3 Reasons why Arsenal lost to Manchester United | FA Cup 2018-19

#1 Arsenal fail to make the most of possession

Arsenal's creative talents had a bad day at the office

Last weekend, Arsenal produced arguably their best performance of the season as they swept aside Chelsea at the Emirates. On that evening, the Gunners ceded possession to their West London counterparts and struck back whenever the opportunity presented itself.

However, on Friday, the roles were reversed as the Gunners were mercilessly punished by Manchester United on the break.

Over the course of the game, Arsenal enjoyed 63 percent of possession. Despite hogging the ball for long periods of the game, the home side never conjured the clear-cut chances it is capable of.

Apart from a splendid save from Aaron Ramsey, Sergio Romero was untroubled throughout. The Gunners got into good attacking positions yet were unable to muster anything worthwhile on goal.

The left side was a constant hub for Arsenal’s attack but like many a time before, Sead Kolasinac and Alex Iwobi failed to come up with the killer ball.

Moreover, the threat of Ramsey was nullified as the game went on. In addition, Arsenal’s famed front two were uncharacteristically subdued and failed to hit the heights we have become accustomed to.

A major criticism aimed at Arsene’s Arsenal was the lack of an end product despite dominating the ball. Yet, a more direct route to goal under Emery seemed to silence those doubters.

However, with the toothless display on Friday following close on the heels of a similarly uninspired performance against West Ham, Emery needs to pull out all the stops to ensure it only remains an aberration and falls short of becoming a worrying pattern.