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Erik ten Hag’s revitalized Manchester United welcomed Premier League leaders Arsenal to Old Trafford for their matchday six clash on Sunday afternoon (September 4).
Despite enduring some unnerving moments, the Red Devils came through in front of their supporters, inflicting a 3-1 defeat upon the Gunners on Sunday. Debutant Antony found the back of the net and academy graduate Marcus Rashford scored a brace against Arsenal to propel them to a convincing win. Bukayo Saka scored the only goal for the visiting side.
Both teams were careful not to give anything away in the first few minutes and chose to play it safe. The visitors enjoyed the majority of the ball, while the hosts waited patiently for a gap to open up.
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In the eighth minute, United created their first clear opportunity of the match, with Diogo Dalot swinging in an inch-perfect cross for Christian Eriksen at the far post. The former Tottenham Hotspur star went for goal with a volleyed effort but ended up hitting the side netting.
After being under the cosh for a bit, United found themselves on the front foot in the final 15 minutes of the first half. In the 35th minute, they capitalized on a mistake from the visitors and the club’s record signing Antony found himself through on goal. Without any hesitation, he took his shot and found the back of the net. Mikel Arteta’s side had no immediate answer for Antony’s opener and they closed the first half without posing any real danger to David de Gea’s goal.
Ten minutes into the second half, Saka netted the equalizer for the visitors. Unfortunately for Arsenal, their joy was short-lived as Manchester United got themselves back in front through Rashford just six minutes later. While Arteta’s men were reeling from the goal, Ten Hag’s side once again exploited their high line and doubled their advantage through Rashford in the 75th minute.
The goal took the wind out of the north Londoners’ sails as they failed to put United’s defense under any real pressure in the final quarter of the match. It was a classic display of intelligent counter-attacking from the hosts, which time and again caught out the Londoners’ high line. Here are five men who played a starring role in their encouraging 3-1 victory over Arsenal on Sunday:
#5 Raphael Varane
While his partner Lisandro Martinez also looked in good shape at the back, it was Raphael Varane who led the backline with confidence and precision. He cleared the ball out of danger, was not afraid to put in a tackle, did not commit too many unnecessary fouls, and held his own in duels.
Against Arteta’s team, Varane had five clearances, blocked a shot, won six of nine ground duels, and attempted five tackles. Had his distribution (6 misplaced passes out of 20; two inaccurate long balls) been better, he would have had a near-perfect game against the league leaders.
#4 Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes was at the heart of most of Manchester United’s encouraging attacks on Sunday. The skipper was an influential and vocal leader on the pitch, created opportunities for his teammates, and helped out at the back as well when needed. Fernandes' most notable contribution came in the 66th minute, with him playing a perfectly-weighted through ball to set up Rashford’s first goal.
On Sunday, the Portuguese midfielder played three key passes, delivered two accurate long balls (3 attempts), and lodged a shot on target. He also won two (3 total) ground duels, made two clearances, blocked a shot, and intercepted the ball once.
#3 Antony
€95 million man Antony made his debut for Manchester United in front of a packed Old Trafford on Sunday. The former Ajax man started on the right wing and made it a point to take the fight to Arsenal every chance he got. His efforts paid off in the 35th minute when he calmly opened the scoring for his new employers. He opened up his body and dispatched an unstoppable left-footed curler to find the bottom-left corner.
The Brazilian forward had two more shots (1 on target), won three (of 6) ground duels, and drew a foul. He also fulfilled his defensive responsibilities, attempting two tackles and making an interception.
#2 Christian Eriksen
With every passing day, Christian Eriksen is growing in confidence at Manchester United. On Sunday, he arguably produced his best performance yet in United’s colors. In addition to calmly setting up Rashford for his second goal of the night, Eriksen emerged as the heartbeat of the team. He created chances, kept the game flowing, and was rarely overpowered by Arsenal’s capable midfielders.
Against the Emirates outfit, Eriksen played three key passes and accurately delivered both his attempted crosses and three long balls (6 attempts). He also drew a foul and blocked one of the Gunners’ shots.
#1 Marcus Rashford
Marcus Rashford was the undisputed Man of the Match against Arsenal on Sunday. He set up Antony with a superb square pass for his 35th-minute goal. Six minutes after the Gunners’ second-half equalizer, he confidently hit home from Fernandes’ through ball to put Manchester United 2-1 up. Nine minutes later, he was on the receiving end of Eriksen’s kindness, with the Danish midfielder unselfishly setting up Rashford for a tap-in from point-blank range.
The Englishman, who left the field in the 80th minute with a knock, also made two key passes, won an aerial duel (of 2), and delivered one accurate long ball.
