3 positives and negatives from Arsenal’s loss to Manchester United

Positive #2: Gabriel Jesus

Arsenal had some other stand-out performers on Sunday, but Gabriel Jesus was once again the Gunners’ best player.

The traits that I felt were the most apparent in the match was his strength and ball control. There were multiple occasions where he brought down a hopeful long ball to help his side get up the pitch. He shrugs off defenders at will, and he’s excellent at playing with his back to goal. It’s such an asset.

The impact that he is able to make on the match even without scoring is distinct. What a player!

Negative #2: Refereeing and VAR

Oh boy, here we go again.

It was another atrocious week for refereeing in the Premier League and Arsenal were at the centre of one of the controversies. The usage of VAR is appalling and the lack of consistency is staggering.

This is the best league in the world, but questionable officiating is continuing to undermine the product. The decision that raised the most eyebrows at Old Trafford was, of course, the ruling out of Martinelli’s opener after Martin Odegaard was adjudged to have fouled Eriksen in the build-up.

Was it a foul? Maybe? However, the ref was right in front of the play when it happened and did nothing. The biggest issue is letting that go was not a “clear and obvious error” which is the purpose of VAR. In fact, an almost identical foul happened in the build-up to a Leicester goal on the same day and the goal stood, so where is the consistency?

Overall, the officials were once again a source of frustration.

Continued on the next slide…