Newcastle frustrate Man United and misfiring Ronaldo, Arsenal stay top

16 October 2022 - 17:49 By Reuters
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Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United interact during the Premier League match against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on October 16 2022.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes of Manchester United interact during the Premier League match against Newcastle United at Old Trafford on October 16 2022.
Image: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Manchester United and an unusually goal-shy Cristiano Ronaldo were unable to find a way past Newcastle United at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday in a 0-0 draw that kept both teams in the top six.

Showing passion and solidity sometimes lacking from their hosts, Eddie Howe's Newcastle had the best chance of the game with an extraordinary double header from Joelinton in the first half that came first off the crossbar then off the post. Newcastle's Callum Wilson also had a penalty shout denied.

Feted before the game for reaching 700 club goals in his career, Ronaldo twice had the ball in the back of the net. But he was offside for the first, while the second was disallowed when he cheekily nicked the ball off Newcastle to stroke it home after claiming a free-kick had been taken.

Ronaldo has only scored twice this season for United, with some pundits already declaring the twilight of his brilliant career.

The result left United fifth on 16 points, with Newcastle sixth on 15 points with one more game played.

Antony was again Manchester United's brightest spark, with one close-range shot stopped by Newcastle goalkeeper Nick Pope's shins. Despite seeing plenty of the ball, however, he was unable to wriggle past Newcastle's dogged defence or find the perfect cross for his fellow strikers.

Erik ten Hag's subdued strike force will again come under a harsh spotlight after an unimpressive midweek Europa League performance when they missed countless chances and left it late for a 1-0 win over Omonia Nicosia.

Graham Potter's impressive start as Chelsea manager continued as Mason Mount's double gave his side a 2-0 victory at struggling Aston Villa.

Chelsea are unbeaten in six games since Potter replaced Thomas Tuchel at Stamford Bridge and the win at Villa was their fifth in a row in all competitions.

They were given a helping hand by their hosts with Mount cashing in on a horribly misguided defensive header by Tyrone Mings in the sixth minute. Villa responded well and created several good chances before the break but were frustrated by Chelsea's keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga who made a series of saves including a miraculous one to deny Danny Ings an equaliser.

Any hope of Villa salvaging something from the game disappeared in the 65th minute when Mount's dipping free-kick deceived keeper Emiliano Martinez.

Victory left Chelsea in fourth place with 19 points from nine games, four behind London rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Villa are 16th, one point above the relegation zone, with pressure mounting on manager Steven Gerrard who was taunted by Chelsea fans throughout the game.

Arsenal handed Leeds United their first home loss of the season with a frantic 1-0 victory at Elland Road to remain top of the standings in their best start to a Premier League season.

In a match that was suspended for 38 minutes shortly after kickoff due to a power cut at the stadium, Arsenal were under intense pressure from an energetic Leeds side who pressed hard in a frenetic first half.

Bukayo Saka opened the scoring for Arsenal against the run of play in the 35th minute when he latched on to Martin Odegaard's through-ball to smash his shot over keeper Illan Meslier's head from a narrow angle.


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