Manchester United continued their resurgence with a 3-1 win over Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday evening.
The Red Devils have now picked up four back-to-back wins including victories over Liverpool and Arsenal. The Old Trafford outfit will be full of confidence and Erik ten Hag will be relieved with the fightback from his side after a disappointing start to the season.
Meanwhile, Arsenal came into this game on the back of five consecutive Premier League wins and they will be totally disappointed to come away empty-handed from Old Trafford.
Mikel Arteta would have expected a lot more from his players and it remains to be seen whether the Gunners can bounce back strongly in the next outing now.
Manchester United summer signing Antony was handed his Premier League debut in the high-octane clash against Arsenal and the Brazilian winger did not disappoint. He scored the opening goal of the game on the 35th minute and the fans will be delighted to see their big-money signing settling in quickly.
Arsenal did well to get back into the contest with a goal from Bukayo Saka on the hour mark but Manchester United’s counter-attacking masterclass paid off in the second half as a brace from Marcus Rashford turned the game on its head.
The Manchester United academy graduate put his side ahead on the 66th minute and then wrapped up the scoring on the 75th minute to hand the Red Devils the all-important three points.
Manchester United will be delighted with the performance on the night and they will look to build on it and put together a winning run now.
Here at the Hard Tackle, we look at how the Manchester United and the Arsenal players fared during Sunday’s Blockbuster clash.
Manchester United
David De Gea – 6/10
The Spaniard was tested a number of times throughout the game and he managed to come up on top every time. De Gea did well to deny the likes of Gabriel Martinelli with impressive saves and had very little to do as far as the goal from Bukayo Saka is concerned.
Diogo Dalot – 6/10
The young right-back was put under pressure by the Arsenal attackers but he did reasonably well and put on a solid defensive display at the back for Manchester United. Dalot would have expected to make more of an impact going forward but it was a tidy performance from the young full-back.
Raphael Varane – 5/10
The experienced Frenchman had a disappointing outing against Arsenal today and his wayward passing resulted in the equaliser for the away side.
Lisandro Martinez – 6.5/10
The Manchester United summer signing had another reliable showing at the back. Made some poor judgements early on but the Argentine improved quickly and stamped his authority on the game with impressive blocks and line-breaking passes.
Tyrell Malacia – 5/10
The young fullback had a difficult outing against Bukayo Saka and ended up being caught out for Arsenal’s equaliser.
Christian Eriksen – 8/10
The Denmark international has proven to be an inspired addition to the Manchester United squad and he was undoubtedly the best midfielder on the pitch today.
Eriksen was involved in all three goals for Manchester United and his incisive passing in the middle of the pitch created all sorts of problems for Arsenal.
Scott McTominay – 7.5/10
The Manchester United midfielder had an impressive game in the middle of the park. He complimented the likes of Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes with is defensive contribution. While the other two midfielders focused on the creative side of the game, McTominay did well to break up the play and recycle possession.
Bruno Fernandes – 7/10
An impressive all-round performance from the Portuguese playmaker. Fernandes played a part in two of Manchester United’s goals on the night and he worked hard defensively.
Antony – 7/10
The Brazilian made an instant impact on his debut and scored the opening goal of the game. Anthony is clearly lacking in match fitness but the fans will be thoroughly impressed with what they have seen so far.
Jadon Sancho – 5/10
Probably the only Manchester United player who truly disappointed against Arsenal. Having scored important goals against the likes of Liverpool, Sancho should be brimming in confidence and taking on the opposition defenders. However, he lacked incision and confidence against Arsenal and had a poor outing overall.
Marcus Rashford – 8/10
The Manchester United striker seems like he’s in a rich vein of form and he managed to score two important goals for Manchester United to win the game for the hosts.
Substitutes
Cristiano Ronaldo – 7/10
The 37-year-old will be disappointed to have started the game on the bench but he did seem confident when he came on. Ronaldo made life difficult for the Arsenal defenders with his movement and link-up play.
Casemiro – NA
Came on too late to make a meaningful impact.
Fred – 5/10
The Brazilian midfielder seemed indecisive with his passing and he could’ve created more goalscoring opportunities for his side with a bit more confidence on the ball.
Harry Maguire – 5/10
The club record signing has been struggling to get into the first team and he did not cover himself in glory after coming on as a sub. Maguire was booked almost immediately after coming on and he barely had an impact on the game.
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Arsenal
Aaron Ramsdale – 6/10
The Arsenal goalkeeper was a doubt for the game but he managed to recover in time to play at Old Trafford. Had very little to do despite conceding thrice, but came up with important saves from time to time.
Ben White – 6/10
The former Brighton ace was deployed as a right back and he defended admirably. However, White failed to make any sort of impact going forward.
Gabriel Magalhaes – 5/10
Arsenal decided to play with a high line against Manchester United and Gabriel struggled to contain the pace of the Manchester United attackers. The Brazilian was at fault for the opening goal of the game.
William Saliba – 6/10
The youngster was probably the pick of the Arsenal defenders against Manchester United. Did well to deal with one-versus-one situations.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 6/10
The Ukrainian international did well to provide an outlet for Arsenal going forward and he seemed relatively solid at the back as well. Overall, a decent display from the former Manchester City man.
Albert Lokonga – 5/10
The Arsenal midfielder had a disappointing outing at Old Trafford. He was out of position for the first goal and his poor passing led to the second.
Granit Xhaka – 6/10
The Swiss international often found himself outnumbered and could not help his side attain control of the midfield.
Martin Odegaard – 6/10
The Denmark midfielder was a doubt for the game but he managed to recover in time to face Manchester United. However, Odegaard could not replicate his peak form at Old Trafford.
The Arsenal midfielder did well to create the only goal of the game for his side though.
Bukayo Saka – 6.5/10
The Arsenal winger terrorised the Manchester United full-back Tyrell Malacia throughout the game and he also scored the equaliser for the Gunners in the second half.
Gabriel Jesus – 6.5/10
The Brazilian striker failed to get on the scoresheet but he had an impressive performance overall. Linked up well with his teammates and caused all sorts of problems for the Manchester United defenders with his pressing and work rate.
Gabriel Martinelli – 7/10
The Brazilian caused a lot of problems for Diogo Dalot down the left-hand side of Arsenal’s attack and he created a number of chances for his side.
Substitutes
Fabio Vieira – 6.5/10
The former Porto midfielder was handed his Arsenal debut against Manchester United and impressed with his technical ability and composure on the ball.
Eddie Nketiah – 5.5/10
The Arsenal striker came on to influence the game in the final third but barely had any chances to put the ball in the back of the net.
Takehiro Tomiyasu – NA
The Japanese defender came on too late to make any meaningful impact.
Emile Smith Rowe – 5/10
Another attacking substitution who was expected to influence the game in the final third but had a relatively anonymous outing for the Gunners.
