Arsenal, MU seeking solace

Reeling from embarrassing weekend results in the Premier League, Arsenal and Manchester United will each be determined to restore credibility when they meet at Emirates Stadium on Wednesday.

While Arsenal ceded first place to Chelsea after being blown away 5-1 at Liverpool on Saturday, United could only record a 2-2 draw at home to Fulham, which started the game dead last in the standings.

Arsenal's capitulation ended a run of 10 games without defeat in all competitions, but manager Arsene Wenger can at least console himself that it left his side only a point from the top.

Silver linings are not quite as easy to find for United, which trails fourth-place Liverpool by nine points and seems destined to miss out on a place in next season's Champions League.

The defending champion dominated Sunday's game against Fulham at Old Trafford, enjoying 75 percent of possession and sending no fewer than 81 crosses into the visitor's box.

It would have prevailed had it not been for a 94th-minute equalizer scored by Fulham's Darren Bent, but record signing Juan Mata said his side must develop a keener cutting edge.

"It seems that luck is not on our side, but I don't like to give excuses," the former Chelsea midfielder wrote on his personal blog on Monday.

"We have to get better and improve our shooting accuracy, because we got many times to the box and could have scored more than two goals.

"I'm sure we will make it, but there are less and less games to play, so the sooner the better."

Michael Carrick, who scored United's second goal, said the result was "hard to explain", and warned he and his teammates were desperate to take their frustrations out on Arsenal.

"We will be ready," said the England midfielder.

"It is one of those seasons of setback after setback. We have to believe that with performances, things are going to change.

"There is no better place to do that than on Wednesday night at Arsenal. We still believe we can go there and get the result we want."

United won 1-0 when the sides met at Old Trafford in November and Arsenal has occasionally fallen short against its supposed peers this season.

Although it beat Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur at home, it dropped points against Everton and Chelsea at Emirates and was thrashed 6-3 at Manchester City in mid-December.

Wenger's side finds itself amid a daunting run of games, with Sunday's FA Cup tie at home to Liverpool followed by the home leg of its Champions League last 16 tie against reigning champion Bayern Munich.

Midfielder Mikel Arteta has urged his side to channel the frustration from Saturday's result at Anfield, telling his teammates they have to react.

"We know we need to improve and face those games in a different manner because after 18 minutes we were 4-0 down and it was like a car crash," said Arteta.

"The manager was really upset at halftime because it wasn't good enough for this football club. It was the angriest I have seen him."

United manager David Moyes might elect to hand teenage winger Adnan Januzaj a start in place of Ashley Young on the left flank, having introduced him from the bench against Fulham.

United has lost only twice in its past seven visits to Emirates, winning three times and drawing twice.

(China Daily 02/12/2014 page23)