The Top-Running Gunners are Silenced by The Red Devils in a 3-2 Defeat
- therookiereporters
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
Manchester United came in guns blazing to the homeground of the Gunners, handing them a 3-2 defeat to blow the title race wide open.
Manchester United fans were still riding the high from last week’s dominant victory against Manchester City, hoping to see some more magic from their team once more - and that they did. In an end-to-end match, Manchester United claimed victory over title front-runners and top of the UCL, Arsenal. While both teams were strong, Manchester United were relentless with their efforts and are hungry for their next encounter. This loss for Arsenal puts the title charge in disarray, with Manchester City and Aston Villa now just 4 points behind them. United are also up to 4th in the table - will they continue to push for more points and become a force to be reckoned with in the rest of this 2025/26 season?
Going into the game, Arsenal were on an unbeaten streak in all competitions. They were in their best form, sitting at the top of the Premier League and the UCL. With just 2 losses to their name, they were going to be tough to beat, unlikely for an out-of-form Manchester United. After their 3-1 victory against Inter Milan earlier in the week, a win for The Gunners looked to be inevitable: the statistics for the match also made it look like the game was theirs to win. They carried 15 shots and 4 on target, 9 corners and an 87% pass accuracy, with possession being almost matched with 57%. However, their goals were nothing extraordinary, nor were they able to hold off Manchester United for very long.
The first 45 minutes was a game of tug of war for the ball by both teams. Neither managers underestimated their competition, and their starting 11s reflected that. Carrick made no changes to the team from last week’s Derby, which set United up nicely for the game. However, the ball just slipped past their defenses. Bukayo Saka fed the ball nicely to Odegaard, who snuck it between player and goalkeeper, whereas an own goal by Martinez set United back a goal against the formidable Arsenal. This momentary advantage didn’t last long though. A player thought to be their most reliable made a disastrous error; Martin Zubimendi lost the ball and Mubemo capitalised on this, darting past players and Raya to score, making the playing field level once again before going into half time.
The Red Devils came out with more fire in their bellies following the break, which led to a stunning early goal by Patrick Dorgu from just outside the box, sending United 2-1 up against Arsenal, leaving fans and players at a loss for how the situation had turned so quickly on its head. With this, Arteta decided the strategy was not working and switched out 4 players simultaneously. The captain Odegaard, Zubimendi, Jesus and Hincapie all came off for Merino, Eze Gyokeres and Ben White. From taking the lead in the first half to now being a goal down, the rest of the game followed with high-intensity pressing and quick back-and-forth action from both clubs. Manchester United fought to keep their lead and Arsenal sought to find the equaliser in all of the madness. The late equaliser came in the 84th minute from Arsenal’s strong suit: a corner. All bodies were in the box, dancing around the goal, the shuffling of players, and then, Arsenal scraped together a just over the line goal from substitute Merino. Just when all was thought to be over, Manchester United hit back with a sensational goal from the charging substitute Cunha - silencing The Emirates while United fans were set alight with cheers in the far corner of the stadium. Every time Arsenal tried to knock them down, United just kept bouncing back.
Manchester United players were elated with the result, as were fans; all jubilant and celebrating in the stands after the game. Matheus Cunha handed the Player of the Match award to Harry Maguire, who performed incredibly well against Arsenal, defending and slipping the ball through the midfield to create chances for his team. He spoke on Premier League Productions about the match and expressed how much of an impact Carrick has had on the team in his short time there; “It’s absolutely massive. One-off results can happen in a derby so we had to back it up today. Arsenal ask a lot of questions of you, so to have a late setback and still get the win… it’s a magnificent performance.
Michael’s been brilliant with us. He’s brought fresh energy and galvanised the group. Two tough games, so to win both is magnificent.
We’ve got a bigger squad now with the lads back from Afcon, and we’ve got players like Matheus to come on. I’m sure he’s not happy being on the bench, I know what he’s like, but I must say he’s made the difference for us in both games.
[The fans are still singing behind you…] It’s been a tough few years for them. Results like last week, and like tonight, are what they deserve.”
Cunha was also beside him. When asked if it was his best moment for United so far, he stated;
“This is the type of match we watch on television. This is one of the best moments for me here.
“It means everything. This is the type of thing I wanted to do when I came here.”
The Manager also sang his praises to the players today, particularly the impact of Cunha and Dorgu. According to the Manchester Evening News, this is what Carrick had to say:
“Matheus coming on and having a big impact again, like he did last week, creating a goal last week. I really fancied him to score.
“Matheus has not started both games, but he's had a real big impact and he's been disappointed not to start, but he's used it in a really good way.
“Two huge moments and he totally deserves that winning goal for that, how he's applied himself all week and I'm absolutely delighted for him."
“Pat's been a big player for us over the last couple of games. I think in so many ways, attacking wise, obviously he scored two goals, but I think in terms of the threat and his athleticism and his quality coming in as well, and connections. I think defensively he's been immense as well, down the side with Luke and doubling up against two teams that ask a lot of questions down the side.”
Dorgu coming off is worrying for the team, however, as they head into games where it is imperative that they take the win - against Fulham and Tottenham - they need to keep this momentum up.
With Arsenal’s first loss in 25 matches and their 121 game record of not conceding 3 goals being broken by the Red Devils, Arsenal fans have a lot to question. Arteta reflected on the team’s performance and what he looked to do next, which has been taken from The Guardian;
“It’s a really painful one. But now is the time to be very, very close to the players who have given us so much joy and so many [great] performances, and to support them.
“They are very dangerous and we knew that. We have to learn from it. Defeats are part of winning, and you have to take them like this because [the team] need to be reminded how good they are.
“Four days ago, how free and fluid they looked in Milan. It was unbelievable. No excuses. We accept the defeat, we congratulate the opponent and we move forward.”
Captain, Odegaard, also concurred with his manager, as he told Sky Sports:
“It was never going to be easy. We know every game in this league is a big challenge.
“Now it is time to work harder than ever. We are still top of the league, so we have to keep going and bounce back straight away.”
Article written by Naeemah Pathan
