Ruben Amorim suffered his first defeat as Manchester United boss with Arsenal scoring two set-piece goals in the second-half to claim all three points at the Emirates on Wednesday.
The gameplan was clear from the Portuguese with the visitors trying to maintain control of the ball to not allow the Gunners time and space to conjure anything.
It was a sharp contrast from the previous three games under the former Sporting Lisbon boss where the team were quick off the blocks.
And the plan worked a treat in the opening 45 minutes as the hosts hardly created a chance of note. But the setup meant the away team also did not create too many clear-cut chances.
Corners were the difference
But the home side ramped up the pressure in the second half and their superiority from corners eventually made the difference in the end.
United should have prepared for the eventuality a lot better heading into the game considering Mikel Arteta’s side have scored the most goals from set-pieces in the Premier League.
Inswinging corners right into the heart of the box proved too difficult for the Red Devils to block as Jurrien Timber and William Saliba got on the scoresheet.
The North London side won 13 corners throughout the game while the team from Old Trafford failed to win even one.
Looking back, Amorim must feel that Arsenal were there for the taking in the first half when his team controlled the ball but they were much more happy to restrict the opposition rather than go all out in attack.
United were too focused on control
Wednesday’s game was almost a free-hit for Amorim with not many people expecting the 20-time English league champions to win and a little bit more bravery could have been shown especially going forward.
United had a couple of decent chances in the second-half with David Raya pulling off a diving save off a Matthijs de Ligt header while Antony’s effort from a clever free-kick routine almost caught the hosts out but they eventually cleared.
The game was an improvement on what we constantly saw under Erik ten Hag but supporters were expecting more from Amorim’s side on the day.
The Red Devils are 11th in the table and with Nottingham Forest up next, Amorim must try and go back to his original idea and ask his players to go on the attack from the word go instead of yet another timid approach.
Feature image Shaun Botterill via Getty Images
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
