4 reasons why Arsenal won against Manchester United

Arsenal came into this game after facing a heavy defeat against Rennes at Roazhon park, whereas Manchester United registered a historic comeback against PSG just three days ago. Man Utd were the clear favorites for the win last night, but Arsenal turned the tables. Emery's tactical changes and unpredictable line ups once again did the job for the Gunnars, not to take away anything from the players.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's incredible away winning streak came to an end at the hands of Unai Emery last night, as the home side registered a decent win at home, adding a much needed clean sheet to their record as well.

On the other hand, Arsenal have added one more win to their impressive 8-game home winning streak this season, and they look much prepared to beat Rennes in the second leg as well. Though Manchester United had enough chances to hit the back of the net, they failed to convert any and Arsenal were a lot more composed and constructive than the away side.

Here are four reasons why the Gunnars got the better of their rivals yesterday:

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#4 Leno masterclass saves Arsenal yet again

£18 million looks like an absolute bargain!

It certainly wasn't one-way traffic at the Emirates, as Manchester United created a lot of chances but their forwards had a difficult night converting the chances into goals - thanks to Bernd Leno.

The German, yet again, rescues Arsenal from Man Utd's dangerous forwards as he made a total of 8 saves in the game, nearly 3 times the amount of saves De Gea made last night. He was robust between the sticks and though Arsenal's defense was pretty composed throughout the match, they were caught sleeping at times but luckily, either Leno or the bar came in between.

According to me, Leno deserves a 9/10 for that performance. Not only was he good with his reflexes, but he distributed the ball much comfortably than his last few games. Unai Emery's side likes to play possession-based football and therefore, the goalkeeper needs to be exceptional with his feet and he really did a very good job.

#3 The robust partnership of Sokratis and Koscienly

Captain Kos bossing Utd's forwards at the age of 33!

Arsenal significantly struggled in the starting games of the season due to their poor defending, but that seems to have been solved with the inclusion of Sokratis and Koscielny to the starting lineup.

Though Sokratis took his time to settle with English football, when he got at his best, there was no coming back. The defender plays a huge role in every game for Arsenal, always ceasing the counter attacks just where it starts and alongside Koscienly, they play with immense confidence and obviously, the experience of both defenders have often helped them to overcome tough times. Not to take away anything from Monreal, as the Spanish man yet again delivered a sensational performance for the Gunners, as he very often does.

But Sokratis let the Gunners down the last matchday against Rennes as he marched out of the pitch with two yellow cards to his name. Arsenal will be without him when they face Rennes at the Emirates on Thursday, and they could not have asked for better motivation than this. They've ended their arch-rival's away winning streak, and they probably have also managed to seal a top 4 spot in the Premier League.

#2 Granit Xhaka's 5-star performance

Granit Xhaka's long ranger opened the scoring for the Gunners last night

Granit Xhaka has been a want-away figure for the fans, to be honest. His inconsistency has often cost the team, but the Swiss was at his best for Arsenal last night. Xhaka completely bossed the midfield, starting attacks from his incredibly well-timed and inch-perfect air balls to his wing-backs, and often dropping deep to help the defense.

Pogba, Matic and Fred were nowhere to be seen as Arsenal's midfield duo of Ramsey and Xhaka had them silent for at least 70 minutes of the game, if not more. Though you could argue that Fred may be hit by fatigue, the fact that Xhaka played the whole game on Thursday against Rennes and Ramsey had a 30 minutes cameo too tells us it's all about the mentality. Pogba and Matic had enough rest due to suspension and injury respectively, but they clearly couldn't tackle Arsenal's brilliant midfield.

Granit Xhaka could be one of the best midfielders in all of Europe if he performs on a consistent basis. The Gunners have witnessed how important he is to the squad but he gets the stick due to the sole reason that the 25-year-old is inconsistent, but considering his age, he still has plenty of room for improvement.

#1 Unai Emery's tactical nous

Unai Emery's tactical abilities are exceptional

Unai Emery strikes again! This is not the first time we have seen Unai Emery outclass his opposition manager. Emery's offensive/attacking line up came as a surprise for much of the fans, let alone the Man Utd coaching staff. The fans and the pundits rarely get Emery's line up predictions right, and his tactical nous has helped Arsenal significantly to outperform their rivals.

Emery, surprisingly, decided to start with Aubameyang and Lacazette. He also deployed Ramsey and Ozil together and this did the job for Arsenal. The reason to switch to a 3-man defense was to resist Manchester United's counter-attacking threats from the wings. And Unai Emery clearly won the tactical game against United boss Ole Gunnar Solksjaer.

Maitland Niles also came as a surprise due to the fact that he was injured for more than 3 weeks due to a calf injury. And Niles must be proud of his performance last night. He was behind Shaw all the time, making tackles, marking him tight and the Arsenal academy graduate did not give Rashford or Luke Shaw any time on the ball. He is one of the few promising players Arsenal have in their ranks.

So, who's at the wheels, fellas? It's Unai Emery!