Report: Manchester United 0 Arsenal 1

The Arsenal skipper fired past David De Gea from the spot after Paul Pogba tripped Hector Bellerin in the area.

In a scrappy 90 minutes, United had gone close to scoring through chances for Mason Greenwood and Harry Maguire, and a deflected Donny van de Beek cross late on, but the Gunners held firm and the result means the Reds are still waiting for a home league victory this season.

 

FIRST HALF – BEST CHANCES FALL TO VISITORS

Solskjaer, taking charge of his 100th United game, made three changes to the side which put on a five-star showing against RB Leipzig in midweek, as hat-trick hero and our October Player of the Month, Marcus Rashford, came in for the suspended Anthony Martial. Bruno Fernandes and Scott McTominay also started, in place of Nemanja Matic and van de Beek, who were both named on the bench. Arsenal, meanwhile, made 10 changes to the side which beat Dundalk in the Europa League.

It was a scrappy start to the match from both sides as each looked to establish a foothold on the game. On 14 minutes, Aubameyang just missed getting on the end of Bellerin’s whipped low cross from the right. Seven minutes later, at the other end, an equally superb curling pass from Rashford dropped perfectly at the feet of Greenwood in the box, but his first-time shot was well saved with his legs by Bernd Leno.

Arsenal then had three great opportunities not long before the break. First, Aubameyang set up Alexandre Lacazette but he totally missed his kick from six yards out thanks to Victor Lindelof getting the slightest of vital touches on the ball.

The Reds were then dispossessed near our box allowing Willian to swap passes with Aubameyang before grazing the top of David De Gea’s bar with a well-struck effort. Bukayo Saka was next to go close but he headed Bellerin’s cross just over, thankfully.

SECOND HALF – GUNNERS SPOT ON

After a pretty cautious first period from both teams, the pace of the second was upped from the off, mainly down to some good pressing from the Reds. Despite that, it was the Gunners who had the first sight of goal, on 52 minutes, when Lacazette won possession and set up Aubameyang, but his measured shot towards the corner curled just wide.

Three minutes later, United went close through Maguire, who got on the end of a Luke Shaw free-kick and saw his looped header drop inches past the far post, and inches away from Greenwood.

Thereafter, proceedings remained pretty tight until Arsenal took the lead on 69 minutes. In truth, it came from nothing when Willian slipped a ball into Bellerin in the box and Pogba’s tackle on him led to Mike Dean pointing to the spot. Aubameyang duly converted the penalty-kick, sending De Gea the wrong way to end his recent goal drought.

Edinson Cavani and van de Beek entered the fray and, within 10 minutes, van de Beek almost fashioned the most bizarre of equalisers as his cross from the right bounced off Mohamed Eleny onto the face of Leno and back off the keeper's near post.

United looked for an equaliser in the final minutes but the visitors held out for the victory. Next up for the Reds is a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton, on Saturday.

Our 2020/21 home, away and third kits are available to buy now from United Direct.

MATCH DETAILS

United: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire (c), Shaw; McTominay, Fred (Matic 62), Pogba, Fernandes (van de Beek 75); Greenwood (Cavani 75), Rashford.

Subs not used: Henderson, Tuanzebe, Williams, Mata. 

Booked: Fred, Greenwood, Maguire.

Arsenal: Leno; Bellerin, Gabriel, Holding, Tierney; Elneny, Partey, Saka; Willian (Maitland-Niles 85), Lacazette (Nketiah 76), Aubameyang (c) (Mustafi 87).

Subs not used: Runarsson, Xhaka, Ceballos, Pepe.

Goal: Aubameyang 69 (pen)

Booked: Holding, Gabriel, Aubameyang.

REACTION

Ole: We didn't perform
“In the first half, we never turned up. The intensity, the tempo wasn't there, the shape - they were better than us and created a couple of half-decent chances. In the second half, they didn't look like they were going to score, apart from the penalty. So we played better in the second half but still we have to turn up with more intensity.”

REACTION

Pogba admits penalty mistake
“My mistake, I shouldn’t do that [concede the penalty]. I have to be better in the box defensively. When you run forward and back, a player runs behind you. When you get in the box, you have to be… not more clever – in French, the word is lucid. I don’t know the word in English but I have to be fresher in the box, on my feet. Details made us lose the game and we have to be better. We have to do better with the ball because we weren’t dangerous with the ball today. We didn’t create chances, as we should, and we didn’t win at home. That’s what we need to do. We need to win at home."