Manchester United’s dour unbeaten run came to an end against arch-rivals Arsenal on Sunday, as the Gunners secured a vital 2-0 win to keep their hopes of a top-four finish in the English Premier League alive.
After Jose Mourinho’s men had kept the hosts at bay with only a few close shaves in the first period, the Emirates was braced for yet another draw against the hard-to-beat Red Devils side.
United custodian David de Gea had made two superb stops to deny first Aaron Ramsey and later Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to keep the visitors in the tie and on the other end Petr Cech made two important stops but United seemed to lose steam in the second-half.
Completely bereft of attacking ideas, they paid the price for sitting deep when Granit Xhaka let loose a shot from distance which got a major deflection off Ander Herrera’s back to deceive de Gea in the 54th minute.
And three minutes later, the hosts doubled their lead via a thumping header from Gunners forward Danny Welbeck. The former United man, replacing Olivier Giroud in the starting XI, rose highest to head home Oxlade-Chamberlain’s cross and if the first goal had dampened visitors’ spirits, the second crushed them completely.
Unbeaten since October, United rested several of their regulars for the trip to the Emirates, with teenaged defender Axel Tuanzebe making his first-ever senior start for the club. While the youngster acquitted himself well overall, the Red Devils’ excursions in the Europa League looked to have taken a toll on them, especially in the second half when they barely threatened Cech’s goal.
Mourinho had come to London looking for the draw, clearly focused on winning United their second trophy in his debut season rather than finishing in the top four, a chance which now is effectively over.
While it is true United did not have several of their big-names including Paul Pogba on the pitch, credit must be given to Arsene Wenger’s side who simply had more determination and desire to clinch the three points.
They remain in 5th place, two points behind United having played a game less and while their chances of finishing in the top-four are still slim, the fact that they are making a concerted effort in big games will go down well with their legions of dismayed supporters.
For United, the result confirms what they already knew. The Europa League is their only chance of competing in the Champions League next season and a vital semifinal second-leg against Celta Vigo on Thursday awaits.