Arsenal v Manchester United Review
Pre Match Analysis– The Red Devils came into the match with Arsenal having scored four goals for the sixth time this Season. They did however fail to keep a clean sheet. Watford scored two Second Half Goals to keep the game interesting. They wouldn’t be able to switch off against Arsenal, with them having many weapons in the final third. Time would tell whether Manchester United would be complacent or composed following last week’s scoring spree.
First Half Analysis– Captain Valencia led by example with a cracking shot in the fourth minute. Incredibly the shot went between Cech’s legs for a goal! Pogba played intelligent pass to Valencia who was in space and he did the rest. Lingard made the score two nil in favour of Manchester United in the eleventh minute. This time it was Martial who was credited with the assist. The Red Devils were lucky to keep the score at two nil thanks to their goal keeper de Gea.
Half Time Analysis– The Red Devils continued their scoring with two exquisite goals in the First Half. They went into the break at two nil with Arsenal making some incursions into the final third only to be thwarted by de Gea. The ‘Special One’s’ gamble to put Mata and Rashford on the bench appeared to be paying dividends.
Second Half Analysis– Ramsey intelligently set up Lacazette to give Arsenal back some momentum in the forty-ninth minute. It was exactly what Arsenal needed; an early goal in the Second Half. What followed was de Gea making a number of saves to keep Manchester United in the lead. Pogba managed to give the Red Devils back the ascendancy with a pinpoint pass that ended up in the back of the net with Lingard the man to finish it off once again; that gave Lingard a brace. The goal came in the sixty-third minute. What followed was a red card to Pogba in the seventy-fourth minute. From there on in Arsenal forced de Gea into a number of saves. The Manchester United goal keeper was the best player on the pitch. That tells the story that Arsenal were the better team despite going down three one.
Full Time Analysis– Remarkably de Gea made fourteen saves. Incredibly Arsenal had fifteen shots on target as well as seventy-five percent of possession. The scoreboard didn’t tell the story. Manchester United continue to give the opposition a chance to claim points against them. That can be seen as a worrying trend or as a sign of the character of the team. They still remain in second place without playing their best football!