Arsenal vs Manchester United Review
Arsenal celebrated their 500th match at the Emirates Stadium with a 2-0 victory over Manchester United. After a convincing 4-0 win against Everton, Ruben Amorim unexpectedly made six changes to his starting lineup for the match against an Arsenal team aiming for their fourth straight win. Mikel Arteta’s squad nearly scored within the first four minutes when Gabriel Martinelli capitalized on a poor clearance from André Onana, but the goal was disallowed for offside. Thomas Partey then squandered a prime opportunity, failing to make solid contact with a header from a corner kick.
United quickly became more competitive in the match and managed to frustrate the home team with some well-organized possession, but they never posed a threat to David Raya in the Arsenal goal. The Gunners kept pressing, with their main danger coming from set pieces. Arsenal came out strong in the second half, and their ongoing threat from set pieces led to the first goal just 10 minutes after the break. Rice’s corner was headed in by Jurrien Timber at the near post, marking the 21st goal the Gunners have netted from corners since last season. This prompted Amorim to make some changes, including a triple substitution that featured Leny Yoro, who was making his competitive debut for the Red Devils.
Arsenal’s practice on set pieces was evidently effective, as another corner kick almost led to a goal, but Manuel Ugarte managed to clear the ball off the line after Joshua Zirkzee nearly scored an own goal. It wasn’t until the 67th minute that United registered their first shot on target, with Raya making an impressive save to stop Matthijs de Ligt.
Nevertheless, Arsenal neutralized any threats from United and extended their lead from another set piece. Bukayo Saka’s corner was headed back into the danger zone by Partey, eventually crossing the line thanks to William Saliba.
Arsenal comfortably managed the final 15 minutes with minimal pressure from Amorim’s side, marking his first loss as United’s coach. He won’t have to wait long to seek redemption, as United will face Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Meanwhile, Arsenal is narrowing the gap to league leaders Liverpool, reducing it to seven points while extending their unbeaten home streak to 13 matches across all competitions (11 wins, 2 draws).
