That’s it for today. Thanks for your company and emails, most of which I didn’t get chance to read I’m afraid. Night!
Updated
Luke Shaw’s verdict
We probably deserved that [to concede a late winner]. We were a bit passive and let them control the game completely in the second half. To concede right at the end is gutting. I think we know they’re an extremely good side and we were fighting all the way. In games like this you need to concentrate for 90 minutes.
They always start fast. We got through that and started to have a bit more control on that game. We were aggressive, winning the ball high up the pitch, like we did for the first goal. The first half went well but in the second we just backed off a bit. They were always gonna get one more big chance.
You have to give them credit for what they’ve done this season. They deserve to be at the top. The quality of these games is getting much higher, and it was a very tough game to be involved in. These are the ones you want to play in, to test yourself against the best. We’re all very gutted to concede late on, but it’s a bit of a reality check to where we are at the moment.
We’ve got to get back tomorrow. We’ve got an extremely big game [the Carabao Cup semi-final] this week against Forest.
The thoughts of two very happy young men
Bukayo Saka
You can see how much it means to everyone. They’re the only team who have beaten us this season and we really wanted to beat them in front of our own fans. We know how big this win is.
It wasn’t easy. It definitely wasn’t our best start to the game and I’m happy with how we responded. I’m happy I accepted the challenge [to score in a third consecutive game against Man Utd, joining Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg in an elite club]. Hello Thierry, hello Freddie!
It’s really significant [that this is Arsenal’s best ever start to a season] and we can be really proud of that, but we need to stay humble. It’s only halfway and thinks can change quickly. But if we keep playing like that we’ll be in a good place at the end of the season. We just have to keep it up.
[What’s behind how you’re playing now?] Many many things, I could be here for days! Erm… firstly it’s the belief we have, especially at the Emirates with the way our fans support us even when we go 1-0 down. They don’t understand how much that does for us. Definitely also the way the coach is setting us up, and the players we’ve brought in – they’ve changed us a lot.
Eddie Nketiah
You could see how badly we wanted to win. We kept pushing and pushing and thankfully we got the breakthrough.
[On his goals] It’s just about being alert, being around. When you’ve got guys like B around you [pats Saka on the shoulder] chances are gonna fall. I had one that the keeper saved but I just kept going. [How agonising was it when it went to VAR?] You know what, me and B were speaking – I saw Martinez next to me so I thought I was onside but when you see that purple screen come up, your heart always races a bit.
“Haven’t felt like this in literally decades watching Arsenal,” says Zack Gomperts-Mitchelson. “Unbelievable. On for 100 points, it’s getting delirious. I think this fixture might be back in a big way. Flying!”
I was trying to think about precedents for Arsenal’s season so far. The most obvious in 1988-89, because that was also a really young side aiming to end a near 20-year drought without a title, but the style of play is so different and in those days it was easier to come from the pack and challenge for the title.
I think it’s too early to say this fixture is back. For a start, the game was played in a good spirit, though that is the modern way. Even so, that was a pulsating game.
“The scoreline disguises the chasing Arsenal have given United today,” says Steph Lysaght. “Forward line really poor. Midfield overrun. Fernandez once again AWOL in the big games.”
I agree with most of what you say, though in the circumstances I thought they did pretty well. Erik ten Hag has only been there six months; he’s good, but he’s no Claudio Ranieri.
Arsenal have had many important victories this season – Fulham at home, Spurs twice, Liverpool, Leeds – but the manner of that result makes it the biggest yet. It’s the kind of win that champions pull off, but then so was Man City’s comeback agianst Spurs on Thursday.
If there was any doubt before, there is none now: Arsenal or Manchester City will be Premier League champions this season. Arsenal, who were heartbroken and sneered at when they missed out on a Champions League place last season, were sixth favourites in August. What they have already achieved – 50 points in the first half of the season – is pretty astonishing. Imagine if they win the thing.
That is a huge win for Arsenal, and maintains their healthy lead over Manchester City. They deserved it as much for their sheer persistence and belief as their often bewildering attacking play. Ultimately Arsenal wanted – needed – it just a bit more than United, who themselves contributed so much to a marvellously raw game of football. Tremendous stuff.
Full time: Arsenal 3-2 Man Utd
Arsenal P19 W16 D2 L1 F45 A 16 Pts 50
Updated
90+5 min Nketiah, the matchwinner, kills a bit of time near the corner flag.
90+4 min Rob Holding replaces Martin Odegaard for Arsenal.
90+3 min Alejandro Garnacho is on for Raphael Varane. I’ve no idea how much added time there will be.
GOAL GIVEN!
The first four goals were terrific. This was scruffy, as if Arsenal will care. Trossard found the overlapping Zinchenko, who cut the ball back towards Odegaard at the near post as per. His shot was half blocked by Fred and looped towards Nketiah in the six-yard box, and he twisted his right leg like an arthritic ninja to beat de Gea with an improvised volley. Actually, I did Nketiah a disservice – the build up was scruffy, the finish was really deft.
There are two VAR checks for offside, one against Zinchenko and one against Nketiah. It’s tight but I think the goal will be given.
Updated
GOAL! Arsenal 3-2 Man Utd (Nketiah 90)
Eddie Nketiah has won it for Arsenal!
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88 min Shaw’s corner is headed away, Wan-Bissaka fouls the breaking Saka and is lucky not to be booked. Arsenal players again surround the referee. They’re not the only ones who do it, it’s true, but there is a certain entitled charmlessness to their harassing of officials in recent weeks. This is a compliment, because we rarely get annoyed by crap teams surrounding a referee.
86 min Nketiah stupidly brushes de Gea, which allows de Gea to go down and waste 30 seconds.
85 min In the last 15 minutes, Arsenal have had 20 touches in the opposition box. United have had none.
84 min: Good save by de Gea! Odegaard’s free-kick ricochets around the United area before falling to Nketiah, 12 yards out. He drags a left-footed snapshot on the half-turn that is really well saved by de Gea, diving low to his left. Nketiah, such a good finisher, will probably feel he should have done better – the shot was nowhere near the corner.
Updated
83 min Shaw is booked for fouling Saka, who has been the best player on the pitch.
82 min: Arsenal substitution While Fernandes is being treated, the new signing Leandro Trossard comes on for Gabriel Martinelli.
82 min Arsenal have had the centre of the ring for most of the game, but this is the first time that United have really been on the ropes.
Fernandes is down with a head injury, so Anthony Taylor stops play. The Arsenal fans aren’t thrilled with the decision.
80 min An Arsenal corner leads to a scramble in the United area before Wan-Bissaka lumps clear. Arsenal come again and Odegaard’s cross flashes right across the face towards Xhaka at the far post. He is about to score when Fernandes makes a desperate and vital challenge.
79 min Martinelli cuts inside and hits a fierce shot from 20 yards that is headed over his own goal by Martinez. That might have been going in.
78 min Weghorst touches the ball off neatly to Fernandes, who shapes a menacing left-footed pass around the Arsenal defence, almost like a bowling ball, towards Rashford. He challenges for the ball at the same time as Ramsdale, outside his area now, and Tomiyasu before falling over. I’m pretty sure Rashford just slipped, and VAR agrees.
Updated
76 min McTominay’s ball forward runs under the boot of Partey on the edge of the area, but Eriksen can’t get to it. Partey has made a few uncharacteristic mistakes today, most notably when he lost the ball twice in the build-up to Rashford’s goal and was then nutmegged.
75 min “I don’t know about Weghorst being a reference...” says Jeff Sax. “He is a galoot.”
Jeff Sax: The Man Who Gives It To You Straight. He’s even got the same initials.
74 min Arsenal have had 75 per cent of the possession in the last 10 minutes. Weghorst has put an admirable shift in but I’d be very tempted to bring on Garnacho and put Rashford down the middle.
Mikel Arteta tends not to make many substitutions when chasing a game, though this time he has the option of Leandro Trossard.
73 min Apologies for the paucity of emails, the match has just been too goshdarn compelling. Talking of which, here’s the clever bit of improvisation from Lisandro Martinez that brought Man Utd level.
WHAT A GAME! Lisandro Martínez makes it 2-2 🔥 pic.twitter.com/mlYdzTtVp7
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 22, 2023
71 min: Manchester United substitution Fred replaces Antony, who had another difficult day. Bruno Fernandes moves to the right wing and United switch to a more orthodox 4-2-3-1/4-2-1-3.
Updated
70 min: Saka hits the post! Saka almost scores a carbon copy of his goal, cutting inside from the right and hitting a shot from 25 yards that takes a nick off Eriksen and hits the outside of the far post.
70 min Arsenal have responded to Martinez’s goal as United did to Saka’s. The difference is that United’s was an equaliser. All of which is to say that it’s Arsenal who are pushing for victory.
69 min “I love rollercoasters,” says Mary Waltz. “This fixture is the equivalent of the feeling you get when going upside down at 60 miles an hour. Glorious fun!”
You’re a neutral, aren’t you.
68 min Weghorst has done pretty well today, holding the ball up well and giving United what Thomas Tuchel used to call “a reference” when he was at Chelsea.
66 min: Chance for Odegaard! Xhaka’s cross is only half cleared to Odegaard, whose shot from 12 yards hits Eriksen and flies wide. The resulting corner is headed wide by the backpedalling Gabriel.
Some game, this.
Updated
64 min Arsenal counter the counter through Saka, who runs at the backpedalling Shaw in the area. Eventually he slides a low pass/cross towards Nketiah, whose close-range shot deflects behind. At least I thought it did; the referee has given a goalkick.
Shaw is defending dangerously deep against Saka, allowing him to have the ball unchallenged within 10-15 yards of goal (albeit at a tight angle).
Updated
63 min Martinelli picks out the onrushing Odegaard just inside the area, a familiar Arsenal tactic, but Eriksen tracks him well and blocks the shot. United break but Rashford is unusually indecisive and Tomiyasu tackles him well.
62 min Here’s the lovely goal from Saka that put Arsenal 2-1 up.
BUKAYO SAKA. WHAT A TALENT 🌟🔥 pic.twitter.com/0qKwbHrd95
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 22, 2023
61 min What’s next then? I am glad to say I have no idea.
Eriksen whipped a inswinging corner from the left. Ramsdale came but ran into his teammate Tomiyasu and could only flap the ball down in front of him. Martinez read the bounce brilliantly, stooped towards the ball and then stained his neck muscles to lob a header over Gabriel on the line. Gabriel got a touch, leaping backwards, but could only help it into the net. That is such a good finish - less spectacular than the first three goals but equally brilliant in its own way.
Updated
GOAL! Arsenal 2-2 Man Utd (Martinez 59)
A memorable match takes another twist!
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59 min Shaw wins a corner for United, who have responded purposefully to going behind.
57 min It’s surely time for Alejandro Garnacho or Facundo Pellistri, because Rashford is all United have got in attack. Weghorst is willing but limited and Antony is suffering an extreme case of first-season syndrome.
Updated
56 min In fact Rashford’s shot took a biggish deflection off Saliba, which makes it an even better save from Ramsdale.
55 min: Terrific save from Ramsdale! Rashford beats Tomiyasu once, then forces his way past him a second time on the left side of the area and hits a shot across goal that is pushed away by Ramsdale, diving low to his left. That’s a fine save because I’m pretty sure he saw it late.
It’s the third game in a row that Saka has scored against Man Utd, which puts him in an elite club that includes Thierry Henry and Freddie Ljungberg, and it was a gem. Tomiyasu gave him the ball 25 yards from goal, in line with the right edge of the area. Saka slowed down, then cut inside Eriksen and curled a brilliant low shot that beat the diving de Gea and nestled in the far corner. A delightful goal from the most delightful footballer.
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GOAL! Arsenal 2-1 Man Utd (Saka 53)
A screamer from Bukayo Saka!
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52 min Arsenal are dominating possession now, as they did towards the end of the first half. Odegaard plays one of his ingenious two-touch through balls – dragging the ball slightly to the right and then, in the same movement, flicking it towards Martinelli in the area. Martinez comes across to make a desperate and brilliant challenge.
50 min “Hi Rob,” says Alan Baverstock. “My bet on the last Arsenal manager to refer to ‘The Arsenal’ would be Pat Rice.”
Well that was sheer delightful pedantry.
49 min Gabriel goes over just inside the area after a clumsy challenge from behind by Weghorst. Not for the first time today, Anthony Taylor isn’t interested. We haven’t seen a replay yet.
Updated
49 min Shaw’s corner is a near-post mess and Arsenal clear.
48 min Weghorst nicks a loose ball on the halfway line and releases Antony down the right. His touch is heavy and Partey comes across to concede a corner.
47 min And now Antony is booked for a late tackle on Zinchenko. He was caught almost simultaneously by Antony and Fernandes, but I think Antony got there first.
47 min Xhaka is a bit lucky not to be booked for a cynical and entirely pointless foul on Antony, who was going nowhere.
46 min Peep peep! Eddie Nketiah gets the second half under way.
Arsenal are making a half-time change – the ever-reliable Takehiro Tomiyasu is on at right back in place of Ben White. No word yet whether that is tactical or due to injury.
“Excellent game,” says Francis Mead. “But whenever de Gea is on the ball I start gnawing my face off. Great save stopper, but why can’t he just kick a ball accurately and in a timely fashion?”
It’s as if he’s a goalkeeper or something. Seriously though, I feel really sorry for brilliant old-fashioned keepers who have been left behind since managers started looking for Andrea Pirlo tribute acts to play in goal. It’s like telling Jimmy Anderson he can no longer play Test cricket unless he starts averaging 15 with the bat.
Half-time reading
We’re just seeing a replay of the lead-up to Arsenal’s goal. It came from United trying to play out through first de Gea and then Wan-Bissaka. You can imagine how that worked out. Arsenal won a corner and moments later they were level.
Updated
Half time: Arsenal 1-1 Man Utd
Marcus Rashford put United ahead with a storming solo goal; Arsenal were level six minutes later when Eddie Nketiah finished off an excellent move.
45+2 min Wan-Bissaka goes over in the Arsenal area after a challenge from Martinelli, but Anthony Taylor ignores United’s penalty appeals. We haven’t seen a replay yet so I have no idea what happened.
Arsenal break and, after a dreadful clearance in his own area from Eriksen, Saka’s shot takes a deflection and loops into the hands of de Gea. And that’s the end of an intriguing first half.
45+1 min In the first of two added minutes, Zinchenko’s cross-shot swerves a few yards wide of the far post. Nketiah was in the vicinity but not close enough.
45 min United are taking their time over restarts, which doesn’t impress the home crowd much. They have definitely been keener to slow the game down.
43 min “In 1914, the season after Arsenal moved out of Woolwich to Highbury, the club changed its name from ‘The Woolwich Arsenal Football and Athletic Club’ to ‘The Arsenal Football and Athletic Club’,” says Kári Tulinius. “But after the Great War they dropped the reference to athletics, and a year later the definite article, but newspapers kept referring to them as ‘The Arsenal’ for years afterwards.”
Who was the last Arsenal manager to use it on a semi-regular basis? George Graham? I can’t hear Arsene Wenger saying it. Bruce Rioch, maybe.
42 min Varane’s pass is dummied by Fernandes and reaches Weghorst, whose layoff is hacked clear by Zinchenko on the edge of the area. Someone was offside anyway.
39 min Antony and Rashford have briefly swapping wings. Antony has had a lot of touches without doing much; Rashford hasn’t had as many but scored a thrilling goal.
37 min Saka’s cross hits his teammate White and goes behind for a … corner. Saka’s inswinger bounces across the area and is lumped clear by Wan-Bissaka. United aren’t quite hanging on, but they could do with half-time.
36 min Thanks for all your emails. I’ve not had chance to read most of them, such is the pace of the game, but I’m doing my best. Oh aye.
35 min “The Woolwich Arsenal was at one time just that,” says Aidan McNally, “a place where munitions were stored. It was an arsenal.”
I thought it was the arsenal?
34 min Mikel Arteta is booked for complaining about a foul by Shaw on Saka. The free-kick was given but Arteta wanted a booking, and he got one.
33 min And here are the goals.
MARCUS RASHFORD! What a goal this is! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/5NqKfKZrxF
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 22, 2023
A BRILLIANT header from Eddie Nketiah after some slick football from Arsenal 💥 pic.twitter.com/u5pHrGuEBq
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 22, 2023
32 min Manchester United are defending really deep, which is a risky tactic given how good some of Arsenal’s attacking players are in tight areas. It’s a fascinating match.
31 min The camera cuts to Sir Alex Ferguson, whose part in this fixture will never be forgotten. He could easily have been on the other side. In 1983 he described Arsenal as “the most glamorous club in Britain, and I include Manchester United when I say that”, and depending on who you believe, he turned them down at least once before moving to Old Trafford.
30 min Odegaard is wincing and holding his back, though it doesn’t seem anything to worry about.
28 min: Good save from Ramsdale! United break through Antony on the right. He cuts inside and slides a square pass to McTominay, who opens his body to shape a first-time shot towards goal from 25 yards. Ramsdale flies to his left to push it behind for a corner, a decent save.
27 min “Afternoon Rob,” says Stephen Carr. “Big flag in the crowd there saying ‘The Arsenal’. What’s that about? Is this the definite Arsenal? Are other Arsenals available?”
I’m not sure about the origin but there were often known as The Arsenal back in the day, certainly when I was growing up. I can hear Don Howe saying it now.
26 min Arsenal look dangerous every time they come forward. Odegaard scoops a languid pass over the top to Saka, whose sharp cutback is booted clear at the near post by McTominay.
That was a terrific team goal. Arsenal took the corner short on the left, worked it infield and then back out again. Zinchenko and Odegaard combined neatly to find the overlapping Xhaka, who guided a brilliant first-time cross towards the far post. Nketiah got the wrong side of Wan-Bissaka, who needed an impromptu nap and wasn’t going to let an association football match get in the way of it, and steered an accomplished header past de Gea from four yards.
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GOAL! Arsenal 1-1 Man Utd (Nketiah 23)
Eddie Nketiah equalises for Arsenal!
Updated
22 min: Chance for Martinelli! A nice training-ground corner from Arsenal. Saka slides it deliberately to Martinelli, 15 yards out in line with the near post, and he whips a first-time shot that goes a few yards wide.
21 min Arsenal have come from behind to beat Fulham and West Ham at home this season so they won’t panic. Saka and Xhaka combine neatly to find Nketiah, whose first-time shot from 12 yards hits Varane and goes behind for a corner.
20 min Marcus Rashford has a great record against Arsenal, but until today it had all been at Old Trafford.
19 min White is booked for a foul on Rashford.
He is so damn hot right now, and this was all his own work. Fernandes gave him the ball 30 yards from goal, slightly to the left of centre. He nutmegged Partey, an achievement in itself, moved inside and crashed an early shot from 25 yards that flew past the diving Ramsdale’s right hand and into the bottom corner. That’s a marvellous goal.
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GOAL! Arsenal 0-1 Man Utd (Rashford 17)
Marcus Rashford gives Man Utd the lead with a sensational goal!
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16 min United continue to have plenty of the ball, though their tempo is much slower than Arsenal’s. For a variety of reasons, this is quite a slow United team.
15 min Saka’s inswinging cross is turned behind for a corner by Wan-Bissaka. It’s headed away by Weghorst, which is one of his uses.
Our take on last night – and the season so far – by Rob Smyth and @TimdeLisle https://t.co/8iODfqdjTM
— United Writing (@united_writing) January 19, 2023
13 min “Points deducted from you both for missing Van Persie,” says Kerrith Birtland, who loses points for suggesting we should lose points for not stating the bleedin’ obvious.
Let’s just get them all out the way so we can go enjoy our food: George Graham, Viv Anderson, Frank Stapleton, Alexis Sanchez David Herd, Jimmy Rimmer, Andy Cole and Brian Kidd. I think that’s it, in addition to the ones already mentioned.
10 min Fernandes is robbed by Odegaard, who runs to the edge of the area and plays a cute reverse pass to Martinelli. He stumbles through a couple of woolly challenges and hits a shot that is well blocked by Shaw.
At the moment both teams look more dangerous down their left, which means Bukayo Saka will score any minute now.
9 min Martinelli curls high and wide from the left edge of the area. It’s been a bright, breezy start to the game.
8 min United have settled quite well after a difficult first few minutes, and at the moment they are having more of the ball.
6 min: Big penalty appeal for United! Martinez’s nothing ball from the halfway line somehow found its way through to Fernandes, who knocked it past Ramsdale and then fell over. There was contact, though he went down far too easily. I’m still not entirely sure it wasn’t a foul, but VAR were right not to intervene – unlike the Danny Welbeck incident yesterday, that wasn’t a clear and obvious error.
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6 min “It is not exactly a ‘hot take’ to say winning the league back to back is much harder in the second season,” says Brendan Large. “Just being champions tends to raise the level of the opponents. I wonder if Arsenal will suffer a smaller version of this in the second half of this season. I think teams (just like you journos) have actually accepted that there isn’t a weak spot in this Asenal team. It has been said again and again that City will come good and Arsenal will fall away, but it hasn’t happened and now teams are coming to the conclusion that a point against Arsenal is a great result.”
How dare you. Who the hell do you think you are?. The only team who ever have and ever will suffer second-half-of-the-season syndrome are Phil Brown’s Hull City in 2008-09.
5 min A couple of attacks for United, though nothing to write home about. Odegaard fouls Eriksen, which leads to the first referee-based moans of the afternoon from the crowd.
4 min “Just to let you know,” begins Darrien Bold, “how much I’m looking forward to the Henrikh Mkhitaryan/Mikael Silvestre /Jim Leighton derby! Go well.”
Two points for mentioning Jim Leighton. One point deducted for omitting Ian Ure.
3 min: Chance for Odegaard! Zinchenko dummies to shoot and finds Martinelli on the left side of the area. He cuts the ball back carefully to Odegaard, who completely mistimes his shot from 15 yards. It’s all Arsenal, and moments later Partey volleys wide of the near post from Xhaka’s cross.
2 min The corner is poor and booted away at the near post.
1 min Arsenal love a fast start, and here they go again: Martinelli has won a corner off Wan-Bissaka after 49 seconds.
1 min Manchester United kick off from right to left as we watch.
“Concerning Matt Dony and Arsenal winning as a one-off...” begins the restyled Jeff Sax. “If there is one thing I know about the Premier League, it is full of surprises.”
Well, indeed. Like Arsenal being top of the league. I think they were 40/1 in August.
Here come the players. There’s a cracking atmosphere at the Emirates, where the fans are starting to believe the unbelievable.
“The title race won’t quite be in City’s hands,” says Jason Elliott, “as it may hinge on the results between Arsenal and Manchester City, who have yet to play each other this season. Should Arsenal manage to lose to Manchester United today, then it will still be as much in Arsenal’s hands as it is city’s. Perhaps a more apt description of such a state of affairs would be, it’s up for grabs now!”
Ha, quite. Well, that was kind of my point – it can be in two teams’ hands at the same time, as it was when Man Utd ballsed up an eight-point lead with six to play in 2011-12. It’s even more important to keep it out of your opponent’s hands as it is to keep it in your own.
“Possibly bordering on ‘Unpopular opinion’ territory,” high-fives Matt Dony, “and I reserve the right to vehemently deny I ever said this, but I think that Arsenal potentially winning the league is more of a Leicester one-off type thing than the start of a sustained period of title-challenging,.
“They’re a very good side, and Arteta has done a wonderful, patient job in instilling a mindset and a system. There’s much to admire about them. But they do seem to be playing at their limit this year. Things are going well for them. The whole squad have been performing well, and they haven’t been too bothered by injuries. I’m not sure how sustainable that is. It wouldn’t surprise me if they’re back in the 7th-3rd shake-up next season. But, as I said, I’ve been wrong before…”
They haven’t won it yet! I do know what you mean, and Arteta has prioritised the league very deftly this season. Next year will be different because you can’t play a B team in the Champions League. But they have taken Liverpool’s crown as the smartest recruiters in the league, and winning the title would make them infinitely more attractive to potential signings.
A few months ago I thought it would be 2-3 years tops before players like Saka and Martinelli were bought for huge money. Now I’m not so sure. If they don’t lose any of their stars, that alone should give them longevity because they’re the youngest team in the league. Of their best XI, only Thomas Partey (29) and Granit Xhaka (30) are over the age of 26. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect them to dominate like City, mainly because of City, but I do think they can cheat the system if they win the title this year.
“It truly is a great day to be anticipating this game with the old mixture of dread and excitement,” says Zack Gomperts-Mitchelson. “My nostalgia about this fixture even more turbo-charged by having been a young teenager at its height. Pure sepia.
“Weirdly, I think half the game comes down to the first time McTominay boots Odegaard 15ft in the air. If he gets a booking it’ll be a football game, if he doesn’t I’ll be sharpening my excuses fingers on Twitter like you wouldn’t believe.”
And so does Mikel Arteta
They are one of the best teams in the league. You look at what they have done in the last 2-3 months, they deserve to be where they are. We’ll have to play at our best to beat them. [What would it mean to get to 50 points after only 19 games?] It’s just another three points. We just want to play well and do what we need to do to win the game. [Should we expect another fast start?] In any game, the better you start, the more chance you have of winning.
Erik ten Hag speaks
[On Scott McTominay’s inclusion] We have a special role for him in our mind. We hope it will work, a little bit like the last time [against Arsenal]; that worked well. These two teams have a great history – it was a big fight, great, spectacular fight [in the late 90s and early 00s], good for the audience. I hope today is as well.
Updated
Manchester City have beaten Wolves 3-0, with Erling Haaland scoring a hat-trick. They’re now two points behind Arsenal, who have two games in hand.
A slightly confusing consequence of today’s result is that, unless Arsenal beat United, the title will be back in City’s hands.
| Pos | Team | P | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 18 | 28 | 47 |
| 2 | Man City | 20 | 33 | 45 |
| 3 | Newcastle | 20 | 22 | 39 |
| 4 | Man Utd | 19 | 8 | 39 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 20 | 8 | 33 |
There are four full-backs in today’s starting XIs. One of them is a central midfielder, one has spent most of his career playing centre-back or centre-midfield, one used to be a winger and one has been a revelation at centre-back in the past few weeks.
Nick Ames’ big-match preview
Team news
Arsenal are unsurprisingly unchanged from last week’s impressive win at Spurs, though the new signing Leandro Trossard is on the bench.
Erik ten Hag has picked a more adventurous side than some of us expected, with only half of McFred chosen to replace the suspended Casemiro. It’s Mc, and that’s the only change change from the draw at Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
Arsenal (4-1-2-3) Ramsdale; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Zinchenko; Partey; Odegaard, Xhaka; Saka, Nketiah, Martinelli.
Substitutes: Turney, Tierney, Tomiyasu, Holding, Lokonga, Vieira, Smith Rowe, Marquinhos, Trossard.
Man Utd (possible 4-1-2-3) De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Varane, Martinez, Shaw; McTominay; Fernandes, Eriksen; Antony, Weghorst, Rashford.
Substitutes: Heaton, Lindelof, Maguire, Malacia, Fred, Mainoo, Pellistri, Elanga, Garnacho.
Referee Anthony Taylor.
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Preamble
Do call it a comeback. Sure, Arsenal and Manchester United have been here for years, but they haven’t exactly been rocking their peers or putting suckers in fear. That’s starting to change, and how refreshing it is to preview a match between Arsenal and Manchester United by talking about the present and the future rather than the past.
There’s nowt wrong with remembering the glory days of the late 1990s and early 2000s. This was, after all, the greatest rivalry in English football history. But it’s not a great sign when the past is the only thing you talk about, and in some ways Arsenal v Manchester United has been the saddest Premier League fixture of the past decade: two old fellas at the bar, leering absent-mindedly at the top shelf as they reflect on the good old days when they engaged in fist-based discourse after 12 pints.
Now, for the first time in a while, a match between them is inextricably linked to the title race. United aren’t quite back back back, but they have made eyecatching progress under Erik ten Hag and appear to be moving inexorably towards a permanent state of basic competence.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have taken a shortcut from also-rans to runaway leaders in increasingly glorious style. With each passing week, and each swaggering, authoritative victory, it becomes harder to make a case for them not winning the title. Two decades. Without winning the Premier League. And every player knows they will go down in history.
A week ago this was tentatively hyped as the clash of two title contenders. That changed when United suffered a sickening double blow at Crystal Palace on Wednesday – Casemiro’s suspension and Michael Olise’s last-minute equaliser. They are eight points behind Arsenal, having played a game more, so realistically their targets are still fourth place and a trophy.
More than anything, today is a terrific litmus test for United. At home they have already beaten four of the Group Formerly Known As The Big Six, albeit by playing like the away side in most cases, but they don’t yet have a statement victory on the road.
Arsenal have already passed multiple tests, even if the biggest – three games against Manchester City, starting in the FA Cup on Friday – are to come. Their only league defeat of the season was in the return game at Old Trafford, when they pushed too hard, too early for victory and were picked off on the break.
Crucially, Thomas Partey was missing that day. Today it’s United who have greater problems with injuries and suspensions; that, home advantage and the confidence created by 15 wins in 18 games makes Arsenal fairly strong favourites. United beat Arsenal 3-1 in September. Today you can get 3/1 on them winning full stop.
Kick off 4.30pm.
Updated
