Twitter reacts as Arsenal and Manchester United's high-profile encounter ends in stale 0-0 draw

Enter caption

It was a clash of two of English football's oldest rivals Manchester United and Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in North London. While this fixture provided some incredible moments in the past, this particular fixture was anything but a classic as it ended up in a goalless stalemate.

The first half saw Manchester United keep a majority of the ball and cut out a few half-decent opportunities, albeit their lack of clinical finishing cost them dearly. Arsenal, however, carved out a couple of great chances on the counter as well. The visitors were forced to make a change just minutes before the half-time whistle with Scott McTominay needing to leave the pitch due to a bad stomach, with Anthony Martial coming on to replace him.

Despite being forced into a change due to Gabriel Martinelli's injury, Arsenal appeared to have found their groove in the second 45 minutes and looked to stamp their authority on the tie. The young striker's out-of-form compatriot, Willian, came onto the pitch but was largely ineffective.

Despite ceding possession in the second half, the likes of Marcus Rashford and, in particular, Edinson Cavani, was on the end of a chance with 15 minutes left which should have been converted by Paris Saint-Germain's record goalscorer. At the other end, Nicolas Pepe came mighty close to netting what could've potentially been the winner with a superb strike from the right-hand side which missed David de Gea's far post by a whisker.

Cavani was once again in the thick of things as he also had a moment with just two minutes to go with a volleyed effort which Bernd Leno would have been glad to end up on the other side of his post. The Uruguayan veteran was far from his clinical best and squandered a handful of opportunities. The Gunners came closest to breaking the deadlock with an absolutely sublime free-kick that rattled the woodwork, leaving De Gea with no hope of stopping it.

Arsenal got a look at their new star Martin Odegaard in action as he came on in place of Emile Smith Rowe and impressed in the little time afforded to him. Their United counterpart, Bruno Fernandes, had a night to forget at the Emirates.

Ultimately, it was a game during which the two defences were busier than their more attacking counterparts, with the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof, David Luiz, and Rob Holding being called into action on a regular basis. The Brazilian's herculean effort to keep Manchester United's free-scoring attack at bay were recognised as he was awarded Sky Sports' Man of the Match.

The result sees Manchester United retain their second spot on the table and they still remain three points behind leaders Manchester City, albeit having played one game more than their rivals.

Arsenal, on the other hand, temporarily move up to eighth place, one above their London rivals Chelsea. The draw also takes the Red Devils' unbeaten league run on the road to 18 games, the highest ever in the history of the club.

Here are some of the best tweets from the game.


Quick Links