Spurs players rejoice at White Hart Lane

Arsenal failed to rise to their set goal—to begin a title challenge, falling 2-3 to old foes, Manchester United at Old Trafford.

In London, Tottenham Hotspur succeeded in making the charge that Arsenal wanted, closing the gap on league leaders, by winning the maximum three points against Swansea. And Tottenham had to fight from behind to claim victory 2-1.

Wenger was frustrated that his side came away empty handed from their match against Manchester United despite dominating possession.

The Gunners had 61% of the ball at Old Trafford but ended up losing 3-2, a result that puts a dent in their title ambitions. They are now five points behind Barclays Premier League leaders Leicester City after winning only two of their last seven league matches.

“We had a lot of the ball and a lot of possession,” Wenger said. “We favoured their game plan because we conceded two quick goals and at 2-0 down it is difficult. You have to take a gamble. I think the biggest regret was we had so much of the ball but we conceded three goals. It is difficult to win away from home after that.

“On the set pieces I expected us to do more from the number of free kicks we had around their box. From the middle of the park we were not dangerous enough.”

Wenger did have words of praise for 18-year-old Marcus Rashford, who continued his incredible start to his Old Trafford senior career with two first-half goals.

“The player who was surprising for me talent-wise was Rashford because of the timing of his movement and his intelligence,” he added.

In London,  Mauricio Pochettino paid tribute to the Tottenham Hotspur support at White Hart Lane after they roared their side to a comeback victory over Swansea City on Sunday afternoon.

Spurs went behind to Alberto Paloschi’s 19th-minute goal but responded impressively, scoring through Nacer Chadli and Danny Rose for their sixth straight Barclays Premier League victory.

“After we conceded the team showed belief in the way that we play and we were patient,” Pochettino, the head coach, said. “I need to recognise and say thank you to the supporters because they were brilliant.

“At 1-0 down they lifted the team and helped us try to achieve the objective. Today the connection was fantastic between the ground and the team. It was perfect.”

The win maintained Tottenham Hotspur’s challenge for a first BPL title in second place, two points behind leaders Leicester City and three clear of third-placed Arsenal. Pochettino urged his side to retain their focus ahead of their next fixture, away to West Ham United on Wednesday night.

“Wednesday is another big game,” he said. “We need to recover as soon as possible to try to arrive with good energy. We know we are in a good position in the table but there’s still a long way to the end of the season.”

*Culled from www.premierleague.com