In what turned out to be a rather anticlimactic affair, Manchester United and Arsenal ended up sharing the spoils after a late Olivier Giroud header cancelled out a fine Juan Mata strike.
Manchester United were the dominant team throughout the game and after a somewhat cagey first half, Jose Mourinho’s side came out all guns blazing in the second half. The Red Devils took the lead in the 69th minute when Paul Pogba set free Ander Herrera on the right. Herrera’s pinpoint cross found Juan Mata unmarked at the edge of the box and the Spaniard made no mistake, slotting the ball into the bottom corner.
Also read: EPL 2016-17: Manchester United 1-1 Arsenal - 5 talking points
Arsene Wenger responded by throwing on Olivier Giroud and Oxlade-Chamberlain and it turned out to be a brilliant decision by the manager as the duo would then go on to combine for the equaliser.
Chamberlain drifted past Marcus Rashford before lobbing a ball into the box for Olivier Giroud to power home, leaving David de Gea helpless and Jose Mourinho fuming.
While Arsenal will be the much happier of the two sides, Wenger will still be mightily disappointed with the performance of his side. For Manchester United, it was about crucual dropped points at home.
On that note, take a look at how the players fared:
Manchester United
David de Gea – 6/10
The Spaniard had little to do and his only action was picking the ball out of his own net in the final minutes of the game as Arsenal mustered just the one shot on goal. De Gea’s distribution was not the best but then no one’s really was on the night.
Matteo Darmian - 5/10
Darmian had a poor first half and was booked as early as the 25th minute for a poor challenge on Coquelin. He was then lucky not to be sent off after lunging in late on Carl Jenkinson. Despite dealing quite effectively with the threat of Walcott and Jenkinson, the Italian wasn’t really at his best and was substituted just after the hour mark.
Marcos Rojo – 7/10
Rojo had a solid game throughout. The Argentine comfortably dealt with Alexis Sanchez for the most part and had a good understanding with Phil Jones. Rojo was solid in the air and made a total of 13 clearances, by far the highest on the night. He was also unlucky not to get on the scoresheet when he fired a header wide in the second half.
Phil Jones – 6/10
Jones, on his return, had a decent outing. Thrust in alongside Rojo in a makeshift United defence, he ensured that Ozil and Sanchez could not link up in the final third. With 10 clearances to his name, Jones thwarted most of what was thrown at him.
Antonio Valencia – 7/10
Valencia miraculously proved his fitness in time to get on the teamsheet. One of United’s best players on the night, he constantly pressurised Nacho Monreal into making mistakes. His pace and trickery put the Spaniard on the back foot and he was extremely unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty in the first half when he was brought down by Monreal.
Michael Carrick - 6/10
Carrick’s distribution was brilliant as always and he also contributed effectively in defence. With a pass accuracy of 82%, he ensured United constantly moved the ball upfield.
Ander Herrera – 7.5/10
Herrera was brilliant offensively and linked up well with Mata and Pogba. The Spaniard ended up with an assist to his name as it was his inch-perfect delivery that found Mata at the edge of the box for United’s goal. Herrera completed 67 passes, by far the most in the United team.
Paul Pogba - 7/10
Paul Pogba finally seems to be finding his feet in the Premier League. A commanding presence in midfield, the Frenchman was steady in possession of the ball and played a few neat triangles with his fellow midfielders. A brilliant through ball to Mata in the first half almost resulted in a goal. He also outmuscled Coquelin a couple of times to find space in the final third which he then used to feed Rashford and Martial.
Juan Mata – 8/10
The best player on the pitch by far, Mata proved exactly how important he is to the United setup. Apart from his brilliant finish, he could've had a couple more goals only to be denied by Petr Cech.
Anthony Martial – 5/10
Not the best performance from the Frenchman as he was anonymous for most of the game. A couple of successful dribbles in the first half were the highlights of his game. He did have a great chance in the first half to give United the lead but scuffed his effort.
Marcus Rashford – 6/10
The weight of expectations probably got to the youngster as he was just unable to produce his best on the night. Despite making a couple of clever runs in behind the defence, he was really not a threat to the Gunners and was easily dealt with by Koscielny and Mustafi. His pace occasionally meant that he found pockets of space but he was ultimately unable to produce anything worthwhile in the end,
Substitutes:
Daley Blind – 6/10
Blind replaced Darmian just after the hour mark. The Dutchman made a couple of clearances and tackles but was ultimately in no man's land for Arsenal's goal.
Wayne Rooney – 5/10
Rooney was energetic after coming off the bench but, like in recent times, it just didn't happen for him. This was as good a time as any to find some form; Arsenal have been one of Rooney's favorite oppositions in recent times but apart from a couple of crosses into the box, the Englishman hardly featured. He also picked up a yellow card for dissent late on in the game.
Morgan Schneiderlin – NA
Arsenal
Petr Cech- 7/10
Cech had a decent game on the whole. He made a couple of fine stops, first off a Mata strike and second off a Martial curler. Cech was commanding from set plays and came off his line often to help out the defenders. He had no way of stopping the goal, though.
Carl Jenkinson – 6/10
Jenkinson replaced an injured Bellerin in the starting lineup and put in more than a solid performance. It was his first start in 2 years for Arsenal in the league and he did not look out of his depth at all. Jenkinson easily dealt with Martial and Darmian for the most part, but his attacking play was not quite up to the mark as a number of his crosses just did not find the required target.
Laurent Koscielny – 6.5/10
Hardly ever does Koscielny have a bad game and today was no different. One of the best defenders in the world, the Frenchman made 7 clearances, the highest in the Arsenal team. His positioning was perfect and he allowed Rashford no breathing space at all throughout the game.
Shkodran Mustafi – 7/10
Mustafi had a couple of poor outings prior to today, but he was back to his best when it mattered the most. With 6 clearances, 3 interceptions and a blocked shot, he was Arsenal's best player by far. His block off a Marcus Rashford strike ensured Arsenal stayed withing touching distance of United at the time.
Nacho Monreal - 5/10
The Spaniard had another poor game as he was – to be brutally honest – bullied by Valencia and co. Lucky not to have conceded a penalty for a clumsy challenge on Valencia, Monreal was found out defensively and it was from his flank that United ultimately got their goal. His attacking play left a lot to be desired as well, as his crosses simply were not up to scratch. With Gibbs waiting in the wings, Monreal better pull up his socks and soon.
Francis Coquelin – 6/10
Coquelin was Arsenal’s destroyer in midfield. Sitting in front of the defence, he did his job well, nipping in with tackles and breaking up United play. With 7 tackles and 3 clearances, it was a job well done by the Frenchman. Attacking is not his forte, however, as was witnessed by the volley he took which ended up in the second tier of the stands.
Mo Elneny- 5/10
Elneny was steady, if unspectacular. Resorting to sideways and backward passes, the Egyptian did not really help Arsenal going forward. Defensively, again, he was solid but not really intimidating.
Theo Walcott – 6/10
Walcott had a few bursts now and then but faded away too often. A couple of good runs and dribbles in the first half had Darmian on his heels but ultimately his final ball let him down badly. All in all, not a great game for Theo.
Mesut Ozil – 5/10
The German has been criticised by many for going missing in the big games and yet again, he proved his critics right. Ozil was invisible throughout the game and the only high for him was a successful nutmeg that he managed in the first half. Ozil’s normally incisive passing was missing and he often settled for sideways and backward passes on the night.
Aaron Ramsey – 5/10
Many were surprised by Arsene Wenger's decision to start Ramsey ahead of Iwobi and their fears were justified. The Welshman had a night to forget as he constantly gave away possession, especially in the first half, attempting fancy dribbles or killer passes. Defensively, he did put in a shift and made a couple of good tackles but a very average performance, on the whole. Ramsey also received a yellow card for a poor challenge on Herrera, late on.
Alexis Sanchez - 6/10
Sanchez was energetic as always and constantly pressed the United back four trying to force them into errors but he just did not have the support of his teammates. On the ball, he was Arsenal's only threatening presence in the first half and made a couple of fabulous turns leaving the defenders in his wake. His passing radar was off, however, and he often gave away the ball cheaply. Also, the Chilean missed a sitter in the first half to give Arsenal the lead when he headed wide from the 6-yard box.
Substitutes
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – 6/10
Chamberlain provided exactly what Arsenal needed throughout the game - pace and quality in the final third. After coming on in the 83rd minute, he provided the assist for Arsenal’s goal just 6 minutes later. Driving past Rashford with ease, he hung up a ball to the back post which Giroud headed home.
Granit Xhaka – 4/10
Xhaka was brought on with 10 minutes to play as Arsenal searched for the equaliser. His only contribution to the game, however, came in the form of the yellow card he received deep into stoppage time.
Olivier Giroud- 7/10
Why Giroud doesn't start is a question on many fans’ lips. After rescuing Arsenal against Sunderland just weeks ago, the Frenchman was at it again. Rising above the Manchester United defenders to power a Chamberlain cross home, Giroud sent out yet another message to Arsene Wenger. Another impactful performance from the Frenchman - something that the Gunners desperately needed.
