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LONDON - Late goals by Robin van Persie and Thierry Henry gave Arsenal a thrilling 2-1 win over Manchester United today, shattering the visitors' bid to open up a nine-point lead in soccer's Premier League.
A day after second-placed Chelsea lost 2-0 at Liverpool, England striker Wayne Rooney
headed United into a 53rd minute lead that could potentially have decided the title race.
But Van Persie came off the substitutes' bench to score an 83rd-minute equaliser and captain Henry headed a stoppage-time winner. Victory completed a league double over United after Arsenal's 1-0 win at Old Trafford in September.
United, chasing their first league title since 2003, have 57 points after 24 games, Chelsea, champions for the last two seasons, have 51 points, Liverpool 46 and Arsenal 45.
Arsenal, who flirted with their first defeat at their new Emirates Stadium, were ultimately rewarded for some relentless second-half pressure after getting off to a poor start.
United seized the early initiative, with Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo and Henrik Larsson stringing passes through a hesitant Arsenal defence.
Years of rivalry, along with the current title stakes, meant there were plenty of crunching tackles, with Arsenal's Kolo Toure and United's Ryan Giggs booked within 20 minutes.
Space was at a premium and clearcut chances were almost non-existent, though Arsenal's Tomas Rosicky skied a bouncing ball from the edge of the area and Larsson drilled a low shot that keeper Jens Lehmann easily smothered.
The best chance of the half fell to Arsenal in the 38th minute, when Emmanuel Adebayor curled over an inviting ball from the right and Henry could only direct his header at keeper Edwin van der Sar.
United nearly snatched the lead on the stroke of halftime, though, when Lehmann tipped a Rooney shot onto the bar and over and then palmed away a Larsson header from the corner.
Rooney was not to be denied eight minutes after the re-start, though, when United defender Patrice Evra made a good run down the left, his cross was touched on by Toure and the England striker arrived to head home at the far post.
The strike followed a lean spell for Rooney, who had not scored since early December, a run spanning 13 games.
Arsenal pressed for an equaliser and manager Arsene Wenger threw on Dutch forward Van Persie for Belarus midfielder Alexander Hleb in the 66th minute.
But they failed to create real goalscoring chances against a well-drilled United defence, while Alex Ferguson's side also threatened to score a second on the break.
It looked over for Arsenal until two crosses from the right changed everything. Van Persie rifled home the first at the far post and Henry hit the net with a bullet header from Emmanuel Eboue's ball over with the second.
Earlier, Everton inflicted Wigan Athletic's seventh league defeat in a row with a 2-0 victory at the JJB Stadium. Spanish playmaker Mikel Arteta scored both, the first from the penalty spot, to leave Wigan just two points above the drop zone.
Everton's England striker Andy Johnson was carried off on a stretcher with an ankle injury.
- REUTERS
