Manchester United and Arsenal played out an entertaining 1-1 draw at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
The Gunners were 16 points behind league leaders Liverpool ahead of kick-off, and their point means Liverpool’s advantage is a whopping 15 with just ten games of the season remaining. Their already -slim title hopes have faded drastically over the past couple of weeks.
United’s point sees them return to 14th, and Ruben Amorim will doubtlessly be encouraged by what he saw from his depleted group of players in the second half. They were unfortunate not to claim all three points at the Theatre of Dreams.
How the game unfolded
Mikel Arteta made just one change from Tuesday’s record-breaking beatdown of PSV Eindhoven, with the enterprising Riccardo Calafiori, the scorer of Arsenal’s seventh in midweek, replacing Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back.
Ruben Amorim had little room for flexibility given United’s injury woes, with Manuel Ugarte and Harry Maguire once again missing out. The Portuguese boss had a very young bench at his disposal, one that included former Hale Enders Ayden Heaven and Chido Obi-Martin.
The visitors were in control from the outset against a United team bereft of a concrete idea in possession. They had little success playing out and were often second best when Andre Onana pumped the ball long. Arsenal were dominant but once again lacking a killer punch in the absence of a recognised centre-forward.
Makeshift number nine Mikel Merino went close with a dragged effort inside the opening ten minutes, while Martin Odegaard and Leandro Trossard produced decent efforts from the edge of the box. United were disciplined enough defensively to limit Arsenal’s ability to craft high-quality openings, and although they suffered for much of the opening period, the hosts remarkably took a 1-0 lead into half-time.
After Alejandro Garnacho drew a foul from Trossard on the edge of the Arsenal box, skipper Bruno Fernandes dispatched his free-kick past an erroneously set-up Gunners wall and beyond David Raya.
Only a remarkable Raya save prevented Noussair Mazraoui from doubling United’s lead early in the second half after another spell of fruitless Arsenal pressure. The Spaniard was then on hand to prevent Joshua Zirkzee from finding the back of the net with a cute flick after Arteta opted for a double change which included the return of Gabriel Martinelli after a month out.
Arsenal were returning to a familiar state of huffing and puffing as they searched for an equaliser, with the hosts seemingly growing in comfort defensively. However, the Gunners were able to produce a moment which resulted in the leveller. Declan Rice finished superbly after he was expertly set up by Jurrien Timber.
That set the stage for a thrilling finale, and it was United who came on strong after Arsenal’s equaliser. Superbly timed last-ditch challenges from Rice and Gabriel prevented Rasmus Hojlund from handing the hosts the lead, with the former’s tackle setting up a counter-attack which was almost finished off by Trossard.
Arsenal required all three points to retain their ever-slimming Premier League title hopes alive, but they were fortunate to escape Old Trafford with just one. Fernandes came ever so close to winning it in stoppage time, but the United star was denied by a brilliant Raya stop, with the Arsenal goalkeeper clawing away the spinning ball before it crossed the line after making the initial save.
Check out the player ratings from Man Utd 1-1 Arsenal here.
The first half was 45 minutes of sterile Arsenal pressure. It wasn’t the most thrilling of watches, and a rebellious United crowd quickly grew restless. There wasn’t a clear idea of how the hosts were going to get the ball up the pitch in the face of an excellent Arsenal press.
Amorim’s insistence of a centre-back joining the midfield in the build-up phase continues to baffle, and United were solely reliant on the talents of Fernandes to get upfield. The Portuguese midfielder once again operated deep, supplying a cool head and the ability to escape Gunners pressure before settling Alejandro Garnacho on his way. He at least gave United a footing before an excellent set-piece handed his team an unlikely lead.
Fernandes became the first player to score two direct free-kicks in the Premier League this season, and Sunday’s game was another example of United’s number eight stepping up on the big occasion. Under Ruben Amorim, Fernandes played a key role in their victory at the Etihad and he was particularly brilliant in the 2-2 draw at Anfield. He also scored a fine goal in the Red Devils’ FA Cup win over Arsenal back in January.
The stand-in skipper was perhaps less notable in the second half as United improved drastically as a collective, but Fernandes continued to take responsibility right up until he had the chance to win it for his side in the closing stages.