Manchester United 1-2 Arsenal: Five things noticed, including breakthrough performance

Five things were noticed as Manchester United lost 2-1 to Arsenal in their third pre-season fixture of the summer under Erik ten Hag.

Erik ten Hag decided to field a strong XI as Manchester United lined up against Arsenal during a Saturday afternoon kick-off in Los Angeles, with Harry Maguire and Leny Yoro starting together for the first time at centre-half.

The fixture started off fast, with both sides having chances in the opening minutes. One good one was from Amad Diallo, who shot straight at Arsenal’s goalkeeper with a scuffed effort.

Read More: Player Ratings – Manchester United vs Arsenal (pre-season)

Just minutes later, Marcus Rashford and Ramsus Højlund combined, with the Danish international powering his way past Ayden Heaven to open the scoring. However, moments later, he came off with an unspecified injury and was replaced by Hannibal Mejbri.

Gabriel Jesus was able to equalise before the 30-minute drinks break, although it seems as if he may have been offside. However, a much more pressing issue was that Leny Yoro had to be replaced during the water break, marking the second injury substitution of the game with little else happening until half-time.

Antony, Scott McTominay, Ethan Wheatley, and others all came on for the second half, with only André Onana continuing from the side that started the fixture. Arsenal were the more dominant team, but chances arose for both outfits throughout the second 45 minutes.

Ultimately, Gabriel Martinelli broke the deadlock with 10 minutes to go, cutting inside from the left wing, skipping past James Scanlon, and slotting the ball to Onana’s right at the near post to hand Arsenal the lead and the win in Los Angeles.

After the tie, the two sides engaged in a penalty shootout, with McTominay, Evans, Eriksen, and Sancho scoring and winning the tie 4-3 for the Reds. Wheatley missed his effort.

#1 – Players’ heed Ten Hag

“We want to play to our identity, and that is being aggressive. We want to play out from the back, but we know that we have to do it with some intensity.” These were Ten Hag’s works ahead of kick-off when asked what he wanted to see from his side.

In the early moments of the fixture, United did just that, trying to pressure Arsenal into making mistakes, one of which led to Amad’s shot.

Despite the injury troubles, Mason Mount, Toby Collyer, and others continued to follow these instructions, with Antony, Wheatley, and McTominay maintaining the intensity as best they could in the second half.

#2 – Amass breaking through

Harry Amass was fantastic filling in at left back against Arsenal, with Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia unavailable for selection.

Despite Sam Murray looking like the most ready talent against Rosenborg and Rangers, Amass showed why he has been such an important player for the club’s U18s since he signed from Watford last year.

Despite a few moments where he lost physical duels, he looked comfortable on and off the ball and showed fans why he should get a chance to play some first-team minutes in the coming season.

#3 – Injuries strike again

Despite United’s positive performance, both Højlund and Yoro left the game during the first half, which will not help United calm the squad’s PTSD from last season’s injury crisis.

While we hope these injuries are purely precautionary, the early signs that injuries are starting to creep back into the squad do not inspire confidence in fans. The fact that many of United’s first-team players have yet to return to training just adds to this, with the Manchester City Community Shield kicking off in less than two weeks.

#4 – Onana finding his range

After a few wobbly moments against Rangers, Onana very much started to find his feet and his range against Arsenal.

Being his usual proactive self, he showed himself to be much more confident with the ball at his feet. He started to find his range of passes with greater accuracy (bar a few wayward passes), and he made some good saves, too.

#5 – A mixed bag

Ultimately, the fixture issued United fans with very mixed feelings. On the one hand, there is clear evidence that Ten Hag’s preferred style of play is starting to be executed on the pitch, with those such as Mount, Højlund (although limited by minutes), and Rashford all following instructions.

However, the two injuries to Yoro and Højlund are very much a downer. Even if they are minor issues that will not affect them too much, Højlund, in particular, needs as many minutes as possible ahead of the new season after not featuring against Rosenborg or Rangers due to his holiday. Although the result was a loss, this is secondary.

Next is a trip to the Snapdragon Stadium to face Real Betis before a final fixture against Liverpool will round off their USA pre-season tour. The 2024 Community Shield against Manchester City will take place on Saturday, 10 August.

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