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Arsene Wenger's last visit to the Old Trafford as the Arsenal manager ended with a 2-1 defeat against the hosts. Arsenal, with their focus solely on the Europa League fixture with Atletico Madrid on Thursday, predictably left out most of their big players from the encounter.
It was a game that was unexpectedly tight and testing. Manchester United started off well with a goal from Paul Pogba in the 15th minute of the game, but were unable to capitalise on their lead during the subsequent 75 minutes. Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a former Red Devils' player, scored an equaliser five minutes into the second half, adding spice to the proceedings.
However, though Arsenal tried their socks off to clinch a draw on the day, United's experience and Jose Mourinho's tactical awareness was enough to get the hosts over the line at the end of it all. Marouane Fellaini, who was brought on to the mix as a substitute, scored the winner in extra time to clinch a narrow win for his team.
Here are the player ratings from the game:
Arsenal player ratings
David Ospina: 6/10
The Colombian did not have a chance for the first goal, but could have reacted better for the winner.
Hector Bellerin: 6/10
The Spaniard was impressive in the first half of the game. He tried to whip in numerous crosses from the right flank and was solid at the back too. His clearance just before the Pogba goal denied Alexis Sanchez a goal against his former side. Bellerin was scrappier in the second half, though, and gave the ball away a couple of times.
Calum Chambers: 7/10
It was a solid performance from the centre-back. He held his own in tough situations and did not make errors anywhere near the goal. Dealt well with the United forward line for the most part of the game.
Konstantinos Mavropanos: 7/10
It was a memorable debut for the Greek defender, who impressed everyone with his composure on the ball and his ability to deal with the strong attackers. He kept Romelu Lukaku at bay throughout the match and did not give in to panic even once on the day.
Saed Kolasinac: 6/10
While the left-back was solid more often than not, he wasn't as strong defensively as you would expect him to be.
Granit Xhaka: 5/10
Arsenal's captain for the night, Granit Xhaka put in a good shift at Old Trafford. His passing was still a little sideways in the latter stages of the game, but his defensive performance was a lot better on the day. He could not beat Fellaini for the third goal of the night, though, and it cost his team the point at the end of it all.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles: 8.5/10
It was the first time that this versatile midfielder played in the position of his choice in the Premier League. He was the best Arsenal player on the field, he dealt well will Pogba in the midfield, and kept his calm on the ball throughout.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan: 8/10
The Armenian returned from injury to take on his former side on Sunday and managed to get his name on the scoresheet. He created chances going forward and put in a pretty dynamic display, something he was accused of not doing regularly at Manchester United.
Alex Iwobi: 6/10
He tried to make things happen in attack and worked hard on the pitch. The end-product from him, though, remains a concern for the Gunners.
Reiss Nelson: 5/10
The youngster tried to make things happen from the left flank, but was dispossessed too often and could not threaten the experienced United defence before him.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 5/10
It was a poor day in the office for the centre-forward, as he lacked the strong presence required to take his team over the line on the day. He was flimsy in possession and in the one direct chance that he had, he ended up heading a meek ball towards the United keeper.
Substitutes
Danny Welbeck: 6.5/10
The English forward has been impressive during his last few outings for the Gunners. He added pace to the Arsenal attack after coming on and was impressive going forward.
Nacho Monreal: 6/10
He was his usual dependable self in defence but was not as dynamic as he usually is going forward. He was not supposed to play in this game but was brought on when Kolasinac fell to an injury halfway through the game.
Joe Willock: 5/10
His performance was definitely an improvement over his Premier League debut earlier this month, but he did not have enough time to make his presence felt in the encounter.
Manchester United player ratings
David de Gea: 6/10
He had to make some routine saves in the game and did not do anything special in the match. The Spaniard did not have any chance with Mkhitaryan's goal.
Antonio Valencia: 7/10
The right-back was sturdy and strong in defence, but lacked precision and variation in his crosses going forward.
Chris Smalling: 6.5/10
One of United's biggest chances to score fell to the centre-back, but he could not move fast enough to make contact with the ball in front of the Arsenal goal.
Victor Lindelof: 8/10
It was a good day in the office for the defender. He saw off most of the attacking efforts from Arsenal and seemed to grow in confidence as the game progressed.
Ashley Young: 9/10
He was the pick of the United defence line on the day with his usual strong presence at the left-flank. He hit the post from a tight angle in the second half, and provided the assist for the winner with a pinpoint cross to Fellaini in stoppage time.
Ander Herrera: 6.5/10
He was dependable in the middle until losing focus before the Mkhitaryan goal. Tried to attack more, but could not create or impact anything significant going forward.
Nemanja Matic: 8.5/10
He dominated the Arsenal midfield and the gulf in class was there for all to see. He controlled the game pretty well.
Paul Pogba: 7.5/10
The was excellent in patches throughout the game and scored the opening goal of the night with a combination of instinct and execution. He was the United player who shone the brightest in the first 30 minutes of the game, but his impact sort of reduced after that.
Jesse Lingard: 7/10
The winger has had some excellent performances under his belt this season. His effort against Arsenal, when compared to them, wasn't up to the standards he has set, though. Mourinho substituted him later in the game.
Romelu Lukaku: 5/10
Just like the striker on the other side of the field, Lukaku remained ineffective on the night in terms of posing a threat in front of the goal, and was neutralised by the young Arsenal centre-backs. He played his part in the first goal, though. Was taken off for Marcus Rashford after following an injury.
Alexis Sanchez: 6/10
The former Arsenal player was tantalisingly close to scoring against them on the day, but his header from the left post was blocked by Hector Bellerin in the 15th minute of the game. The Chilean was his intense and passionate self through the game and tried to create chances throughout, but found himself too wide on occasions and gave the ball away on a couple of occasions.
Substitutes
Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial: 7/10
Their inclusion into the fray turned things around for United, who were not being able to create substantial chances until then. Both the youngsters stepped up and added pace as well as dynamism to the proceedings. Martial, in particular, was a treat to watch through his limited presence on the field.
Marouane Fellaini: 7/10
Mourinho's ploy of bringing in Fellaini and feeding long balls to him worked in the dying minutes of the game. His big and bulging presence proved enough for United to clinch all the three points in the encounter and to confirm a Top 4 finish this season.
