Man United’s winless run hits five games in Atletico defeat as Arsenal blitz Lille
Manchester United’s wretched run stretched to five games without a win as Atletico Madrid beat them in the Champions League, while Arsenal kept their perfect league-phase record with three second-half goals in seven minutes against Lille at the Emirates Stadium.
United were behind inside the first minute. Alex Baena ran beyond Diogo Dalot onto a routine ball over the defence and squared for Pablo Barrios, whose shot squirmed under Ayden Heaven and into the net, a start from which Michael Carrick’s side never recovered.
Carrick’s side improved after the early blow but wasted their best moments before the break. Bryan Mbeumo missed two good chances to level, and Marcus Rashford failed to make contact with a Lisandro Martinez pass, leaving the visitors trailing at the interval.
Bruno Fernandes came closest after the interval, lifting Youri Tielemans’s pass over Jan Oblak only to see it drop off target. Atletico had moments too: Alejandro Grimaldo’s free kick clipped the post, and Julian Alvarez wasted a chance created by Barrios.
Leny Yoro’s dismissal as last man, for tangling with substitute Jonathan David, ended United’s hopes of an equaliser. Ademola Lookman, the former Everton striker, then sealed it in the 79th minute, making United the first English side to lose in this season’s Champions League.
Michael Carrick could take some encouragement from a much-improved display after making five changes to his team, but the defeat left Manchester United five games without a win, a run that continues to cast a shadow over the season.
Arsenal beat Lille with seven-minute burst
Arsenal extended their perfect start to the league phase by beating Lille at the Emirates Stadium, a second win after victory at Napoli, with all three goals arriving between the 64th and 71st minutes after a laboured first half.
Mikel Arteta made five changes from the side that beat Leeds 2-1 in the Premier League at the weekend, and Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke and Viktor Gyokeres struggled to link up in a sluggish first half for the Gunners.
Arteta resisted wholesale changes at the break and was rewarded in the 64th minute. Jurrien Timber, the Dutch defender, took Madueke’s pass and lifted a clever finish over Berke Ozer to open the scoring, sending the hosts on their way.
Eberechi Eze doubled the lead three minutes later, finishing first time from substitute Bukayo Saka’s cross. Saka then rolled in the third himself in the 71st minute, with Kai Havertz and captain Martin Odegaard also introduced from the bench and influential in the burst.
Arsenal won all eight league-phase games last season before losing the final to Paris St-Germain, and this convincing victory, built on a decisive seven-minute spell, suggests they will again be hard to beat at this stage of the competition.