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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Jacob Leeks

Arsenal match 15-year Man Utd record set by Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney

Arsenal have matched a 15-year record set by former Manchester United stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney in their win over Chelsea.

The Gunners travelled to Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Wednesday, seeking to end a run of three successive defeats. They achieved that aim in some style, capitalising on calamitous Chelsea defending to secure a 4-2 win over Thomas Tuchel's side.

Two goals from Eddie Nketiah, couple with strikes from young duo Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe were enough to secure the win for the Gunners. And in the process, they moved level on points with top four rivals Tottenham, with the two sides still to play each other before the season ends.

The goals from Smith Rowe and Saka also ensured that Arsenal equalled a record that has only been reached twice before in the Premier League. The record is that the Gunners have seen two players aged 21 or under score 10 or more goals in a single campaign.

Both Saka and Smith Rowe have now hit the back of the net 10 times in the top-flight this term. The duo are also at or under the age limit for the record, with Smith Rowe not turning 22 until July and Saka still only 20.

The last pair to reach 10 goals while playing for the same team and being 21 or under was Ronaldo and Rooney in the 2006/2007 campaign. Rooney reached the 10-goal mark on the last day of January in 2007, while Ronaldo had hit that figure on Boxing Day in 2006.

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They would go on to lift the Premier League title with United at the end of that campaign, something Smith Rowe and Saka are unable to do this term. Before Ronaldo and Rooney, the last pair to score 10 goals while aged 21 or under was Michael Bridges and Harry Kewell at Leeds in 1999/2000.

Following his starring role in the win over Chelsea, Saka was left delighted with his side's display. The England international scored the Gunners' final goal from the penalty spot and hailed the character of Arteta's team for bouncing back from conceding equalisers twice.

"I told you before that we wanted to give the fans something to believe in us and today we showed fight and character and today is a massive result for us. It was difficult, every time we went ahead they scored again," he told Sky Sports.

"We had to settle down and keep our heads and we did that in the end to get the win. It means a lot to us, losing three games on the bounce, it has been difficult and I feel like the boys have stayed positive, we have worked so hard in training and it has finally paid off with the win tonight."

Smith Rowe was also happy to get on the scoresheet, having curled the ball past Edouard Mendy to cap off a brilliant team move. He told Match of the Day: "I thought we done really well tonight and we fought until the end. The fans pushed us through it so yeah we're delighted to get the three points today."

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