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A failure is not always a mistake, it may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying: Burrhus Skinner
Shkodran Mustafi plunges into an ocean of difficulty as he tries to scout a red shirt amongst the black-clothed figures closing in on him. He struggles to swim to the surface, finds himself drowning deeper, and in a moment of vexation, gifts the ball to Romelu Lukaku.
What follows is a seamless display of sleek football from the visitors and in the matter of some riveting seconds, Manchester United have scalped the strike with power, precision, and panache.
This is a situation Arsenal fans have been privy to way more often than they would like: a high-intensity game against a top side, with their defence in tatters, and their attack grasping at skimpy straws. A situation, which is evocative of scorelines like 5-1, 8-2, 4-0 and 6-0, amongst many others.
Driven by a rivalry
Jose Mourinho, perhaps, came to North London with an intention to park the bus. However, his side started by launching a rocket to neutralize Arsenal's arsenal. At 2-0 down in the 11th minute of the game, another embarrassing scoreline for the Gunners looked more of an inevitability than a probability.
What happened next scrapped every naysayer's words before they were even formulated.
The 'mentally-fragile' Arsenal, the 'spiritless' Arsenal, and the 'self-destructive' Arsenal stepped up to conjure the best performance produced in a league defeat this season.
Yes, it was the same old Arsenal. It was the Arsenal that refused to wave the white while bleeding red, scraping on the green. The team of the yesteryear, which not only won with passion but also lost with pride.
Two glaring errors from their two most reliable defenders cost Arsenal dearly in the nascent phase of the match. However, they recovered and resurged into a robot-like attack mode at the nip of the bud. Their seamless pressing made the Red Devils scamper for to hold on to their lead (and the edge) with their fingertips and nails.
David is Goliath
Aaron Ramsey and Alexander Lacazette frequently tangoed to and through the United box. Mesut Ozil and Alex Iwobi amalgamated art with persistence. Alexis Sanchez, well, was Alexis Sanchez.
He gave the ball away more times than any other player on the field, but looked sumptuous at crucial junctions and delivered the pivotal lob that initiated the Arsenal goal.
The final scoreline read 3-1, but could've been 3-5. Or 5-1. Or really, any two digits on either side of that hyphen.
There was one man who sewed the initial number on the board though, and put himself on the line (literally) to keep those stitches in place. He is a 'David' who will always be the Goliath!
De Gea was not the thorn in Arsenal's side on Saturday, but a gargantuan boulder on the summit of their volcano. He refused to let them erupt through the thicks and thins, thunders and thumpings.
At one point in the game, Wenger had six genuine forwards (including three strikers) on the field. These men played every card they had in their pocket to thump as many as 15 shots on the target through the length of the game.
However, they were up against the ace of that very deck! In his Herculean effort, the Spanish goalkeeper saved as many as 14 of these attempts, equalling yet another Premier League record on his way.
The best will always be the best!
An opponent can all but gape in awe when Roger Federer plays the majestic, single-handed backhand down the line in reply to a perfect shot. Sachin Tendulkar's straight drive off a flawlessly-bowled delivery can only be applauded by the bowler.
When Usain Bolt finds the time to pose for a photograph mid-race, the most his competitors can hope for, is second place.
Arsenal's spirit deserves applause
When David de Gea pulls off one heroic safe after other, all you can do is go back to the drawing board and try again.
Arsenal did try again. And again. And one more time. And continued that until the last whistle was blown.
They didn't give in, it seemed like they couldn't. They tried, again and again, until they notched up as many as 33 attempts to get past the man. A man, who looked like he was the Flash with goalkeeping gloves wrapped around his bucket-like hands.
Thanks to the unrelenting attack from Arsenal and the unflapping defence of United, the encounter morphed into a classic for all ages. It was a glorious tussle between seven all-out pressers and eight all-in resistors.
It will be reminiscent of an Arsenal effort that fought to the nail for its badge.
The defence might've looked shoddy and there might've been a couple of decisions that did not go their way, but these details will fade away from a Gooner's mind soon. What will stay, though, is that imperious spirit that his team played with.
Arsenal stomached a crushing defeat, but still, did not need to swallow their pride as a result of it.
That does say a lot, doesn't it?
