Manchester United vs Arsenal Analysis (0-1) – Arsenal Stays in the Title Race!
Arsenal secured a crucial 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford and remains in the race for the Premier League title. With this win, the “Gunners” moved to the top of the standings, one point ahead of Manchester City, who have a game in hand. Arteta’s team did not display impressive form, but managed to generate an xG of 1.69, compared to the hosts’ 0.64.
Starting Lineups
Manchester United is grappling with a wave of injuries, missing key players including captain Bruno Fernandes, Luke Shaw, Marcus Rashford, and Harry Maguire. Consequently, Casemiro has been deployed as a central defender alongside Jonny Evans, a move by ten Hag that failed to yield results in the match against Crystal Palace and proved costly for Manchester United in this fixture as well.
On the Arsenal side, there are no absences for this match, and we see a standard lineup often utilized by Arteta.
Match Report
The match began evenly, with both teams trying to impose their style of play. Arsenal took the lead in the first half when Kai Havertz managed to beat the, what was supposed to be an, offside trap and break into the opponent’s box. This was made possible because Casemiro did not push up with his teammates, keeping Havertz onside.
Havertz delivered a crucial pass to Trossard, who slotted the ball into the net, setting the halftime score at 1-0. By the break, Arsenal had generated an xG of 1.69 compared to United’s 0.64.
In the second half, Manchester United tried to get back into the game but struggled to create clear scoring opportunities. Garnacho made several attempts to equalize, but his finishes were lacking.
On the other hand, Arsenal had a significant chance to double their lead through Martinelli, who, after a solo run, fired a powerful shot at goal, but Onana made a decisive save.
Garnacho Leads Manchester United’s Offensive Efforts
n this match, Manchester United heavily relied on 19-year-old forward Alejandro Garnacho, who had the most shots and dangerous moments. United consistently attempted to launch Garnacho, utilizing his speed and dribbling skills to make incursions into the guests’ box on the left flank.
Garnacho frequently found himself in dangerous positions but lacked the creativity for the cross that could bring the equalizing goal or the perfect angle to beat Raya. He totaled 7 shots and succeeded in 5 out of 7 dribbling attempts.
The pass map shows the most common path of the ball when it was in Manchester United’s possession, following the line from Onana (24) to Evans (35) to Dalot (20) to Garnacho (17). Additionally, Garnacho held the most advanced average position for the hosts, rarely acting in a defensive capacity.
William Saliba Maintains Arsenal’s Advantage
It’s no surprise that William Saliba received the award for the best player in this match. In the 58th minute, Alejandro Garnacho broke into the box and sought to directly confront David Raya. Saliba positioned himself perfectly and dispossessed the attacker at the last moment with extraordinary precision.
Saliba led the match statistics in terms of touches on the ball (99), successful defensive actions (11), accurate passes (76 out of 84), and a 100% rate in won duels.
In this game, Saliba was the embodiment of Arsenal’s defensive effort (the team with the fewest goals conceded this season in the Premier League). The guests, defending in a compact 4-4-2 formation, kept United under control throughout the match. They did not manage to get a shot on target in the first 67 minutes of the encounter, until Casemiro attempted a long-range shot on Raya’s goal, which posed no problem for the goalkeeper.
Total Disarray! Is Casemiro to Blame?
Manchester United displayed total disorganization in terms of construction and offensive strategy. This was perfectly exemplified by Onana’s frustration, who, having moved up to midfield, was visibly upset that his teammates failed to open any passing lanes for him, forcing him to clear the ball from midfield.
This disorganization and lack of direction led to the goal they conceded. Casemiro passed the ball back to Onana, both being pressed by Kai Havertz. Havertz blocked the passing lange between Onana and Casemiro, while Amrabat dropped in the centre to receive the ball, but Onana opted for a long pass to midfield.
However, the question arises: why did Amrabat drop back if Onana chose to clear? Logically, Onana should have passed the ball to Amrabat to draw Havertz, allowing Amrabat to then pass it back to Casemiro, now freed from Havertz’s rotation.
Following Onana’s pass, United left their right flank exposed, and Casemiro kept Havertz onside who managed to cross to Trossard, with Casemiro close by. Certainly, Casemiro shares some blame for the goal, but the entire weight of the defeat cannot be placed on the Brazilian midfielder when he is forced to play in a position where he is not comfortable and the team shows such disorganization.
Conclusions
Arsenal remains in the race for the Premier League title, hoping that Manchester City will drop some of the points still available. This defeat is painful for Manchester United, which now finds itself further away from a position that would qualify them for European competitions.
Although the match was not the most spectacular, with both teams displaying clumsy performances, the result has heightened the tension towards the end of the season, keeping Arsenal in the title race and setting us up for a dramatic finish to the championship.
