Arsenal failed to make up ground in the Premier League title race despite fighting back to earn a 1-1 draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Mikel Arteta's side had seen leaders Liverpool move 16 points clear with a 3-1 win over Southampton on Saturday and needed to respond in the first of their two matches in hand on Sunday.

But in first-half stoppage time, Bruno Fernandes beat David Raya with a long-range free-kick, opening the scoring with United's first shot on target.

Declan Rice's pinpoint finish dragged Arsenal level with 16 minutes to play, but it was United who went closest to a winner in the dying stages.

While United stay 14th with 34 points, Arsenal are 15 behind Liverpool, who now need just 16 points from their last nine matches to wrap up the title.

How the match unfolded

Mikel Merino planted a low drive wide as Arsenal huffed and puffed without creating clear-cut chances in the first half.

Leandro Trossard sent a long-range shot wide then was just unable to bring down Martin Odegaard's clever flick in behind, but it was the Belgian's pull on Alejandro Garnacho that led to United taking the lead.

Fernandes stepped up to the resulting free-kick 25 yards out and slightly to the right of goal, whipping his effort over the wall and beyond Raya, whose positioning may have been suspect.

United had two big chances to open the second half, but Raya brilliantly denied Noussair Mazraoui and Joshua Zirkzee to keep the deficit at one.

As United dropped deeper and deeper, Arsenal's leveller finally arrived in the 74th minute, Rice firing off the far post and in after being teed up by Jurrien Timber.

Arsenal were unable to build on that moment, however, and only a stunning save from Raya denied Fernandes a 93rd-minute winner, the Spaniard parrying the initial shot before clawing the spinning ball away from the line.

United run out of steam

On the back of United's 1-1 Europa League last-16 draw at Real Sociedad on Thursday, Ruben Amorim said the Red Devils' aim for this clash with the Gunners was simply to "survive".

For over three-quarters of the match, United thrived, but their depleted squad ultimately ran out of gas in the dying stages.

United succeeded in limiting Arsenal to long-range efforts throughout the first half, while Fernandes made it two direct free-kick goals in his last three league matches, having also netted from a dead ball at Everton.

Everybody at Old Trafford was expecting an Arsenal siege after half-time, but some big chances went begging for the hosts as Raya kept out Mazraoui and Zirkzee. Fernandes squandered another glorious opening at the death, but overall, Amorim will be pleased with how his patched-up side fared.

Twenty-two-year-old goalkeeper Dermot Mee – whose last senior outing came for Altrincham in the National League in 2022 – was the oldest player on United's bench, though former Arsenal centre-back Ayden Heaven was solid enough after coming on for his Premier League debut at half-time.

United will hope to recover a couple of players for their all-important second leg against Real Sociedad on Thursday, before visiting relegation-threatened Leicester City next Sunday.

Point not enough for Arsenal

Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford having gone two Premier League matches without a goal, amassing a combined three shots on target throughout their 1-0 defeat to West Ham United and their goalless draw with Nottingham Forest.

Those two results – combined with three straight victories for Liverpool – had made Arsenal major outsiders in the title race, and though they found their shooting boots when thrashing PSV 7-1 in the Champions League on Tuesday, their attacking woes returned on Sunday.

With makeshift striker Merino struggling to find space against United's back five, Arsenal spent long periods probing around the edge of the area without ever truly threatening.

Rice teed up a grandstand finish at 1-1, but in truth, that was Arsenal's only clear-cut opening in the second half, and if not for some highlight-reel saves from Raya, the result could have been even worse.

With Liverpool looking relentless, a return of two points from three league matches is simply not good enough for Arsenal. Rather than looking up at Arne Slot's leaders, they may now be glancing over their shoulders at the pack of teams chasing a top-four finish.

Liverpool now know 16 more points will secure the title, giving them a real opportunity of getting the job done before they welcome Arsenal to Anfield in seven matches' time.