Arsenal 3-1 Manchester United: 5 Hits and Flops as the Red Devils fail to capitalize on Cristiano Ronaldo's return

#3 Hit: Granit Xhaka (Arsenal)

Granit Xhaka celebrates after scoring a goal.

Granit Xhaka scored a peach of a goal to wrap things up for Arsenal against Manchester United. The 29-year-old after receiving the ball from Mohamed Elneny smashed one in from outside the box. It was Xhaka's first Premier League goal of the season and he surely made it count

Xhaka made three recoveries, created one chance and made two interceptions. He also completed the most number of passes (66) and made one clearance throughout the game. He along with Elneny completely took charge of the midfield battle against Manchester United.

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#2 Flop: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

Bruno Fernandes had a bad day at the office. The Manchester United midfielder missed a brilliant chance off the spot to score the equalizing goal for his side. Fernandes clipped the woodwork as his shot went out for a goal-kick.

His morale completely dipped following the miss and he completely lost the plot in the second half. He was extremely lucky not to be sent off for a rash and late tackle on Eddie Nketiah later in the game.

It was a bit astonishing to see Fernandes step up to take the penalty given the fact that Ronaldo was still on the pitch. Had he scored from the spot, the game would have been up for the taking.

#1 Hit: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

Bukayo Saka impressed against Manchester United.

Bukayo Saka played through the pain to help his side grab all three points against Manchester United.

The youngster took the first shot that De Gea saved, which was eventually put in by Tavares for Arsenal's first goal. Saka also won a penalty for his side and slotted it from the spot for their second goal of the game. He combined well with Martin Odegaard upfront.

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Saka won five duels, made three recoveries, won one tackle and created one chance throughout his stay on the pitch. Mikel Arteta substituted the Englishman in the 74th minute due to a thigh injury to bring on Rob Holding to hold on to their lead. Saka's two goals in two games would have given him the boost to regain top form.

About the author

Samyak is a European and international football journalist at Sportskeeda, who focuses on writing a variety of listicles. A post-graduate in Finance with over 6 years of total work experience, Samyak became interested in football after watching the 2010 FIFA World Cup and some high-octane El Clasico clashes. His favorite footballer is Cristiano Ronaldo for the forward's mentality, and his favorite managers are Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti, and Pep Guardiola for the brand of football their teams showcase.

Samyak only follows top tier and verified fan club social media accounts for sourcing information for his articles. One of his core strengths is crafting crisp and concise articles to avoid any and all potential confusion for readers. These shrewd methods have helped him attain strong readership on his articles, one of them even being read half a million times!

Zinedine Zidane's Panenka penalty in the 2006 final is Samyak’s favorite World Cup moment owing to the Frenchman’s sheer nerves of steel showcased, and thinks Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland are ready to usher in a new era post-Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. During his free time, Samyak follows Real Madrid, plays football and reads finance articles.

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Edited by Aditya Singh

Arsenal 3-1 Manchester United: 5 Hits and Flops as the Red Devils fail to capitalize on Cristiano Ronaldo's return | Premier League 2021-22

#3 Hit: Granit Xhaka (Arsenal)

#2 Flop: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)

#1 Hit: Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)