Jose Mourinho finally has something to cheer about after his Manchester United side overcame Burnley 2-0 in a crucial away fixture for the Red Devils on Sunday.
Back to back losses to Brighton and Tottenham Hotspurs in their previous two matches saw the Portuguese gaffer come under a lot of criticism and pressure but Belgian forward Romelu Lukaku’s strike in the 27th minute from a cross by Alexis Sanchez calmed the nerves in United’s camp. Lukaku came back to pump one more in the 44th minute as United dispatched their opponents to secure their second win of the season.
But the win was soured by Marcus Rashford’s send-off in the 71st minute after a headbutt on Burnley defender Phil Bardsley. United, being down to 10 men held on to their two-goal lead as Mourinho’s men walked out of Turf Moor with all three points.
“I am delighted with the result,” said the Portuguese, as quoted by BBC. “But I think some of you must be disappointed. [For you] it would be much better if we lose,” he added further.
In Cardiff, Unai Emery’s men ended up on the winning side after they edged past Cardiff City 3-2. This was Arsenal’s second victory under new manager Emery.
Shkrodan Mustafi headed one in for the Gunners in the 11th minute but defensive lapses-something which has haunted them from the last season- resulted in Cardiff levelling the scores just before half-time. But Arsenal’s ability to counter-attack paid dividends as Gabonese forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang found his first goal of the season with a curling effort in the 62nd minute. But once again, their weak defence was left exposed as Danny Ward equalised for the hosts in eight minutes. But Emery’s decision to start both Alexandre Lacazette and Aubameyang proved to be a fruitful one as it was the Frenchman this time, who found the net in the 81st minute through a Lucas Torreira assist as Emery’s men secured full points.
There was disappointment in store for Tottenham Hotspurs on their trip to Vicarage Road as they were handed a 2-1 defeat by Watford, who now have won all four of their matches and are at the third position behind Liverpool and Chelsea.