3 positives & negatives from Arsenal's vital 1-0 win away to Man Utd

• Title race to run to final day

• In-game management leaves a lot to be desired

• Curse of Old Trafford lifted at last

Manchester United v Arsenal FC - Premier League
Manchester United v Arsenal FC - Premier League / Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/GettyImages
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Arsenal broke their Old Trafford curse as they beat Manchester United 1-0 on Sunday, as the Gunners take their Premier League title fight to the final day of the season.

Leandro Trossard scored the game's only goal in the first half as the sub-par Gunners held off an undermanned United with relative ease after half-time.

After such an important, if not uninspiring, win, here are three positives and negatives from the game.


Positive #1: Title race to run to the final day

Manchester United v Arsenal FC - Premier League
Manchester United v Arsenal FC - Premier League / Michael Regan/GettyImages

The win against Manchester United means that, regardless of Manchester City's result against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday, Arsenal's Premier League title hopes will run until the final day of the season.

After such a disappointing end to last season, it is incredibly pleasing, as a fan, to see the club competing domestically until the very last whistle - even if there does feel a cruel inevitability about Pep Guardiola's side.

The final day will see Arsenal host Everton, who are already safe from relegation, while Manchester City take on West Ham, in David Moyes' final game as the Hammers' boss.

Arsenal must beat the Toffees on the final day, while also needing Manchester City to lose or draw at least once against either Tottenham Hotspur or West Ham.

But, despite the odds being stacked against the Gunners, the simple fact that we have a chance is a marked improvement on last season.


Negative #1: Lethargic and mistake-prone

Mikel Arteta
Manchester United v Arsenal FC - Premier League / Michael Regan/GettyImages

At this stage of the season, winning is all that counts - how you do it simply does not matter as much as the win itself and, more importantly, points on the board.

But the fact remains that the performance at Old Trafford looked a distant relic of what fans have become accustomed to over the course of the season.

From individual errors and sloppiness to, as Paul Merson put it: "I thought Arsenal played in second gear."

We can probably put this down to fatigue at the back end of a long and demanding season, but the fact remains that it was a far from visually appealing performance from Arsenal.

Continued on the next slide...