior to the game. Now, United have climbed their title rivals to claim 1st position after a 1-0 win against Burnley.

Paul Pogba scored the matchwinner in the 71st minute with a well struck volley which was deflected into the net.

The goal came after a variety of controversial incidents in the first half. Harry Maguire had a goal disallowed in the 35th minute for a push on an opposition defender.

Minutes before that there were a series of controversial incidents during a sequence of play. Robbie Brady had initially been yellow carded for a potentially goal-stopping challenge on Edinson Cavani but that was overturned after VAR reviewed a late Luke Shaw challenge in the build-up which led to a yellow card for the United man.

CLASH OF THE GIANTS

United and Liverpool are due to face each other on Sunday in what could be a potential title deciding clash.

Nothing but a win will do for Liverpool if they wish to reclaim their position as league leaders. They currently have a higher goal difference than United meaning any margin of victory would be good enough to go top.

Manchester United have not won against Liverpool in the last four matches between the two clubs. Liverpool have a long list of injury problems, though, particularly at the back. United will be looking to capitalize on their defensive woes en route to a match winning performance.

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Manchester United move into top four with comeback win over West Ham https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer/premierleague/manchester-united-move-into-top-four-with-comeback-win-over-west-ham https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer/premierleague/manchester-united-move-into-top-four-with-comeback-win-over-west-ham#respond Sat, 05 Dec 2020 19:26:38 +0000 https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/?p=12059 Goals from Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford ensured victory. Manchester United looked to put their midweek disappointment aside this evening with a victory against West Ham. They done exactly that; however it wasn’t as straightforward as they would have wished. They ran out 3-1 winners on a night that could have ended very […]

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Goals from Paul Pogba, Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford ensured victory.

Manchester United looked to put their midweek disappointment aside this evening with a victory against West Ham. They done exactly that; however it wasn’t as straightforward as they would have wished. They ran out 3-1 winners on a night that could have ended very different.

Manchester United move up to 4th in the Premier League table, having been in 10th up until the 65th minute. West Ham, on the other hand, slip down to 7th.

West Ham opened the scoring through Tomáš Souček in the 38th minute. The Czech Republic international turned poacher as he tapped in from a Declan Rice header. In truth, it was no more than they deserved having dominated much of the first half.

Manchester United talisman Bruno Fernandes could do nothing but watch from the bench in the first half. The Portuguese midfielder suffered a foot injury prior to the match, meaning he wasn’t in suitable condition to start the match.

He did, however, come on in place of Donny van de Beek for the second half with his side trailing 1-0. Edinson Cavani also made way for Marcus Rashford. The aging striker was unable to have the same affect as he did last weekend, leading to his substitution.

Paul Pogba failed to get going in the first half, leading to criticism on social media. He answered his critics in the 65th minute with an accurate strike from well outside the box. The goal was Pogba’s first of the Premier League season in what has been a largely disappointing one for the Frenchman so far.

They completed their comeback just minutes later. This time it was Mason Greenwood who got in on the action. Alex Telles crossed the ball into Greenwood’s feet who took a touch away from the defender before finishing coolly into the bottom corner.

They completed their rout in the 78th minute as Marcus Rashford chipped past Fabianski after receiving a through ball from Juan Mata. He missed a golden opportunity to make it 3-1 just minutes earlier but he made no mistake this time around.

The match finished 3-1 to United after a superb comeback which showed character that had been missing for large periods of the match. The scoreline was perhaps harsh on West Ham, having completely dominated the first half.

All eyes will now be on United’s Champions League fixture against Leipzig on Tuesday. A win for the Red Devils in that fixture would ensure qualification for the knockout stages.

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Aubameyang breaks his duck as Arsenal defeat Manchester United https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer/aubameyang-breaks-his-duck-as-arsenal-defeat-manchester-united https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer/aubameyang-breaks-his-duck-as-arsenal-defeat-manchester-united#respond Sun, 01 Nov 2020 18:49:53 +0000 https://www.sportsnewsireland.com/?p=10743 He dispatched his penalty in what would be the winning goal Manchester United needed to find consistency following their erratic form earlier in the season. It appeared they were on the way to doing so given their recent results. Their unbeaten run was ended tonight, however. Arsenal came out victors in what was a lacklustre […]

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He dispatched his penalty in what would be the winning goal

Manchester United needed to find consistency following their erratic form earlier in the season. It appeared they were on the way to doing so given their recent results. Their unbeaten run was ended tonight, however. Arsenal came out victors in what was a lacklustre Manchester United performance. Many would have favoured Manchester United for the victory tonight, but that wasn’t to be.

After all, Arsenal were in less than impressive form prior to the match. Before this evening, Arsenal had lost 4 of their previous 5 Premier League games. Their win this evening means they now sit 8th in the Premier League table, moving up 5 places from 13th.

The form of their talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been called into question this year. The striker’s goal return has been nothing short of incredible over the years. However, this year he has struggled to find the net with regularity. He will be satisfied with his performance tonight, though. His goal to make it 1-0 would turn out to be the winner. Having struggled for consistency so far this season, his goal tonight should give the striker a massive confidence boost.

Oppositely, Marcus Rashford has been in incredible form of late. Rashford scored 6 goals in his last 4 games prior to today. His impressive return of 3 goals – as a substitute – midweek would have done his confidence no harm going into tonight. He failed to impress, though, as he was marshalled by the opposition and failed to find space throughout.

The match itself was anticipated to be an exciting affair but that wasn’t to be. While not being necessarily boring, the match was a tense affair. Arsenal kept the ball well in possession as Manchester United failed to disgruntle them by pressing high like they have done in the past.

In fact, it took 21 minutes before either team had a shot at goal. Academy graduates linked up as Marcus Rashford’s pinpoint ball was collected by Greenwood. He shot from a similar angle as his goal midweek, but Bernd Leno had no trouble as he comfortably dealt with his effort.

Arsenal struggled to create opportunities in the first half, but were quite clearly the better team. Lacazette had the best chance as the ball fell to him inside the box after a good passing move. He failed to make a connection with the ball though and the move broke down. Saka also had an opportunity from a header towards the end of the half, but his shot sailed over the bar.

Aubameyang had his first real chance of the game shortly after the first half commenced. Indecision from Fred allowed Lacazette to intercept and set up the Gabonese hitman. David De Gea had no problems, however, as his shot went wide of the post.

Manchester United had an opportunity of their own not long afterwards. Harry Maguire got his head to the ball from a good set piece delivery, but his attempt went just wide.

Paul Pogba was the villain in the 67th minute as his clumsy challenge inside the box brought down Hector Bellerin. Mike Dean made his decision almost immediately as he pointed to the spot. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ended his drought of 5 games without scoring by tucking away the resulting penalty.

United nearly got their equalizer on 84 minutes after a series of mishaps in the Arsenal box. Donny Van de Beek crossed the ball into the box before his cross bounced off Elneny and Leno on the way to hitting the post. In truth, it would have been very unfortunate for Arsenal as they had dominated much of the match.

Arsenal managed to hang on as the match finished 1-0. Aubameyang’s strike was the difference in an important match for both clubs.

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