Arsenal celebrated their 500th match at the Emirates Stadium with a 2-0 triumph over rivals Manchester United, achieving a fourth straight league win against the Red Devils for the first time ever.
After their dominant 4-0 home win against Everton, Ruben Amorim unexpectedly made six alterations to the lineup against an Arsenal team aiming for a fourth consecutive victory. And Mikel Arteta’s side had the ball in the net within four minutes after André Onana’s poor kick led to Gabriel Martinelli blasting home, but the goal was promptly disallowed for offside. Thomas Partey then wasted a golden opportunity when he failed to connect cleanly with a header from a corner.
United gradually found their rhythm and disrupted the hosts with organized spells of possession, but rarely troubled David Raya in Arsenal’s goal, as the visitors failed to register a touch inside the home side’s penalty area during the first 30 minutes.
The Gunners kept pressing with their main danger coming from set pieces, as this time Martinelli shot narrowly over when the Brazilian latched onto a loose ball in the box.
Arsenal began the second half strongly, emerging with fresh energy, and their sustained threat from set plays finally resulted in the opening goal within 10 minutes of the restart.
Declan Rice’s corner was nodded in by Jurrien Timber at the near post – the 21st goal Arsenal have scored from a corner since last season. This prompted Amorim to make significant changes as the Portuguese coach introduced three substitutes, including Leny Yoro, who was making his first competitive appearance for the Red Devils.
Arsenal’s work on set pieces continued to shine as another corner nearly led to a goal, but Manuel Ugarte cleared off the line after Joshua Zirkzee nearly turned the ball into his own net. It wasn’t until the 67th minute that United created their first shot on target, with Raya pulling off a stunning save to deny Matthijs de Ligt.
However, Arsenal stifled any United momentum and secured their second goal from yet another set piece. Bukayo Saka’s corner to the far post was headed back into the danger zone by Partey, crossing the line thanks to William Saliba.
Although Kai Havertz failed to add a third when played through, Arsenal cruised through the final 15 minutes with little trouble from Amorim’s squad, as the Portuguese suffered his initial defeat as United coach.
He won’t have to wait long for a chance to bounce back, with United hosting Nottingham Forest on Saturday. Meanwhile, Arsenal close the gap on league leaders Liverpool, reducing it to seven points as their unbeaten home streak extends to 13 matches across all competitions (W11, D2).
