Man United wins again to make it four in a row for Carrick, Arsenal extends lead to 9 points

MANCHESTER, England — It's four Premier League wins in a row for Manchester United under Michael Carrick and a season that was unraveling just weeks ago now looks full of promise.

United won 2-0 against Tottenham on Saturday to extend Carrick's 100% start as head coach and boost hopes of a return to the Champions League after missing out for the last two years.

Arsenal powered nine points clear at the top, with Viktor Gyokeres coming off the bench to score two goals in a 3-0 win against Sunderland.

Second-place Manchester City plays Liverpool on Sunday while Aston Villa, in third, slipped further adrift after a 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.

Cole Palmer scored a first-half hat trick in Chelsea's 3-1 win at last-place Wolves.

Is Carrick the leading contender for Man United job?

Victory for United will further strengthen Carrick's case to be given the job on a long-term basis.

Bryan Mbeumo and Fernandes scored in each half at Old Trafford after Spurs went down to 10 men when captain Cristian Romero was sent off in the 29th minute.

It is the first time in two years that United has won four straight Premier League games.

Carrick has transformed United's fortunes since he was parachuted in to replace the fired Ruben Amorim last month. Initially given a contract until the end of the season — having previously had a three-game interim spell in 2021 — his impressive impact will likely put him in serious contention to keep the job as the club's hierarchy consider its long-term plans.

''I think Michael came in with the right ideas of giving the players the responsibility,'' said Fernandes. "He's very good with the words.

''I think he still remembers what I told him the last time he was our manager for our last game. I was sure that Michael could be a great manager, and he's just showing it.''

United is fourth and after moving up to 44 points, the 20-time English champion has already exceeded last season's total of 42 points for the entire campaign.

It has been eliminated from both domestic cup competitions, but Champions League qualification would represent a successful season.

Arsenal powers further clear

Arsenal's title charge looks in good shape after sweeping aside Sunderland.

Gyokeres took his season's tally to 13 goals and extended his streak to six in eight games. Even more impressive was the fact that his double arrived after coming on as a 60th-minute substitute at the Emirates.

''He's very demanding of himself, he's constantly trying to improve and that's really, really good,'' said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta. ''When you feel confident, when you feel important, when you feel at your best, that's when you can really take your game to the highest level.''

Martin Zubimendi opened the scoring in the first half for his sixth goal of the season.

Arsenal's title pursuit has been helped in recent weeks by its title rivals slipping up. On Saturday, a bookmaker said it was paying out on Arteta's team being crowned champion for the first time since 2004.

Arteta said the size of Arsenal's lead meant ''nothing, we still have to win so many games to achieve what we want."

City has won one of its last six league games and faces the daunting task of a trip to Anfield on Sunday. Villa, meanwhile, dropped points for the second time in as many games.

Chelsea is fifth after cruising to victory at Wolves. Palmer's hat trick included two penalties.

The England international is the first player to score three first-half hat tricks in the Premier League.

West Ham on the move

Three wins in four have given West Ham hope of avoiding the drop.

Crysencio Summerville and Valentin Castellanos scored first-half goals to secure a 2-0 win at fellow relegation fighter Burnley.

Newcastle has lost its last three in the league, and won just one in eight in all competitions, after a 3-2 defeat to Brentford at St James' Park.

Dango Ouattara scored the winner in the 85th, six minutes after Bruno Guimaraes' penalty had leveled it at 2-2.

Everton came back from a goal down to win 2-1 at Fulham.

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