Manchester United found themselves beaten 2-0 by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday evening. It was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s second defeat as manager. United had a perfect chance to try to secure their place inside the top four with Tottenham Hotspur losing to Southampton on Saturday but United has now slipped into fifth place, just a point ahead of Chelsea, who have a game in hand over United and those above them.
Arsenal took the lead in the 12th minute of the match through Granit Xhaka. Ainsley Maitland-Niles moved the ball to the right with Alexandre Lacazette lying in wait, who then played the ball to Xhaka who was in space, hitting his shot powerfully with David De Gea in full view of the threat. The Arsenal midfielder beats the Spanish number one in what will be seen as a glaring error for De Gea. United nearly scored in the opening stages, nearly finding an equaliser soon after the goal with Fred hitting the post.
Arsenal doubled their lead, from the penalty spot in the 69th minute after Fred was adjudged to foul Lacazette in the United box. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang took the penalty, beating De Gea and sending Arsenal 2-0 up in this game. This United side does not have the same mentality as the side that played in Paris during the week. It seems to be the same old United that has failed to take advantage of teams dropping points around them this season.
Match Statistics:
Arsenal 2-0 Manchester United
⚽️ Granit Xhaka 12', Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 69'
?️ Alexandre Lacazette 12' pic.twitter.com/M14zdhzuzI— ⚽️ MUFCLatest.com ⚽️ (@MUFCLatestnews) March 10, 2019
Manchester United
1 David De Gea
The Spanish number one has been worryingly out of form recently and has seen goal conceded which he could have made a difference with. Granted I see things form a different perspective to him, especially with Xhaka's goal but these goals that are going in week after week are becoming a problem. Committed a huge error which saw Xhaka score in the 12th minute. The penalty was 50/50 although De Gea rarely saves them. Needs to start upping his form.
18 Ashley Young
Young played well but seems to be in need of a rest. He will get that against Wolves at the weekend. Got forward at times but it was not meant to be today.
Chris Smalling
Better than Lindelof today, in placed. Dealt with Aubameyang and Lacazette in places. Still not at his best though. Was shocking, at times, against Southampton and put in a shift against PSG. Needs to put in a shift all the time.
2 Victor Lindelof
Lindelof has been in good form for ages now but today, that was thrown. Seemed to struggle when playing against two strikers. Not able to play from the back and seemed to panic a lot of the time. He will get there.
23 Luke Shaw
A threat on his flank. Put in a great ball to Lukaku and perhaps should have had an assist. Got involved in attack, mores in the second half when United started brightly.
20 Diogo Dalot
In the last two matches, Dalot should have started and had an impact coming on. In this game, his impact was minimal. According to United's app, he had a 63% influence in the game, mostly defending, which is his role.
31 Nemanja Matic
Booked in the second half. The Serbian seemed rusty, which will be expected after a layoff, missing the last four matches. Matic played a part in the game but was slow at times. He was replaced by Greenwood in the 81st minute.
17 Fred
Should have scored but hit the post. Unfortunate for the Brazilian, who in the last few games had started to show signs of hope. Gave away a penalty, which was a soft one.
6 Paul Pogba
Missed the PSG game through suspension. Seemed to lack match fitness. Not involved enough against Arsenal, which will appease their fans as supposedly, Xhaka is better than Pogba. Needs to become that guy in midfield again, connecting the midfield with the attacking players.
Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku put a lot of effort into the game against Arsenal. His confidence level is a lot higher and he helped the team in many instances. However, his finishing was poor. Should maybe have put United ahead before Arsenal scored.
10 Marcus Rashford
The England forward was bright on the ball at times but his decisions were costly for United. Put a great ball into Lukaku which ended up getting nothing for United. Onwards to the next game now, hopefully Rashford will stand up and be counted for.
Substitutes
9 Anthony Martial
Replaced Dalot 71'. Good to see the Frenchman back having missed the last five and a half matches due to injury. His involvement in the game was both defensive and keeping possession. Not the normal attacking flair.
26 Mason Greenwood
Replaced Matic 81'. Replaced Matic 81'. Premier League debut for the 17-year-old. Was not afraid of the Arsenal defence and tried to get some involvement in an attacking sense. It will be good to see more of him this season.
Goals: Granit Xhaka 12′, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang 69′
Assists: Alexandre Lacazette 12′
Manchester United: De Gea; Young, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw; Dalot (Martial 71′), Matic (Greenwood 81′), Fred, Pogba; Lukaku, Rashford
Substitutes Not Used: Romero; Bailly, Rojo; Pereira, McTominay
Bookings: Sokratis 38′, Sead Kolasinac 90′; Nemanja Matic 68′, Paul Pogba 76′
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