Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League as Leandro Trossard’s goal proved enough to inflict further misery on ailing Manchester United.
Manchester City temporarily usurped the Gunners with their win at Fulham on Saturday lunchtime, meaning Mikel Arteta’s men could ill afford any kind of slip up at Old Trafford.
United made Arsenal sweat more than most predicted on Sunday, when Trossard’s tap-in after Casemiro’s latest defensive error secured a 1-0 win in their penultimate match of their season.
City will go back top of the pile if they win their game in hand at Tottenham on Tuesday but this result ensures the Premier League title race will go down to the final day.
Arsenal were far from their best at Old Trafford, where makeshift centre-back Casemiro’s slowness to push out and then react to having played Kai Havertz onside led to Trossard’s first-half winner.
Andre Onana prevented Arsenal from adding anymore as absentee-ravaged United pushed for an equaliser that was beyond under-fire Erik ten Hag’s side.
It was their 14th loss of a poor Premier League campaign and a ninth home defeat in all competitions – the joint most in the club’s history – further denting their hopes of European qualification with two to play before the FA Cup final against Manchester City on May 25.