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At the Theatre of Dreams, Arsenal and Manchester United played out an entertaining draw with the score reading 2-2 at the end of ninety minutes. The Red Devils twice came back from a goal down to ensure that they shared the spoils.
With the draw, the Gunners extended their unbeaten streak to 20 games while the Red Devils remained winless in their last four league encounters.
The draw leaves Mourinho’s men languishing in 8th while Arsenal slipped out of the top four, courtesy goal difference.
The home side got off the blocks quicker and controlled the early exchanges. With their front three harrying Arsenal’s defence, the Red Devils displayed the stomach for a fight right at the outset. However, Arsenal slowly grew into the game and strung passes together.
The Gunners went ahead when Mustafi nodded in from Torreira’s corner but their joy was short-lived as some questionable defending handed Manchester United their equaliser.
The second half started in similar fashion with the home side applying the early pressure and the away outfit gradually coming into the game. In the 68th minute, Arsenal went edged in front for the second time when Lacazette pounced upon a poor error by Rojo.
However, Manchester United hit back straight from the resulting kick-off. Contesting an aerial ball, Lukaku made a nuisance of himself and the ball fell to Kolasinac. The Bosnian in his effort to control the ball inadvertently laid it on a plate for Lingard to fire home.
The last quarter of the game had a real ebb and flow to it with both teams going all out for the victory. However, looking at the performances of both teams, the draw was probably the fairest result.
Here is a look at how the players fared from the game:
Manchester United
David de Gea: 5/10
The Spaniard was completely at fault for the Gunners’ opening goal as he fluffed a routine save from Mustafi’s header. However, he redeemed himself slightly with a point-blank save from Aubameyang. Yet, the elementary mistake is not something you expect from one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Diogo Dalot: 5.5/10
The Portuguese was handed his first league start and didn’t cover himself in glory. Kolasinac gave him a torrid time throughout and he allowed the Bosnian to run in behind way too frequently. Additionally, his decision making let him down when he found himself in promising attacking positions.
Chris Smalling: 6.5/10
The Englishman started the game strongly and kept Aubameyang quiet for large parts. However, a fatal mistake cost his team a goal as he let Mustafi enjoy the freedom of the penalty box to head home.
Marcos Rojo: 5/10
Extremely lucky to still stay on the pitch after a dangerous ‘scissor’ tackle on Guendouzi. Gave the ball away on too many occasions and looked rusty. Moreover, he dallied on the ball too much and was solely responsible for Arsenal’s second.
Eric Bailly: 7.5/10
The best defender on the night. Showed no signs of rustiness despite a prolonged period on the sidelines. Bailly was impressive in the air and his foot-race victory over Aubameyang strengthened his case for being Manchester United’s best player.
Matteo Darmian: 6.5/10
The Italian enjoyed a quiet game as he didn’t get too involved in the Red Devils’ attacking play. Darmian was also solid defensively as Hector Bellerin enjoyed very little freedom on his flank. Overall, the Italian did what was asked of him.
Nemanja Matic: 6.5/10
Matic started the game strongly and controlled the early exchanges. However, his lack of speed was exposed on a couple of occasions. Moreover, his inclination to play sideways rather than forwards scuffled United’s attacking intentions on occasions. Still, didn’t allow the Gunners midfield to completely wreak havoc.
Ander Herrera: 8/10
Herrera was arguably United’s best player on the pitch. Not shy to engage in a tackle, the Spaniard put in a real shift to ensure that Torreira didn’t control the tempo of the game. To cap off his display, he portrayed great awareness to pick out Martial for the first goal.
Jesse Lingard: 6.5/10
Lingard was pretty much non-existent for the majority of the game. The Englishman, however, displayed exemplary predatory instincts to pounce on Kolasinac’s mistake and prod home the equaliser.
Anthony Martial: 7/10
Martial was bright in the first half and his runs caused Mustafi a few problems in the first half. The Frenchman was in the right place at the right time to ripple the net for the equaliser. It was a pity that he went off injured.
Marcus Rashford: 6.5/10
Rashford put in an honest performance yet couldn’t really get himself into goal-scoring positions. The Englishman made decent runs and drew a few fouls but wasn’t as effective as he was against Southampton.
Substitutes
Paul Pogba: 5/10
Pogba did very little in his time on the pitch and rarely contributed anything of note to the United attack.
Marouane Fellaini: 5/10
Mourinho’s perennial ‘Plan B’ didn’t come off this time. The Belgian was lucky to escape a card when he pulled Guendouzi’s hair.
Romelu Lukaku: 6/10
The Belgian enjoyed a quiet outing and didn’t have the impact Jose would’ve wanted. However, he made a nuisance of himself in the build-up to the equaliser.
Arsenal
Bernd Leno: 5/10
Leno should’ve done better with Rojo’s free-kick as he ended up palming the shot to Herrera. The German was also embroiled in a miscommunication with Kolasinac to hand United a second lifeline. Moreover, his distribution wasn’t as good as previous games.
Shkodran Mustafi: 7/10
Looked solid throughout and finally looks to be coming off age under Emery. He even shook off a potential injury in the second half and soldiered on. Additionally, his ability to pop up with important goals could prove crucial moving forward.
Sokratis: 7/10
The Greek defender looks to have acclimatised to the frenetic nature of the Premier League. After keeping Kane quiet at the weekend, he enjoyed a similarly decent outing against Rashford at Old Trafford.
Rob Holding: 6/10
Holding started the game well as he was able to elude the United press and spray passes with efficiency. Defensively, he looked up to the task as well. However, a lapse in concentration allowed Martial to sneak in for the equaliser. It was a shame that he was stretchered off with a serious looking injury.
Hector Bellerin: 6/10
Bellerin enjoyed a sub-standard game throughout. While he was not tested a lot defensively, his attacking play and final delivery left a lot to be desired. The Spaniard didn’t get a lot of change out of Darmian.
Sead Kolasinac: 6.5/10
The Bosnian was one of the Gunners’ most potent attacking outlets as he gave the debutant, Dalot, a horrendous time. Despite getting into numerous dangerous positions, Kolasinac lacked the end product at Old Trafford. Additionally, he also contrived to let Lingard in for the final goal of the game.
Lucas Torreira: 8/10
The pocket-sized dynamo got off to a relatively slow start against United yet grew into the game quickly. Torreira was always on hand to mop up things and clear danger. While he may not have sparkled as brightly as he did on Sunday, he certainly ensured the Gunners weren’t overrun in midfield.
Matteo Guendouzi: 7.5/10
The teenager enjoyed a competent game in the middle of the park. Guendouzi was rarely beaten to a loose ball and maintained excellent composure to play out from tight situations. However, his over-eagerness led to the free kick that culminated in the first goal. Despite his error, he still represents a shrewd purchase. Bargain.
Alex Iwobi: 6.5/10
The Nigerian got into some good positions but an end product deserted him. Iwobi always looks the most likely to make something happen yet never makes them happen. Something Emery and the Nigerian would want to correct moving forward.
Aaron Ramsey: 6.5/10
Arsenal’s captain on the night was decent in the first half. The Welshman’s influence coincided with the Gunners’ increased control in midfield. However, despite seeing a lot of the ball, he failed to conjure anything concrete. Ramsey was hauled off at half-time with what looked like an ankle injury.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 6/10
The Gabonese striker was on the periphery for the majority of the game. Though he brought out a smart save from distance from De Gea, he should have buried his chance when he went eyeball to eyeball with the Spaniard. Not his day.
Substitutes
Stephan Lichtsteiner: 6.5/10
The experienced defender covered well after Rob Holding went off injured. Didn’t have much to do in the game and helped see the game out with his experience.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 6.5/10
Mkhitaryan was on hand to take advantage of Rojo’s mistake and lay the assist for Arsenal’s goal. He looked busy throughout but should’ve secured all three points when he fired over from point-blank range.
Alexandre Lacazette: 7/10
The Frenchman did more in half an hour than Aubameyang could do in the whole game. Instantly, he harried Rojo into a mistake and put in the hard yards defensively as well. A start at the weekend could be on the cards.
