"They were always a little afraid to concede" - Matthijs de Ligt pinpoints where Arsenal got 'momentum' in 2-0 win over Manchester United

Matthijs de Ligt has opined that Arsenal gained momentum over Manchester United in the second half after Jurrien Timber broke the deadlock in the 54th minute. Mikel Arteta's side handed Ruben Amorim his first loss (2-0) as Manchester United boss on Wednesday (December 4).

The Gunners hosted United at the Emirates Stadium in a Premier League clash. After a goalless first half, Timber scored Arsenal's first goal of the match (54'). William Saliba made the scoreline 2-0 in the 73rd minute after Bukayo Saka's attempt from the corner found Thomas Partey before the Frenchman headed it inside the goal.

After the match, former Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt said United played decently before conceding the first goal. He added that as soon as Timber scored, the momentum shifted in favor of Mikel Arteta's side. The Dutchman said (via MUTV):

"It's disappointing because we ended up with zero points. Especially disappointed because I thought up until the first goal, it was quite equal and quite even. We didn't have many chances and they didn't have many, but you see the set-plays made a big difference today and the first goal changed the momentum a little bit."

He added:

"I had the feeling before the first goal that their crowd had become quite and in certain moments we controlled the game and they were always a little afraid to concede, but after the first goal, the momentum changed, they got more confidence and we lacked a little bit of confidence."

Manchester United are 11th on the Premier League table with 19 points. Meanwhile, Arsenal are third in English top-tier football with 28 points after 14 matches.

Manchester United join Arsenal in race to sign 26-year-old attacker: Reports

According to Sky Germany, Manchester United and Arsenal are in the race to sign Sporting CP forward Viktor Gyokeres in the summer transfer window. Manchester City and Chelsea are also interested in signing the Sweden forward.

As per the aforementioned report, the Red Devils are keen to sign a replacement for Joshua Zirkzee. Meanwhile, Arsenal want to sign a constant performer as Gabriel Jesus can leave the club in the next summer transfer window.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City see Viktor Gyokeres as a successor to Julian Alvarez while Chelsea want to sign an upgrade for Nikolas Jackson. The Portuguese giants were initially demanding €100 million for the Sweden international. However, they are expected to agree on a deal of around €70 million.

This season, the 26-year-old has made 21 appearances for Sporting CP, bagging 24 goals and four assists across all competitions.