Manchester United fell to a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in a tightly-contested match at The Emirates.
Sadly, Ruben Amorim’s defence was unable to adapt to Arsenal’s corner tactics; a mistake that cost them the game.
While Man United decided to play the ball back off of their kick-off, they showed great composure and close control, completing an array of intricate passes under pressure before pushing upfield.
Three minutes in, Arsenal were celebrating after Gabriel Martinelli put the ball into the back of the net. Still, United knew that there was no reason to panic as the goal was well offside. Still, goalkeeper Andre Onana would need to be more careful going forward, as it was his long ball that was intercepted in the final third.
In the eighth minute, Thomas Partey’s header from close range went wide following a threatening corner. It was a lucky break for the United defence which clearly lacked focus in the moment.
While United managed to retain more possession around the 15-minute mark, they struggled to penetrate Arsenal’s airtight defence. Furthermore, the home team’s aggression placed Ruben Amorim’s men under significant pressure. Clearly, something had to change in order for United to find a breakthrough.
Noussair Mazraoui gave away the ball in the final third to Bukhayo Saka, but Bruno Fernandes was fortunately aware enough to block the subsequent pass and end the attack.
Saka appeared to break through the defence after receiving a long ball; however, Tyrell Malacia held his ground to block him off. Mazraoui then booted the ball out for a corner.
Maguire headed the threatening ball out before Oleksandr Zinchenko’s shot was blocked by Manuel Ugarte. United did well to handle the pressure from what was a deadly corner kick.
In the 29th minute, Saka drilled a ball into the box that Maguire did well to block before Onana cleared the ball out for a corner. Onana did well to catch the corner.
Following a prolonged period of possession, Arsenal’s attack culminated in a cross from Martinelli that Onana comfortably caught.
Three minutes from the break, United received a free-kick when Garnacho was fouled by Jurrien Timber. Mason Mount’s free-kick found Harry Maguire, who headed the ball back to Mount, whose shot was so skewed that the ball returned to Maguire. He then laid the ball off to Diogo Dalot, whose shot went disappointingly wide.
Tyrell Malacia was booked for bringing down Kai Havertz.
Moments later, Malacia performed a superb sliding tackle to dispossess Timber. While the Arsenal player collapsed, Manuel Ugarte protested to the referee, claiming that Timber dived. The referee then decided to brandish a yellow card to Ugarte for dissent.
The half-time whistle blew, bringing a pause to what had been a cagey affair with minimal scoring opportunities.
Unwilling to take a risk on a defender on a booking, Rubem Amorim decided to replace Malacia with Amad Diallo. The winger shifted to Dalot’s position, while Dalot shifted to Malacia’s LWB role.
United got an early break, with Garnacho sprinting forward and playing a cross to Hojlund, who was too slow to meet the ball.
Moments later, Martinelli sparked a counter, taking a shot that deflected off Maguire’s legs and into Onana’s gloves.
The homes side kept up the pressure, with Declan Rice attempting a shot that seemed to deflect off Mount’s leg. United did well to deal with the corner which posed minimal threat.
Suddenly, bad news arrived as Matthijs de Ligt collapsed on the sideline. It appeared as if he was struggling with an injured left leg.
Fortunately, De Ligt was able to return to action, yet the referee questionable booked Maguire for throwing a ball onto the field to get play back underway. The referee seemed intent to be stricter against the away team.
In the 53rd minute, the home side scored. Rice’s corner found Timber, who flicked the ball ever so slightly into the back of the net with a soft header.
Four minutes later, Saka appeared to break through the defence, however, Onana saved his shot on the ground.
Dalot took a long-range shot that wizzed past the far post.
With little over 30 minutes to play, Amorim made a triple change. Leny Yoro marked his Premier League debut, coming on for Maguire, while Marcus Rashford and Joshua Zirkzee replaced Garnacho and Mount.
Zirkzee had an almost immediate impact, heading an Arsenal corner out of danger, with the ball knicking Ugarte on the way out. Rashford did well to deal with the subsequent corner.
Amad did brilliantly to dribble past Zinchenko toward the box, who fouled Amad on the edge of the box. Fernandes’ free kick found De Ligt, whose header forced a save from David Raya. That was United’s best scoring opportunity of the match so far.
In the 73rd minute, the home team struck again. Another Arsenal corner got the better of United, with William Saliba scoring with a header. Poor marking from a clearly struggling United defence.
With 14 minutes to play, another Arsenal corner came in, finding the head of Mikel Moreno whose attempt drifted inches wide. Yet again, the United defence were nowhere to be found.
In the 79th minute, Antony came on for Hojlund in what would be United’s final substitution of the night.
Saka broke through United’s defence, sending a through ball to Leandro Trossard that Yoro managed to clear for a corner.
Moreno fouled Antony on the edge of the box, handing United an opportune free kick. Fernandes played an unexpected through ball to Antony, whose left-footed strike was saved by the keeper. An ingenious free-kick tactic by United.
Four added minutes were announced, providing United with a chance to at least get on the scoresheet.
It was a bitter defeat for United to swallow, particularly Amorim, who suffered his first loss since arriving at Old Trafford. Clearly, there is still plenty of work to be done on the training pitch to get the players to adjust to a new formation and playing style.
Starting XI: Onana, Mazraoui, De Ligt, Maguire, Mount, Fernandes, Hojlund, Malacia, Garnacho, Dalot, Ugarte
Subs: Amad, Yoro, Rashford, Zirkzee, Antony
Featured image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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Mathew Cohen
A faithful Manchester United supporter, Mathew has worked as a football writer and analyst for SB Nation, FanSided, and now The Peoples Person. Mathew’s heroes include David Beckham, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Sir Alex Ferguson, all of whom played their part in creating some special childhood memories.
