Every great run must eventually face a hurdle. Arsenal’s unbeaten home league record came to an abrupt end in a chaotic 3-2 loss to Michael Carrick’s Manchester United. We led on 29 minutes, Bukayo Saka dinking a pass to Martin Ødegaard whose sliced volley clipped Lisandro Martínez and beat the goalkeeper, and for half an hour we were in total control.
The Price of Errors
Then came the gifts. Martín Zubimendi's backpass on 37 let Bryan Mbeumo round David Raya and roll into an empty net. Five minutes after the break Patrick Dorgu exchanged passes with Bruno Fernandes and smashed a bobbling half-volley from 20 yards in off the bar. Mikel Merino poked home a Saka in-swinger on 84 to level it, and three minutes later substitute Matheus Cunha curled another 20-yarder past Raya.
The Detective’s Analysis
This wasn't a failure of effort, but a failure of execution in key transitions. Two strikes from the edge of the box, one error at the back, and a first home league defeat of the season. The lead at the top is down to four, with Manchester City and Aston Villa both winning.
Arteta’s Honest Assessment
"First of all you have to give credit to Man Utd. We gave them a goal that was unusual and painful and then they had two brilliant moments when they have incredible strikes from the edge."
"The margins are extremely small and we made them even smaller. Now we have to react and see what we are made of."
Man of the Match: Matheus Cunha (Man Utd) 🇧🇷
While disappointing for the home side, Cunha’s late winner was a piece of individual brilliance that decided a game of incredibly tight margins.