Keeper bails out Arteta! Unconvincing Gunners still too much for deluded United

Man of the Match, David Raya was the difference between Arsenal winning a game they deserved to lose and Manchester United losing a match that they probably deserved to win. And that is precisely the reason why Arsenal will be competing for the title in May and, well, United won't.

Mikel Arteta admitted that he was not satisfied with his team's performance at Old Trafford yesterday despite winning at Old Trafford in the league for the first time in 19 years. This is a mark of just how far Arsenal have come under him.

United fans (and indeed their manager) are claiming a moral victory. In his post-match interview, Amorim claimed that his team had been the better side and this showed that they could beat any team in the league. That's not true, not with Altay Bayindir in goal.

United played well but they don't have a world-class keeper.

@utdrobbo was just as deluded, writing on X. “United were the better side in every single aspect in open play. If both sides play like that for the season, the losing side comes out on top – by a comfortable margin.“

You see, the problem with @utdrobbo's argument is that they don't have a world-class goalkeeper. Arsenal have two. Some say, you get what you deserve. United got what they desrved. United will have to play equally as well in future Premier League matches and (crucially) score – if they are going to make up for the deficiencies that they have between the posts.

United should have been more proactive in the summer transfer window to solve the problem that is glaringly obvious to everyone. Aaron Ramsdale was available and he would have been an ideal replacement for Onana, even for a year while United found their ideal keeper. Thanks to Newcastle, that ship has sailed.

Arsenal's David Raya is a dual Golden Glove winner

Yesterday, David Raya reminded Arsenal fans just how important he is. However, having won the Golden Glove award for two years in succession, it is somewhat odd that anybody needs a reminder about Raya's quality.

But not every Arsenal fan was convinced by Raya. Remarkably, @MboowaAmazone described him as sloppy in some moments.

Arteta's evaluation of Arsenal's overall performance is perhaps justified but he must take some positives out of his team's defensive qualities. His team outran United and limited them to 1.52 xG. On that basis, the best United could have hoped for is a draw.

The one big chance of the match fell to Arsenal - it was a gift

The one big chance of the match fell to Arsenal, courtesy of Altay Bayindir's weak attempt to deal with Declan Rice's corner. Riccardo Calafiori made no mistake at the far post, making the most of the gift and securing his team all three points.

As any football fan will tell you, titles are won by teams who win when they are playing badly. They have strength and depth throughout not just the first eleven but the entire squad. Arsenal have that too. @EGTVEgal probably said it best on X. “If roles were reversed, they [literally everybody else] would criticise us for not winning the game and wouldn’t care about the performance.“