Arsenal round-up: Gunners beat Manchester United; Mourinho aims dig; Sanchez discusses his future

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Arsenal beat Manchester United on Sunday to keep their slim hopes of the top four alive. The Gunners delivered a good performance to take the three points and end their rivals unbeaten run, but the achievement was soured as Jose Mourinho selected a weakened team.

Although they could only beat what was in front of them, the lack of commitment from the visitors took away from the result. This was Arsene Wenger’s first competitive win over Jose Mourinho, but Phil Neville told BBC Sport that nobody really cares about it, due to United placing their focus elsewhere.

“It was a match between the teams in fifth and sixth place in the Premier League but it felt more like it was ninth versus 10th, in one of those dead rubbers you get at the end of the season.

“Yes, Arsenal won, to end United’s long unbeaten run, but nobody really cared – including United manager Jose Mourinho.”

The BBC pundit is right, as it was clear from the team selection, and a subsequent laboured performance, that Manchester United were focusing their attention on the Europa League. They are only two wins away from winning the trophy and it provides an easier route into the Champions League. This day should have been a big one for Arsene Wenger and Arsenal, but the lack of effort from their opposition meant that it wasn’t.

Jose Mourinho made some interesting comments post-match regarding Arsenal that won’t be down well. The Portuguese manager has frequently got the better of Arsene Wenger, but he was on the losing side on Sunday. The following quotes are being reported by the BBC Sport:

“Do you think I enjoy the fact a big club like Arsenal is not winning trophies? I am not enjoying that. It’s a big club.

“Wenger is not a small manager. He is a big manager. So it’s not normal and I really don’t care about it.”

These are a clear dig at Arsene Wenger and Arsenal, as he talks about the club’s lack of success in recent seasons. He has already won a trophy at Old Trafford and is in with a great chance of securing another in the form of the Europa League. The final line of his comments suggest that he doesn’t consider the Gunners a threat, despite losing to them over the weekend. At a time when the Arsenal manager is under the most intense pressure of his career, these comments will not go down well at all.

Meanwhile, Gunners key man, Alexis Sanchez, has been discussing his future in an interview with Sky Sports and has stated that he will decide on his next move in the summer. The Chilean international is under contract until 2018, but there has been a lot of speculation linking him with a move away at the end of the season.

“We’ll speak once the season is over because if I speak now, that would take my focus away from what I want, which is qualifying for the Champions League and winning the FA Cup.”

His future has been the most talked about subject in the media this season and there have been no new developments. It remains up in the air and these comments show a reluctance to commit himself to Arsenal past this summer.

This season has been his best in the Premier League and he has shown that he is a Champions League calibre player. If the Gunners are to keep the Chilean, they will need to finish in the top four.

Featured image: All rights reserved by Stuart MacFarlane