LONDON, (Reuters) – Manchester United and Arsenal closed the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea with classy, one-sided wins over struggling Wigan Athletic and Portsmouth yesterday. Champions United, inspired by a superb performance from Wayne Rooney, beat Wigan Athletic 5-0 at Old Trafford while Arsenal were never troubled by bottom-of-the-table Portsmouth in a 4-1 win at at Fratton Park.
Chelsea, who completed their holiday fixtures with a 2-1 win over Fulham on Monday, lead the table with 45 points from 20 matches, followed by United on 43 and Arsenal on 41 with a game in hand. Tottenham Hotspur complete the top four with 37 points from their 20 games. United, who had beaten Wigan in all 10 of their previous matches, were certain of making it 11 out of 11 by halftime as they raced into a 3-0 lead with goals from Rooney, Michael Carrick and Rafael da Silva. Dimitar Berbatov and Antonio Valencia scored in the second half. Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports he believed Arsenal were good enough to win the title for the first time since 2005.
“We are up for it 100 per cent,” he said. “The commitment is there, the focus is there and the talent is there so it will be very interesting. We we will fight for it. This team is ready to give absolutely everything.
“We believe, and if we don’t believe, nobody will believe.”