Arsenal put life into race

LONDON – Premier League leaders Manchester United and champions Chelsea were licking their wounds yesterday after a weekend of defeats that left the title race in rude health.

Setbacks for United, beaten 2-1 by Arsenal on Sunday, and Chelsea, who went down 2-0 at Liverpool on Saturday, have left England’s top four clubs separated by a modest 12 points with another 42 to play for. The contrast with last season, when a leading bookmaker paid out in September 2005 on Chelsea retaining their title, could not be sharper.United’s failure to beat Arsenal and seize a probably decisive nine-point lead over Chelsea was certainly galling for their manager Alex Ferguson, but the last 10 minutes were heart-stopping stuff to watch.Wayne Rooney’s 53rd minute header had looked priceless until Robin van Persie smashed an equaliser and Thierry Henry nodded a stoppage-time winner as United’s defenders lost their bearings at the Emirates Stadium.Yet Ferguson could still point to Monday’s league table with a degree of satisfaction.With 57 points on the board, a United side who were 15 points behind Chelsea after 24 games last season are today six ahead of them.Deep as the Scot’s decade-long rivalry with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger runs, there is also some damage limitation in United losing to their most distant rival for the title.A similar defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in April could potentially wreak a great deal more damage to Ferguson’s hopes of a first league title since 2003.Nampa-ReutersThe contrast with last season, when a leading bookmaker paid out in September 2005 on Chelsea retaining their title, could not be sharper.United’s failure to beat Arsenal and seize a probably decisive nine-point lead over Chelsea was certainly galling for their manager Alex Ferguson, but the last 10 minutes were heart-stopping stuff to watch.Wayne Rooney’s 53rd minute header had looked priceless until Robin van Persie smashed an equaliser and Thierry Henry nodded a stoppage-time winner as United’s defenders lost their bearings at the Emirates Stadium.Yet Ferguson could still point to Monday’s league table with a degree of satisfaction.With 57 points on the board, a United side who were 15 points behind Chelsea after 24 games last season are today six ahead of them.Deep as the Scot’s decade-long rivalry with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger runs, there is also some damage limitation in United losing to their most distant rival for the title.A similar defeat by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in April could potentially wreak a great deal more damage to Ferguson’s hopes of a first league title since 2003.Nampa-Reuters