- LONDON: Manchester United moved eight points clear in the Premier League title race on Sunday by beating Queens Park Rangers 2-0 while Manchester City, who had Mario Balotelli sent off, crashed to a 1-0 defeat at Arsenal.
With only six matches to play United, who trailed City for most of the season until going top a month ago, have 79 points while their faltering Manchester neighbors have 71.
Arsenal, whose winning goal from Mikel Arteta came after 87 minutes, are third on 61 points, two ahead of arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur who drew 0-0 at Sunderland on Saturday.
Balotelli, already sent off once this season and banned for a stamp on Tottenham’s Scott Parker, now risks missing most of the rest of the run-in because of a lengthy ban.
United won at Old Trafford thanks to a dubious 15th-minute penalty from Wayne Rooney and a trademark 68th-minute long-range shot by Paul Scholes.
QPR were reduced to 10 men as a result of the penalty incident when Shaun Derry was sent off for what was the softest of touches on United winger Ashley Young who appeared to dive.