Manchester United scored three goals past the Premier League’s best defence, as Michael Carrick’s men beat Arsenal in a fantastic display at The Emirates.
Manchester United started the game under pressure from Arsenal, struggling to make any serious inroads into their opponent’s half, with Arsenal finding the opener just before the half-hour mark through a Lisandro Martínez own goal.
This seemingly woke Michael Carrick’s side up, with United almost instantly replying through Bryan Mbeumo, but he was unlucky with his first touch. Seven minutes after Arsenal’s opener, however, Mbeumo latched onto a poor back pass from Martin Zubimendi before showing great composure to go round David Raya and score the equaliser.
United came out for the second period on the front foot, and just five minutes after the restart, Patrick Dorgu produced a stunning strike to put the away side in front.
As United looked to close out the game, Arsenal equalised through a scrappy corner goal, but substitute Matheus Cunha had the last laugh, scoring the winner with a great strike in the 87th minute.
#1 – Performance Against Man City not just a one-off
After United’s convincing 2-0 win over Man City in what was Michael Carrick’s first game as interim head coach, many were wondering whether that performance was merely from a new manager bounce, from City’s rather poor defensive setup on the day or a genuine improvement in the side.
Despite this, against the league leaders, United carried that performance into the game. One thing that was noticed during the derby was that Carrick’s men set up like a 4-4-2 in the defensive phase of the game, and that was once again on show against Arsenal, as they looked to cut off any attacking threat.
#2 – Dorgu has re-invented himself as an attacking threat
Dorgu, signed for £25 million in February 2024 from Lecce, was the first signing made under Ruben Amorim’s tenure at Manchester United, with it being expected that he would instantly start for his new side, despite having only made 60 senior appearances before signing for United.
Despite this, the Danish left-back struggled to establish himself in the side, with Amorim preferring to start Diogo Dalot, a natural right-back at left wing-back over the 21-year-old.
In the last month, however, Dorgu has completely reinvented himself as an attacking threat in this Manchester United side. He has now scored against Newcastle in a 1-0 victory, against City, and now against Arsenal, with two of them being fantastic solo strikes.
#3 – Casemiro will be a big loss for Man Utd in the summer
With the announcement earlier in the week that Casemiro would not be extending his contract at the club past its expiry in the summer, United’s need for midfield reinforcements has become all the more apparent.
The Brazilian midfielder’s performances took a considerable downturn last season, but he has bounced back to his impervious best this campaign, featuring in all but two games, which were both due to suspension.
Once the 33-year-old departs Old Trafford this summer, Kobbie Mainoo and Manuel Ugarte will be the club’s only senior midfield options, and with Elliot Anderson reportedly being their main priority in the summer, they will certainly be looking at additional options on the table as they look to strengthen a position that has been crying out for reinforcements since last summer.
Against Arsenal, Casemiro was once again excellent, being the rock in the midfield, completing 88% of his passes, and dropping back into the defence late in the game to make sure United saw out the game.
#4 – Bruno Fernandes having a rare off day no longer a death sentence
How many times in the past has it been the case that if Bruno Fernandes had a rare off-day for Manchester United, then the team would be virtually hopeless of creating any real goal-scoring opportunities, with the Portuguese midfielder having to single-handedly drag his side to victory on many occasions.
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While he will naturally be more influential on a game now he’s back to playing further forward as a No.10 rather than as part of the midfield pivot, against Arsenal, the 31-year-old was fairly quiet, but the slack was picked up by the likes of Amad, Mbeumo and Dorgu, who all impressed against the league leaders.
After coming out the better side in the second half, it was Fernandes who assisted Dorgu’s wonder strike, just showing how, even on an off day, the Portuguese maestro can still have a major role to play in any fixture.
#5 – Man Utd’s pressure exploited Arsenal’s high line
While United weren’t as dominant attacking-wise as they were against Man City, the pressure they were putting on Arsenal’s high defensive line out of possession certainly paid dividends for the away side.
Shortly after United conceded, Mbeumo found himself through on goal but was unlucky with his first touch. United’s equaliser came from a rare Zubimendi error, who played a weak pass back to David Raya after pressure from Fernandes and Mbeumo, with the Cameroonian latching onto the loose pass and showing great composure to go round Raya and slot in the goal to bring the sides level.
This continued into the second half, as United came out after the half-time break as the better side. They looked to give Arsenal time on the ball and exploited any and all mistakes that the home side made.
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