Man Utd take step towards title

Updated 18.29 Sun Apr 13 2008

Keywords: football, Arsenal, Manchester United

An Owen Hargreaves free-kick has moved Manchester United a step closer to retaining their Barclays Premier League title as they saw off Arsenal at Old Trafford to leave the Gunners' championship hopes in tatters.

The England midfielder struck a glorious dead-ball winner in the 72nd minute after Cristiano Ronaldo had brought the home side into the game from the penalty spot.

The England midfielder struck a glorious dead-ball winner in the 72nd minute after Cristiano Ronaldo had brought the home side into the game from the penalty spot

But this was the stuff of nightmares for Arsenal who had taken the lead through Emmanuel Adebayor's 26th goal of the season.

Ronaldo's leveller, his 38th goal of the season came in the 54th minute after William Gallas was adjudged to have handled Carrick's shot.

And when United won a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area, with the Arsenal defence perhaps expecting a Ronaldo thunderbolt, former Bayern Munich man Hargreaves curled his effort up and over the wall and beyond Lehmann.

Arsenal are now nine points behind United with only four games to go and it will need a miracle for them to overcome the deficit.