There was a time Manchester United vs Arsenal used to be the biggest match in the Premier League, the title decider. Before Mourinho came in 2004 and took Chelsea to Premier League glory, every year without fail either Manchester United or Arsenal won the league, with the sole exception of the 1995-96 season when Blackburn Rovers triumphed.
And United vs Arsenal used to be a feisty affair, the likes of Roy Keane and Patrick Viera, leading a group of hot-headed and talented young men on both sides, who didn’t think twice before trying to snap each other’s legs.
However, things cooled down since Arsenal petered away from the top and with the emergence of new foes like Chelsea and Manchester City for Manchester United. However, on Saturday, there was a return to the good ol’ days with Arsenal and United giving us a feisty encounter, where the former will still wonder how they lost 3-1. Defensive mistakes from the Gunners, combined with insane saves from David De Gea ensured Arsenal just couldn’t breach the United goal except once.
After the match, Wenger admitted that he was angry and disappointed, and quite unable to fathom how they could come back from a match in which they had 33 shots on goal but still lost. He said: “I don't know if you've watched many top-level shots, but when you have 33 shots on goal in a game of that stature, it means our dominance was top class. But I'm angry and disappointed because in the end we have nothing to show for it.”
One could answer Wenger’s disappointment by pointing the finger towards one man, David de Gea, who pulled off one of the greatest goalkeeping performances ever seen in the Premier League and equalled the record for most saves in a match (14).
Here are some talking points from Saturday's game:
1) David de Gea pulls off one of the greatest goalkeeping performances
There are matches which are defined by great attacking performances, but this was one which will always be remembered for David de Gea’s earth-shattering performance.
At the Emirates, there were times when de Gea looked barely human. It was as if he was operating on - like Neo in the Matrix – on a different plane. It was as if he could see the code and knew exactly what his opponents would do. No matter what the incisive Arsenal attack threw at him, he just brushed them apart with the nonchalance of The One stopping a hail of bullets.
This was highlighted in the second half when he beat back Lacazette’s low goal-bound shot, and then got up quickly enough to deflect Alexis Sanchez’s follow-up over the bar.
He even stopped Romelu Lukaku, who had accidentally shinned a ball towards his own net from scoring an embarrassing own goal.
At the end of it, Arsenal had 33 shots, 15 on target and just one goal as David de Gea made 14 saves, making the impossible look easy as he stopped shot after shot to deny the Gunners.
2) Mind-boggling match stats
In some ways, this was a classic Mourinho performance. The opposition had the ball most of the match, had more shots, more corners and for long periods, the play was thoroughly one-sided as the Gunners laid siege. Arsenal had 75% of the possession, 33 shots to United’s 8, 15 on target compared to Manchester United’s 4 and 12 corners to Manchester United’s 1.
The only stat where there was any semblance of parity was fouls, where Arsenal committed 12 to United’s 11. Arsenal even made 562 passes to United’s 147, but football remains about one stat, putting it in the back of the net. Of United’s 4 shots on target they managed to do it thrice, and at the end of the day that’s all that matters.
3) Arsenal's defence gifts the goals
It wasn’t so much a case of Manchester United finding the goals, rather than Arsenal giving it to them on a platter. United effectively killed the match in the 11th minute with two quickfire goals and both were caused due to criminal defensive errors.
The first was created by Koscienly, whose cross-field pass was intercepted by Valencia, who passed it to Pogba. Pogba’s ability to shoot at sight meant every Arsenal defender immediately went to block him but the Frenchman played a clever pass back to Valencia who shot low and hard and put the ball through Petr Cech’s legs.
The second time it was Mustafi who was the culprit as he dillydallied on the ball and was robbed by Lingard. The ball came to Lukaku who found Martial, who played the most eye-pleasing flick to Lingard who guided it into the bottom corner.
Even the third, when Arsenal were on top could be blamed on Koscielny. Pogba was able to outmuscle and out-think him on the touchline with way too much ease to set up Lingard’s third goal in front of an open net.
4) Wenger's poor record against Mourinho continues
Mourinho vs Wenger isn’t just one of the feistiest Premier League managerial rivalries, but also one of the most one-sided. With this win Mourinho has beaten Wenger 9 times out of 18, drawing 7 and losing just twice. However, Wenger’s recent victories had come in the last four matches but Mourinho was quick to seize back the initiative.
Make no mistake though, after this loss, Wenger will stay awake for many nights wondering just how his team was unable to carve United open despite creating so many chances.
5) Pogba's red card makes it hard for United ahead of Manchester derby
With Pogba Manchester United look like a completely different team. When the Frenchman was injured, United looked like a team bereft of ideas, unable to get past opponents. Pogba’s return against Newcastle showed the Red Devils what they were missing. In some ways, with Matic besides him Pogba is the complete midfielder, who can defend and attack, shoot and dribble and pass, a throwback to the great Premier League CMs like Gerrard, Lampard, Scholes or Viera.
Yet, Pogba’s red card on Saturday, one moment of red mist descending in an otherwise sublime performance, will mean that he will sit out the game against arch rivals Manchester City at Old Trafford.
6) Mourinho begins to fix his woeful away record
via GIPHY
Mourinho has the most woeful away record in the Premier League since 2015, when it comes to away matches against the other Top 6. In games between Arsenal, City, United, Tottenham and Liverpool, Mourinho has only five points from 11 games and has scored just four goals. Three of those came in a 5-3 defeat to Tottenham on New Year’s Day 2015.
At Old Trafford, while on home soil he has 11 points from six games, United have only scored once in seven games on the road during a 2-1 defeat to Spurs. They have also conceded nine goals, across four defeats and three goalless draws.
So Mourinho’s win against Wenger at the Emirates is a statistical aberration, but Mourinho will hope it’s a sign of better days to come for United on the road against top opposition.
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