Arsenal 0, Manchester United 0
Manchester United broke an unbeaten away record but dropped another two points in the title race after a stalemate at injury-hit Arsenal.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Reds set a new club record of 18 league games unbeaten away from Old Trafford in the goalless draw as Arsenal adapted their tactics to sit deep off United to exploit mistakes but both sides lacked the cutting edge required to make the breakthrough.
It’s now a tried and tested tactic buy many of United’s opponents and the Reds struggled to create clear chances which their forwards could finish.
United have now dropped 5 points out of a possible 6 in the league since beating Liverpool in the FA Cup after they could only muster a draw at the Emirates Stadium against the Gunners.
They remain in second on 41 points – 3 behind league leaders City who beat Sheffield United 1-0 today – but Leicester City and Liverpool below them have games in hand and the Foxes could leapfrog them.
United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer thought that the Reds had the better chances to win the game but was satisfied with the point at Arsenal, he said:
“I felt we had the bigger chances to win the game. Decent performance, good defensively, two massive chances in the second half from crosses.
“We dropped off in the second half a bit.
”Wednesday [against Sheffield United] was the disappointment but today the players did what they should do.”
United made five changes to the side that was beaten at Old Trafford against Sheffield United, with Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay, Fred, and Edinson Cavani starting while Axel Tuanzebe, Alex Telles, Nemanja Matic, Mason Greenwood, and Anthony Martial stepped down.
David De Gea chalked up a clean sheet – his 150th in all competitions for the Reds – while Bernd Leno saved from Fred and David Luiz celebrated a block of a United free kick with a fist pump as the Gunners coped well with the loss of Bukayo Saka, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Kieran Tierney in the lead up to the game.
Arsenal even had time to bring on new loan signing from Real Madrid, Martin Odegaard, but it was late and he didn’t manage to affect the game.
Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani went close for United while Alexandre Lacazette hit the crossbar and Emile Smith Rowe was denied by David De Gea with Nicolas Pepe’s late shot going wide of the back post in an energised second half for the Gunners where they won a series of free kicks in goalscoring areas.
The second of Cavani’s chances could have been a spectacular bicycle kick worthy of winning any game after he met Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s right wing cross but the chance was just slightly behind him and he sent it wide.
In doing so he denied an easier chance to Anthony Martial who was behind him and in a better position for a volley on goal.