Sunderland out of drop zone with tie
Print Edition
SUNDERLAND moved out of the relegation zone yesterday as Arsenal stumbled again in a 0-0 draw in the Premier League.
Sunderland rose to 17th after swapping places with Norwich City on goal difference, with at least one of the two teams likely to go down.
Arsenal stays fourth in the final UEFA Champions League spot, level on 64 points, five points above Manchester United, which has a game in hand. Manchester City is third. But Arsene Wenger’s title ambitions are all but mathematically over with his team nine points behind leader Leicester City with three games left. Leicester was hosting Swansea City later.
One bright spot for Arsenal at the Stadium of Light was Jack Wilshere coming on with seven minutes left for his first full-team appearance since breaking his leg preseason.
A game full of chances saw Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt rattle the woodwork with a first-half free kick while at the other end former Arsenal keeper Vito Mannone made several great saves to deny his old club.
Both sides had loud penalty appeals turned down, too, first when Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker blocked Jermain Defoe’s shot with his arm, then minutes later when DeAndre Yedlin’s outstretched arm deflected away Alex Iwobi’s shot.
Arsenal finished strongly and Mannone saved from Alexis Sanchez and Danny Welbeck.
Meanwhile, qualifying for the Champions League looks increasingly out of reach for United. The season could still end with silverware after Louis van Gaal’s side reached the FA Cup final by beating Everton at Wembley on Saturday.
And yet Van Gaal still has the air of a manager who could be leaving his job.
Even amid the joy at seeing Anthony Martial score in the 3rd minute of stoppage time to clinch a 2-1 victory over Everton in the semifinal, Van Gaal responded curtly to a question about the team beyond this season.
“I am not looking beyond this competition, the FA Cup, because we live in the present,” Van Gaal said. “And for the future I will discuss that with my board and not with you.”
When it was pointed out that he had another season remaining on his contract, the 64-year-old Dutchman said: “Yes. You repeat what I have always said.”
Counterpart Roberto Martinez also faced questions about his future, with Everton ending the season without a trophy and the team 11th in the league.
“I share the drive the club has, which is getting into the Champions League and situations where we can win silverware,” Martinez said. “Every season we are developing and reaching certain signs where I feel we can please our fans and bring the silverware they deserve.”
Martial set up Marouane Fellaini’s opener in the 34th against his former club. Although David de Gea saved Romelu Lukaku’s penalty early in the second half to preserve United’s lead after Ross Barkley was brought down by Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Gerard Deulofeu’s cross was inadvertently turned into his own net by United defender Chris Smalling with 15 minutes remaining.
Martial’s winner came off a rapid counterattack that prevented extra time. The 20-year-old France forward linked up with Marcus Rashford on the left flank and then played another 1-2 with Ander Herrera before slotting in the winner.
The 11-time FA Cup winner will take on either Crystal Palace or Watford, playing yesterday, in the May 21 final.
It seems that the FA Cup would be only a consolation prize for United if it does not follow a top-four finish in the Premier League to secure a route back into the Champions League.
“It’s not for me to judge, it’s for the board of Manchester United,” Van Gaal said following months of reports not disputed by the club that former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has been lined up as a replacement.
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