Premier League: Arsenal regain 5-point lead; Casemiro sent off as Man Utd draw

Gabriel Magalhães, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard scored first-half goals at Craven Cottage to secure a fifth straight victory in the league for Arsenal.

Leandro Trossard provided the assist for all three goals.

Second-place Manchester City had applied pressure on Mikel Arteta’s team by winning 1-0 at Crystal Palace on Saturday, briefly reducing the gap to two points.

Arsenal and City have 11 games left.

There was further good news for Arsenal, with Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus coming off the bench in the 77th for his first appearance since undergoing surgery on Dec. 6 on a medial collateral ligament injury sustained during the World Cup.

Arsenal had already had a goal disallowed for offside following a video review by the time Gabriel headed in a left-wing corner from Trossard in the 21st minute.

The Belgium midfielder set up the second goal five minutes later, too, digging out a cross from the left that Martinelli nodded in after beating Fulham defender Antonee Robinson to the ball.

Trossard completed his hat trick of assists in the second minute of first-half stoppage time but the goal owed more to the technical skill of Odegaard, who brought down the cross into the area, cut inside and smashed a shot past Bernd Leno — Fulham’s former Arsenal goalkeeper.

Tosin Adarabioyo headed the ball against the crossbar off a corner as Fulham came into the match more in the second half.

Man Utd draw vs Southampton

Manchester United held firm after Casemiro’s second red card in his last three Premier League games to secure a 0-0 draw with last-place Southampton on Sunday.

The Brazil midfielder was sent off in the 34th minute for a studs-up challenge on Carlos Alcaraz that initially earned him a yellow card. The referee changed it to a red after the VAR advised him to look at the incident again on the pitchside monitor.

Casemiro must now serve a four-match ban, given it was his second sending-off of the season. His other was at Crystal Palace on Feb. 4.

Southampton had the better of the chances in Casemiro’s absence, twice hitting the goal frame through James Ward-Prowse — off a trademark curling free kick — and Kyle Walker-Peters and seeing United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka clear the ball of the line.

At the other end, Bruno Fernandes had a long-range shot tipped onto the post by Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu.

Third-place United moved two points clear of fourth-place Tottenham and has a game in hand.

Southampton stayed in last place, with the bottom nine in the league — up to 12th-place Crystal Palace — separated by just five points.