Arsenal cruise against Burnley as Forest hold Man Utd
LONDON: Arsenal brushed Burnley aside 2-0 on Saturday to surge seven points clear at the top of the Premier League as struggling Nottingham Forest held in-form Manchester United to a 2-2 draw. Chelsea edged Tottenham 1-0 to climb to fourth in the table while champions Liverpool prepared to host Aston Villa in the late kick-off, desperate to end a four-match losing streak that has derailed their title defense. Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have won five league games in a row to position themselves as firm favorites to end their painful two-decade wait to be crowned English champions. Viktor Gyokeres headed the Gunners ahead following a Declan Rice corner in the first half at Turf Moor for his first league goal since mid-September — yet more joy for the set-piece specialists. England midfielder Rice himself headed home to double the visitors’ lead in the 35th minute and put them in total control. “The first half was exceptional — we scored two goals and gave nothing away,” Arteta told the BBC. “That was the platform. We had to make a few changes and didn’t have that much control in the second half. Defending was exceptional again, we didn’t give anything.” Arsenal, who have now won nine games in a row in all competitions, have enviable options in attack but their team is built on a rock-solid defense that has conceded just three league goals in 10 games this season.