We got the all the important three points in a game that i genuinely thought was petering out to a draw Alas, it is once again a reminder that you can never take your foot off the pedal against Arsenal because we keep going until the final whistle.
@deniskj and other sore Manchester United fans will try to make it about the officiating but the reality is that we simply won the mental battle. On the balance of play, there probably wasn't much to separate both teams. since we both created some decent chances along the way.
Our buildup was typically more fluid than theirs but this time, Manchester United offered a different type of threat because we let them have the ball. Unlike previous matches where we would simply press high and squeeze them into long passes, we let them have the ball in their half while ensuring a low enough block to stifle the threat on the flanks.
Our tactics worked quite well for most of the first half as United scored with their only attempt in the half. In the second half, the game was a bit more open with chances coming at both ends.
Rashford's goal sparked something in Arsenal and we responded almost immediately through Odegard. However, the goal was from a sublime team move that split the United's defence apart.
In the second half, Rashford had a chance to put United ahead but that was blocked by Saliba while Saka had a clean strike on goal that he ended up hitting tamely to Onana.
We had a penalty that I believe was rightly ruled out because there was very little contact. However, it is rather strange that it was ruled out because many other penalties are given for that same situation.
Eddie Nketiah's head was almost taken off by Lindelof but the United defender got a yellow card. Some would argue that he was the last line and should have been sent off.
The reason I'm pointing out the decisions that didn't go Arsenal's way is because United fans are trying to make it about the ref and not about the fact that they simply couldn't handle us for the whole match. They also have a terrible bench and their recruitment has been questionable.
RICE RICE BABY
Ah yes, the crowning moment of the day was Declan Rice opening his account today. What a time to do it and what an immense player he is.
I recall that during the preseason, Arsenal played this Midfield three of Rice, Odegard and Havertz but it didn't pan out quite well. It was a disjointed team that looked rusty but those issues are slowly being ironed out.
Kai Havertz is probably the only one that didn't shine in the match but he also didn't have a bad game either. He's still void of confidence but there's a baller in there and with each passing game, he gets closer.
Today, we saw Havertz take up numerous dangerous attacking positions and on a different day, he could have grabbed the opener. It wasn't to be today but I tell you, it's getting close to Kai time.
I think he just needs to keep playing until the rust falls off. Kai will be decisive for us this season and luckily, he has the full backing of the manager.
The blow is the absence of Thomas Partey but you'd have hardly noticed such an important player is missing the way we played today. Hopefully, his injury isn't long term but even if it is, we have Jorginho as cover and I reckon we'll be fine. Until we meet again, up the Arsenal.
