Chelsea beats Leicester to rise to fourth in Premier League

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — A stunning double save from David Raya denied Bruno Fernandes a dramatic late winner for Manchester United against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday.

Raya's heroics salvaged a 1-1 draw for Arsenal at Old Trafford but its Premier League title looks all but out of reach with runaway leader Liverpool 15 points clear at the top of the standings.

“I don’t want to say that, but today the frustration is that we haven’t won our game. We know the urgency and we are obligated to win every single match," Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said after watching his team drop points for a third straight league game.

And it could have been worse for second-placed Arsenal if not for Raya's brilliance. In added time the goalkeeper flung himself in front of Fernandes' effort from close range and then leapt to his feet to claw the spinning ball away just before it crossed the line.

Chelsea moved up to fourth in the standings after a 1-0 win against Leicester and Tottenham battled back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Bournemouth.

United fight

After fan protests in the street, United's players produced one of their most spirited performances of the season to draw with Arsenal.

Thousands of United supporters marched in unity to protest the club's ownership before kickoff. But on the field Ruben Amorim's team produced a unified display of its own.

Fernandes fired home a free kick from around 20 yards in first-half added time and only a slew of missed chances stopped United from extending its lead after the break, with Joshua Zirkzee and Noussair Mazraoui forcing saves from Raya.

Arsenal leveled through Declan Rice in the 74th, but needed Raya again to prevent Fernandes late on.

Amorim accepted that United, which was forced to cede possession for much of the game, will have to be more adventurous if he is to achieve his goal of returning the 20-time champion to the summit of English and European soccer.

And he believes there's another way to bring the good times back to Old Trafford.

“What I can say is we need more Brunos, that is clear,” the United head coach said. “Not just the quality and the character, he makes some mistakes, but in this league the availability is so important and he is so decisive with and without the ball.”

The draw moved United up to 14th in the 20-team standings on 34 points. Last season the once dominant United endured its worst league campaign in 34 years when it finished in eighth place. It is currently eight points off 10th-placed Fulham.

Chelsea rises

Marc Cucurella struck a 60th-minute winner against Leicester at Stamford Bridge after Cole Palmer’s first-half penalty was saved.

Victory boosted Chelsea’s chances of a return to the Champions League next season, moving it ahead of four-time defending champion Manchester City, which lost 1-0 to Nottingham Forest a day earlier.

The 2021 Champions League winner has not qualified for European club soccer's top competition for the last two years.

But Enzo Maresca’s team took full advantage of City’s latest loss by edging out relegation-fighting Leicester and climbing into the top four.

Cucurella’s long-range effort was drilled low into the corner to beat Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen.

Earlier, Hermansen had been the visitors’ hero when diving low to save Palmer’s penalty in the 22nd. It was the first time Palmer had failed to score from the spot in the league in 13 attempts. His 100% record from his previous 12 was a league record, according to the competition’s stats provider Opta.

Spurs fightback

Son Heung-min’s late penalty completed an unlikely comeback after Champions League-chasing Bournemouth had dominated the chances at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Marcus Tavernier gave the visitors the lead in the 42nd and Evanilson doubled the advantage in the 65th, while Justin Kluivert also hit the post.

Pape Sarr’s miss-hit cross caught out Bournemouth goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga and flew into the back of the net in the 67th to give Spurs hope.

And it was Kepa’s error — bringing down Son in the box — that led to the equalizer from the penalty spot. Son stepped up and converted.

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James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

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