LONDON: Arsenal threw open the English title race Sunday with a 1-0 win over Manchester United that left the Premier League leader vulnerable to a late charge by defending champion Chelsea. Aaron Ramsey scored in the 56th minute at Emirates Stadium to cap a dominant display by Arsenal and cut United's lead over the Blues to three points with three games remaining. With third-place Arsenal still six points off the lead, the Gunners' victory may have come too late to re-ignite its title hopes. But after beating Tottenham 2-1 Saturday, Chelsea's goal difference is now identical to United's, giving the defending champion the chance to go top if it beats United at Old Trafford next Sunday. “It gives Chelsea a major chance now,” United manager Alex Ferguson said. “But in terms of ability – a game at Old Trafford – the supporters will be ready for it and so will our players.” Also Sunday, Liverpool moved ahead of Spurs on goal difference into fifth place with an untroubled 3-0 win over Newcastle. Although Spurs have played one game fewer, their chances of reaching the top four to make the Champions League for a second straight season appear to be over. Manchester City, in the fourth and final Champions League berth, beat last-place West Ham 2-1 to move seven points ahead of Liverpool and Spurs. Nigel de Jong and Pablo Zabaleta scored in the first half for City, but Liverpool still has a good chance to finish in fifth place _ two spots higher than last season. United is likely to reach the Champions League final Wednesday and was unbeaten in seven meetings with Arsenal but the closest it came to scoring at Emirates Stadium was when Wayne Rooney curled a 49th-minute free kick toward the top corner. Goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny saved and Patrice Evra put the rebound into the side netting. United could have had a late penalty when Gael Clichy trod on Michael Owen's leg just inside the area, but the Red Devils were lucky not to concede a kick of their own in the first half when Nemanja Vidic used his hand to subtly deflect a cross away from Van Persie's head. Also Sunday, Wolverhampton Wanderers drew 1-1 at local rival Birmingham. West Ham has 32 points, two fewer points than 19th-place Wolves. Wigan is next with 35 points, with Blackpool out of the three-team relegation zone only on goal difference. AC Milan closer to title AC Milan moved within one point of the Serie A title with a 1-0 win over Bologna Sunday. French midfielder Mathieu Flamini scored in the eighth minute at the San Siro, taking a pass from Robinho and dribbling past two defenders before finding the target from his own rebound. Milan can now clinch its 18th Italian league championship with either a win or a draw at Roma next weekend. With three matches remaining, Milan is eight points clear of five-time defending champion Inter Milan and nine points ahead of Napoli. On Saturday, Inter beat Cesena 2-1 and Napoli edged Genoa 1-0. Also Sunday, it was: Catania 2, Cagliari 0; Chievo Verona 1, Lecce 0; Parma 3, Palermo 1; and Sampdoria 3, Brescia 3. Villarreal downs Getafe Giuseppe Rossi scored once and set up another goal as Villarreal came from behind to win 2-1 over Getafe Sunday in the Spanish league. Pedro Rios gave Getafe a 1-0 lead in the 31st, launching a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Diego Lopez. Cani converted the hosts' dominance into a 60th-minute equalizer, firing in from outside the area after Rossi had caught Getafe off guard by quickly passing a free kick to the Spanish midfielder. Rossi capped the comeback when Marco Ruben's pass found the Italy striker charging into the area to head past Ustari in the 74th. The winner brought Rossi's scoring total to 18 in the league and 31 overall. Getafe is winless in its last nine away games and will slide into the relegation zone if 18th-place Osasuna beats Valencia later. Earlier, Renato's second-half goal gave Sevilla a 1-0 win over 10-man Almeria. At La Rosaleda stadium, Baptista scored two goals and Jose Rondon added another as Malaga rallied to beat 10-man Hercules 3-1. Racing Santander beat Mallorca 2-0 at home from first-half goals by Markus Rosenberg and Kennedy Bakircioglu. Sporting Gijon drew 0
