“I love seeing that attacking run as a centre-forward” - Michael Owen reserves special praise for Arsenal duo after win v Manchester United
Michael Owen praised Arsenal forwards Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard for their performance in the Gunners' 1-0 win over Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Sunday, May 12. Mikel Arteta's side triumphed in a must-win clash to keep their title hopes alive.
Although the Gunners are at the top of the EPL table and Manchester United are having an underwhelming season, beating the Red Devils in their backyard is always difficult.
After the match, England legend Michael Owen claimed that he was particularly impressed with Havertz and Trossard.
Leandro Trossard scored the match's only goal in the 20th minute, created by Kai Havertz. The German forward was played onside by Casemiro, who didn't push up at the right time.
In an interview with Premier League Productions on May 12, Owen said (via HITC):
"Havertz does particularly well. He just takes a look. He sees Casemiro and he is going to be playing him on side, so you might as well stay in the space. He thinks ‘right, this is going to give me a real advantage here'."
Owen also criticized Aaron Wan-Bissaka for his lack of awareness, which allowed Trossard to sneak in from the back and get on the end of Havertz's cross.
"Amrabat flies forward, he is trying to keep that line and doesn’t know that Casemiro isn’t with him. I do look at Wan-Bissaka as well. For someone who is in the team purely for his defending, Trossard shouldn’t be able to nick in front of him here. It’s very basic defending," he said.
"But give all credit to Trossard, he times his run," continued Michael Owen. "I love seeing that attacking run as a centre-forward. Just waiting and waiting and waiting, then pouncing and a diagonal run. It was a good finish. But very avoidable from Man United."
North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur can help Arsenal win their first EPL in 20 years
With the win over Manchester United, Arsenal climbed to the top of the Premier League table with 86 points. However, the title race still lies in the hands of Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side currently have 85 points, but they have a game in hand over the Gunners.
Therefore, City just need to win their last two matches to clinch their sixth title in seven years. However, a match with dropped points turns the tide towards the Gunners. Since Arsenal have a better goal difference (by a margin of three), equal points at the end of the season will mean victory for them.
Tottenham Hotspur will host Manchester City for their 37th league match of the season on May 15. If Tottenham can hold City to a draw, Arsenal would need to win their last game against Everton to clinch the title after 20 years.
It looks like Arsenal will need a little help from their North London rivals to end Pep Guardiola's dominance in the EPL.
“I'm going to biggest fan of Tottenham ever on Tuesday. We all are going to be!” commented Kai Havertz in an interview with Sky Sports (via Fabrizio Romano).