Arsenal Vs Manchester United: 5 things we learned – Positives despite defeat

3. Performance not as bad as you might think

Jermaine Jenas mentioned it repeatedly in commentary: there were plenty of positives for Unai Emery to draw from this performance. Alright, there were key issues in certain areas, like a lack of cutting edge in and around the penalty area and a failure to deal with the counter-attack, but overall, this performance was far better than many might think.

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Arsenal were the better team by almost every statistic. They played more passes, had more possession, had a higher pass completion rate, had more shots, forced more saves, had more corners. Now, I am not saying that they were the better team and they deserved to win. I don’t think anyone could watch that game and say that they were and did. But that does not mean that this should be all doom and gloom.

The way that Arsenal largely controlled the midfield was encouraging, even if they conceded space on the counter-attack. They moved the ball accurately, if lacking that zip in the final third. They created some good chances that, on another day, could have been converted.

The difference between the two teams came in the fine margins. That was where the match was won and lost. And over long periods, they will even out. The bounce of the ball will be that little different. Arsenal need to improve, yes, but there were positive signs.