Scott McTominay’s spectacular blast from outside the area drew the first blood for the hosts in the 45th minute.
Manchester United's Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea gathers the ball during the English Premier League football match between Manchester United and Arsenal at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on September 30, 2019. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Arsenal held Manchester United to 1-1 draw at Old Trafford on Monday. With the win, the Gunners climbed to fourth place in the English Premier League table with 12 points, two short of Leicester City in the third spot.
Meanwhile, Manchester United sit in the 10th spot with only 9 points, their poorest showing in the first seven games since 1989, reports Efe news.
The 73,000-plus in the stands at the Old Trafford on a rainy Monday night in Manchester had to endure nearly half-an-hour of tedium in the clash between two clubs struggling to recover their accustomed places among the elite of English soccer.
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But the tempo quickened in the 29th minute with a shot by United’s Andreas Pereira that forced a save from goalkeeper Bernd Leno and the rest of the first half saw end-to-end action.
Only the skill of Red Devils keeper David De Gea prevented the visitors from grabbing the lead in the 44th minute, when the Spain international turned aside a shot by Bukayo Saka and then handled Matteo Guendouzi’s effort on the rebound.
A minute later, Scott McTominay’s spectacular blast from outside the area drew the first blood for the hosts.
Trailing by a goal, Arsenal started the second half determined to play the leveler, yet could have found themselves down 2-0, had the referee spotted an apparent handball by Sead Kolasinac.
In the 58th minute of the game, Saka passed the ball to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who beat De Gea for the equalizer. Though the offside flag was up, a subsequent VAR review ruled out the decision and awarded Arsenal a goal.
The Gunners, however, had a chance to take the lead a few minutes later, but Saka’s shot off a Kolasinac cross was deflected.
Paul Pogba came close to reclaiming the lead for the hosts in the 64th minute and McTominay should have scored with a header in the 70th.
United got a final opportunity when they won a free kick not far outside the area in stoppage time, yet Leno came up with an impressive stop to thwart Marcus Rashford and preserve the point for the visitors.
(With inputs from IANS)
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