Arsenal suffered their first Premier League defeat since April as William Saliba’s red card triggered a shock 2-0 loss at Bournemouth on Saturday, while Manchester United eased the pressure on Erik ten Hag as they fought back to beat Brentford 2-1.
Mikel Arteta’s side had started the campaign with a 10-match unbeaten run in all competitions, but that streak was shattered in controversial circumstances on the south coast.
Arsenal defender Saliba was sent off after half-an-hour for a professional foul on Evanilson that was initially punished with a booking before being upgraded to a red card after a VAR review.
The Gunners finally cracked in the closing stages as Ryan Christie put Bournemouth ahead.
Justin Kluivert’s penalty ensured Arsenal would lose for the first time in the league since their 2-0 defeat against Aston Villa in April.
It was a bitter blow for Arsenal, who would have gone top with a victory but now have to face title rivals Liverpool next weekend without the suspended Saliba.
Third-placed Arsenal will be four points behind Liverpool by then if the leaders defeat Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday.
United manager Ten Hag had defiantly slammed “fairy tales and lies” about his future at the club on Friday as the beleaguered boss insisted he was not in danger of the sack.
But the 54-year-old is widely believed to be fighting to save his job after presiding over United’s worst start to a top-flight season since 1989-90.
Ten Hag was surely teetering on the brink of being dismissed after Brentford pounced to take the lead in first-half stoppage time when Ethan Pinnock met a corner with a powerful header.
The goal sparked a furious reaction from Ten Hag, who was booked for protesting about Matthijs de Ligt’s enforced absence to have treatment on a bloodied head wound.
But Alejandro Garnacho started United’s revival in the 47th minute as the Argentinian met Marcus Rashford’s angled pass with a superb volley into the top corner.
Rasmus Hojlund bagged the decisive second goal in the 62nd minute, taking Bruno Fernandes’ clever flick and clipping a composed finish.
“Pressure? Pressure is always there,” Ten Hag said. “We have to win every game, so when we are 1-0 down we have to see how we turn this around.
“We felt some injustice and we use this as fuel for the second half. We scored two great goals.”
United’s first win in six games in all competitions was only their third victory in eight league matches this term as they moved up to 11th place.
© Agence France-Presse
Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images