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Arsenal legend Ian Wright has criticized Nuno Tavares for conceding an unnecessary penalty in the Gunners' win against Manchester United on Saturday.
Mikel Arteta's side followed up their 4-2 win against Chelsea with another impressive victory over Manchester United on Saturday afternoon. The north London giants handed a further blow to the Red Devils' hopes of finishing in the Premier League top four by beating them 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
Tavares, Bukayo Saka and Granit Xhaka found the back of the net for Arsenal. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo netted a consolation goal for Ralf Rangnick's side in the first half.
Tavares opened the scoring for the Gunners by netting his first goal for the club just three minutes into the game. However, he almost allowed Manchester United back into the game as he conceded a cheap penalty ten minutes into the second half, with the scoreline reading 2-1 in favor of the hosts.
The Red Devils were awarded a penalty after the ball hit Tavares' outstretched arm following a corner. Bruno Fernandes, though, failed to convert from the spot to the 22-year-old's relief.
While Tavares' mistake did not prove to be costly for Arsenal, Wright was critical of the left-back following the game. The Gunners great insisted that the Portuguese cannot be excused for having his arm high up in the air and conceding a penalty. He told Match of the Day [via The Boot Room]:
“You can’t be going up with your arm like that, Tavares, there’s no question about that. I can’t understand why his arm’s up there. No doubt [it is a penalty for Manchester United]."
Tavares has started each of Arsenal's last three Premier League matches at left-back, with Kieran Tierney sidelined with an injury. He will be keen to take the positives out of the game against the Red Devils and build on the momentum in the coming weeks.
Arsenal hand blow to Manchester United's top four hopes
The Red Devils were so shaken by Saturday's result that Rangnick admitted defeat in the side's pursuit of a top four finish in the Premier League. They now find themselves six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, who also have a game in hand.
The Gunners, on the other hand, are in the driving seat to finish fourth in the table, having earned 60 points from 33 matches. Fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur have also fallen two points behind them after drawing 0-0 against Brentford on Saturday.
With just five more matches left to play, it remains to be seen if the north London giants can secure Champions League football.
