Arsenal 3-1 Man Utd: 4 positives and negatives from key win

As far as weekends go, even before Saturday had drawn to a close there were Arsenal fans across the globe beaming from ear to ear after events in the capital.

The day started with Nuno Tavares scoring his first goal for the club against Manchester United inside three minutes, with that lead doubled shortly after the half an hour mark when Bukayo Saka slotted away his second penalty in two games.

He is the youngest player in Premier League history to do so.

Much of the remainder of Arsenal’s 3-1 win didn’t go quite as smoothly as thought. Defensive lapses riddled the game, one of which allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to reduce the deficit, and it required a huge slice of luck when Bruno Fernandes squirmed his second half penalty wide of the post much to the relief everyone associated with Arsenal.

Arsenal 3-1 Manchester United: 4 positives and negatives from huge Premier League win as Gunners bid for top four

It remained on a knife edge up until the 70th minute when the unlikely hero of Granit Xhaka thundered in from 25 yards to calm the nerves of all inside the stadium. Having another excellent season in midfield, the moment he got to share with the fans was one he will cherish deeply.

Chelsea away and Manchester United at home, and six points to show for it. Not too bad. But could it get better? Enter Brentford Football Club.

No team is going to secure maximum points in the chase for the top four, and looking at Spurs’ fixture list, this was undoubtedly one of the more likely games they could slip up in. That 0-0 draw does wonders for Arsenal, who now have the initiative to go and end this painful wait without Champions League football.

Looking back on a memorable weekend of action, while the overriding emotion is a positive one, there were elements of the 3-1 win that were less so. Starting with the negatives, here is the good and the bad of Saturday.

1. Not Building on Opening Goal

Some may argue that this is factually incorrect, which is sort of is. Arsenal went from being one goal up to being two goals up. That feels like the definition of building on a lead. But it wasn’t quite that smooth.

There is no more ideal start than scoring inside three minutes. As soon as United kicked the game off Martin Odegaard went steaming in at Raphael Varane to put pressure on and it really set the tone for the afternoon.

Yet Arsenal seemed to go into their shells slightly after the first goal. In an attacking sense Odegaard looked spectacular and Bukayo Saka had Alex Telles’ number, but out from the back there seemed to be a wave of nerves creeping into the players who if anything looked like they were the ones who had just conceded.

Manchester United are drained of any confidence, belief, or fight, and that moment after scoring should have been the time to truly turn the screw and finish the game as a contest. Instead, while chances were there for Arsenal because United are bad, unforced errors crept into the game and the visitors had their chances to level the game before Saka’s penalty.

Looking for reasons as to why, the short turnover of matches could certainly have had an impact. Arteta said after the game that five or six players were carrying knocks, and the physical and mental fatigue of Stamford Bridge may have resulted in some hesitancy in possession that the team isn’t used to. After all, the pressure on top of that is substantial.

What is important is that they got through it. Kicking off on Saturday afternoon and not playing again until the late game on Sunday, there is plenty of time for recovery.

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2. Cedric & Nuno Tavares Disasters

Whether in the stadium or watching from home, there was no avoiding the vociferous pleas from the crowd to get both Cedric and Nuno off the pitch. They did not have afternoons to remember.

On the one hand, Nuno will. He scored his first goal for the club, at the Emirates, inside three minutes. His ‘cannon’ celebration was pretty neat, too. Unfortunately, that’s where the fun ends.

This was not a game for full-backs, on either team. Cedric was getting roasted alive by Sancho down the Gunners’ right side, was incredibly fortunate not to give away a penalty and had one standout moment – that can now be viewed as humorous – when he got in a total mix-up with Ramsdale and booted the ball out for a corner under no pressure.

His crosses were dreadful, his positioning poor, and the only surprise is that he didn’t get hauled off sooner for Tomiyasu.

As for Nuno…well, what is there to say?

There is no more apt word than chaotic. It can’t possibly be by design that the left-back in the team is picking up advanced positions in the penalty box that even Eddie Nketiah isn’t moving into. The guy averages more open play shots per 90 minutes than Lacazette, for crying out loud.

When Arsenal are up against the ropes he’ll be charging on the overlap and vacating acres of space to try and get onto an Odegaard through ball. Why? What are you doing there? It’s madness.

As for in possession, the second half was littered with woefully needless giveaways in dangerous positions, either on account of him not passing, or passing poorly. It was a miracle he stayed on the pitch, because Arteta took a huge gamble there.

Not a good day for full-backs.

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3. Martin Odegaard & Bukayo Saka Partnership Returns

These two are the best two players in the team. When you have players of their quality, getting them close to one another seems like such a basic tactical move. It works, though.

Missing across the three consecutive defeats was the blossoming partnership of Saka and Odegaard. Against Chelsea that returned to the fore with that connection contributing towards Smith Rowe’s goal, and the overall telepathy between them is on another level.

Against Manchester United Odegaard was picking up space like it was being handed out to him. Dropping shoulders, first-time passing beyond markers and drifting into areas United couldn’t keep up with him, he sparkled in the north London sun.

While it’s one thing him being in this position, he needs someone close to him. Someone he can feed and someone to feed him.

The spacing between Saka and Odegaard are so clever. They’re long when they need to be and tight if the plan is to overload. Both have such an excellent weight of pass, and Saka’s ability with both feet makes their link-up play so diverse and effective. In the half spaces Odegaard comes alive and when faced with men to beat, Saka can either take them on wide or play delightful give-and-go’s with the Norwegian centrally.

Individually magnificent, they’re collectively exceptional when working in harmony.

When these two play well, so do Arsenal. It’s little wonder that back-to-back wins in the Premier League have come when their partnership has been at its strongest.

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4. Alexandre Lacazette Isn’t Being Missed

It’s not as simplistic as saying that the reason Arsenal have scored seven goals in their last two matches is because Lacazette has been taken out of the team. That argument ignores the positive spell across December when he was integral to high scoring matches.

But there is something in there that is making a difference: speed.

Speed kills. What Arsenal have with Eddie Nketiah in the side is pace in abundance. Smith Rowe, Saka and Nketiah can all run in behind, just as they can all switch their games up and come short or interchange. Nketiah hasn’t suddenly morphed into a world beater overnight, but he had a really good game on Saturday, one that will be understandably lost among the many other narratives.

Just as so many of the ploys utilised by Arteta have been found out across the season, eventually this one may come unstuck too. But for now, the addition of pace at centre-forward is having a hugely positive impact on the team, one that has scored seven goals across two games against Top Six sides having rightly been heavily criticised for lacking cutting edge.

Lacazette will have a part to play at some stage this season but right now there is no reason whatsoever to change the formula. Nketiah has been excellent for five of the six halves of football he’s played since, and the movement of the front line has injected some much-needed energy into the attacking patterns of play.