The Belgian’s goal after 20′ was enough for the Gunners to move on to Manchester and return to the top while awaiting the recovery of Guardiola’s team, away to Tottenham on Tuesday
The Premier League remains an uncertain sprint, one that will be decided next Sunday, on the last day. Arsenal leaves Old Trafford with a bad performance but with the 1-0 which is worth the success they needed: Arteta’s team returns to the front of everyone, 86 points against City’s 85, and sends it back to the last day the decision on the champion team, regardless of what Guardiola’s team does at Tottenham on Tuesday. For United, however, this defeat, the second in a row, means trouble: Europe is now so far away that to get there it risks not being enough to beat Newcastle in injury time on Wednesday, with Chelsea 3 points ahead of Ten Hag’s team.
the keys
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The good news for Arteta stops at the result. If City had given a demonstration of strength, health and constant growth in the 4-0 win at Fulham, at Old Trafford Arsenal played one of their worst matches in recent months. The 15th victory in 17 league games in 2024 came thanks to Leo Trossard, who took advantage of an assist from Kai Havertz and a sleeper from Casemiro in the 20th minute to create the best guest chance of the match. For the rest, Arsenal were unusually imprecise, awkward, as if suddenly the pressure of playing for the title and having to win at all costs had found the minds of Arteta’s players and had taken away their security. Having won a match like this, having been able to capitalize on the best opportunity they had, however, shows that Arsenal have learned their lesson and know how to win even when they don’t play up to their standard. United, by not taking advantage of their opponents’ problems, have once again exposed all their limitations in what risks going down in history as the Red Devils’ worst season ever in the Premier League. Casemiro, still a central defender, confirmed that the best years of his career are behind him. The best was Amad Diallo, until an injury (the leitmotif of the entire Red Devils year, today without Bruno Fernandes and Rashford among others) forced him to come off in the 65th minute. United now need a feat to at least reach the Conference League, a goal that at the beginning of the season was well below the minimum.
the match
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Arsenal broke the deadlock at the first opportunity with Trossard, who did well in the 20th minute to slot in behind Casemiro and pass Onana. Having taken the lead, however, Arteta’s team was unable to control the game and United slowly went up, despite not creating any danger in Raya’s area. We start again without substitutions and with the guests ahead 1-0: the match becomes more open, without a master, with Garnacho rising in level for United and Martinelli who, coming on in place of Trossard, creates problems for Onana. Arsenal also had problems, losing Saka to injury in the 82nd minute. For the finale, the rain also arrives, an unexpected conclusion to a match that began with 25 degrees: not even the downpour changes the score, the 1-0 which allows Arsenal to postpone the verdict on the Premier League until the last day.
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