It’s been a long time since the audience witnessed such an exciting confrontation between MU and Arsenal.
When the “Red Devils” know how to put their ego aside
Looking at Man United’s injury list before the match against Arsenal, not many people thought that the “Red Devils” would have a chance to win. 10 players were absent due to injury and Dorgu was suspended, leaving Ruben Amorim with few options when welcoming the “Gunners”.
Therefore, it is not difficult to predict the starting lineup of Man United. However, the Portuguese coach still brought surprises to many people with his “Mourinho-style” playing style. Although being the home team, Man United played with a 5-4-1 formation and a very low formation.
Right from the first minutes, Arsenal almost flooded the entire squad to the opponent’s field. It was like Amorim’s challenge to Arteta on the other side of the front line. The “Gunners” had just won 7-1 against PSV, so some opinions said that the former Sporting coach had “angered the wrong person”.
However, Amorim had his own reasons. Arsenal’s problem was that they did not have a striker, so the ability to attack the center was quite low. The two players who could be dangerous in the front were Trossard and Odegaard. Just holding this pair tightly would make Arsenal “difficult”.
The exemplary captain and Raya’s “foolish” move
MU’s expected goals index in the first half was only 0.11. This is an extremely low number and reflects reality. However, the “Red Devils” were the team that opened the scoring. Just one situation where striker Trossard was too enthusiastic in defending, MU had a chance from a free kick outside the penalty area.
It was not a favorable situation for Bruno Fernandes’ right foot. Therefore, David Raya decided to play a psychological card with the Portuguese midfielder by standing far to the right, opening up a huge space on the left. In fact, Raya took another step to the left when Fernandes started running.
However, that was not enough. The Portuguese midfielder launched a perfect finish, causing Raya’s flying run to only add to the masterpiece. That was Fernandes’ second goal from a free kick in the 2024/25 Premier League. It was also Man United’s sixth goal from a set piece in recent times. The Portuguese midfielder continued to make the “Red Devils” fans burst into tears.
Amorim still causes regret
Ruben Amorim’s plan could have been 100% perfect if Mazraoui or Zirkzee had taken advantage of the opportunity right at the beginning of the second half. However, Raya, with the mentality of making amends for his mistakes, switched to “hero” mode with unbelievable saves. It was these miraculous saves that gave strength to the players in the Arsenal front line.
By the 60th minute, Man United began to show their physical weakness. “Veterans” Eriksen and Zirkzee were no longer strong enough to maintain the team’s distance. Mikel Arteta was also very “sly” when he realized that early, so he pushed the ball to the opponent’s left wing and let the midfielders close to the edge of the opponent’s penalty area.
Amorim also saw that but made personnel adjustments too slowly. If Collyer and Hojlund had been substituted 10 minutes earlier, Arsenal’s equalizer might not have come. The situation happened in the 74th minute when Declan Rice comfortably finished from outside the penalty area.
Amorim also regretted not using young talent Chido Obi Martin. Rasmus Hojlund is completely losing his confidence and instinct as a striker. This player had 2 clear chances to score at the end of the match but missed both. Heaven also transferred from Arsenal and played extremely confidently in defense. Who knows, Chido Obi might be able to do the same in attack.
The final minutes of the match were really exciting when both teams decided to go all out. Both MU and Arsenal had the chance to end the match with 3 points but unfortunately missed. However, this draw was reasonable given what happened.
It has been a long time since the audience witnessed such an exciting MU – Arsenal match. The “Red Devils” were brave enough to put their egos aside and choose an active defensive style of play. Meanwhile, the “Gunners” knew how to hit their opponents’ weaknesses at the right time to score a goal. Dramatic and exciting until the last second, this match deserved the word “great battle”.
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