After watching from behind the back of the sofa as Crystal Palace obliterated their side 4-0 just six days earlier, those Manchester United supporters of a nervous disposition could have been forgiven for sitting with a sick bucket in their laps as Arsenal kicked off at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Especially after Leandro Trossard took full advantage of some typically slack Casemiro defending to open the scoring midway through the first-half.
But the anticipated rout did not come to fruition. By the time the full time whistle echoed around Old Trafford about an hour later, the noise coming from the Arsenal end was a sigh of relief more than anything else.
With their frontline enduring an off-night and their midfield lacking it’s usual iron-grip control, Man United managed 55 per cent of the possession and 14 shots to their visitors’ 11.
Fortunately, Mikel Arteta had the Premier League’s best defence to fall back on. The William Saliba – Gabriel Magalhaes partnership again came up trumps as Arsenal triumphed in United’s hallowed arena for only the second time since Emmanuel Adebayor scored the winner there in 2006.
Arsenal beat Manchester United in nervy clash
But this, Graeme Souness thinks, is certainly not a performance Arteta will look back on with a great deal of fondness.
“I think (Arteta) will be disappointed with his team yesterday, I really do,” the former Liverpool, Newcastle United, Southampton and Blackburn Rovers manager tells talkSPORT (13 May, 10am).
“I watched the second-half, and this is where he will be disappointed with them. They didn’t keep the ball very well. They were defending. Is that because United found another gear or is that because Arsenal were sitting back? It’s a dangerous ploy.”
Erik ten Hag’s side did only manage two shots on target, Alejandro Garnacho curling arguably their best opening wide of the post. But if Man United had a more ruthless streak in attack – or maybe if they were not without Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford – this could have been the game in which Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes went up in smoke.
Gunners need a favour from Tottenham
“I think Arteta will be disappointed,” adds Souness, feeling that the London giants got away with one a little.
“Yeah, you’ve dug out that result. You defended really well. But, if you’re going to be a top team, games like that you manage it better than they did.
“They kept giving the ball away. So, I think Mikel Arteta will be slightly disappointed with his team yesterday.”
Despite three invaluable points, Arsenal’s destiny is still not in their own hands. The Gunners find themselves in the rather strange position of needing to rely on arch rivals Tottenham Hotspur, Ange Postecoglou’s side hosting a Man City side with a game in hand on Tuesday night.
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