Lingard has final say to secure draw in game of chaos
MAN UTD: de Gea, Bailly, Smalling, Rojo (Fellaini, 73 mins), Dalot, Matic, Herrera, Darmian, Lingard (Pogba, 76 mins), Martial (Lukaku, 63 mins), Rashford. Unused subs: Mata, Romero, Valencia, McTominay. ARSENAL: Leno, Sokratis, Mustafi, Holding (Lichtsteiner, 36 mins), Bellerin, Torreira, Guendouzi, Kolasinac, Ramsey (Mkhitaryan, 46 mins), Iwobi (Lacazette, 65 mins), Aubameyang. Unused subs: Cech, Elneny, Maitland-Niles, Nketiah. Referee: Andre Marriner (West Midlands) Man of the match: Nemanja Matic
Match rating: 8/10
IT ended a draw, but very little else about this chaotic match at Old Trafford was balanced, making it one from which it’s very difficult to draw conclusions. Before anything, there is the question over whether this was actually a ‘good’ game. It was undeniably entertaining, but that was more the entertainment you get from farcical comedy rather than high-quality drama, especially when you consider the bizarre nature of all four goals.
There is then the bigger question over whether this 2-2 was actually a good result for either side. The buoyant feel of it made it seem like Manchester United had stopped a rot — as well as stopping a previously surging Arsenal — but they’re now four games without a win, 18 points behind Manchester City as early as December and have fallen back behind Bournemouth with that lamentable negative goal difference.
While there is meanwhile still a sense of progression around Arsenal, they themselves have now fallen back behind Tottenham and outside of the top four, because they were not at their best and maybe wasted a best chance to win at Old Trafford for the first time since 2006.
One widespread pre-game prediction was that Jose Mourinho’s initial XI should have been levelled.
Then again, perhaps that in itself points to the main conclusion, the main discussion. A manager who is mainly in the job because he is cited as a “proven winner” has succeeded in convincing so many people — not least a crowd who enthusiastically back him — that it’s so difficult for United to win.
It so often felt like the very controversial team selection played into that, as much as what was actually right to play this game. And what of the debate over that? Did the result justify that Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku were dropped, or did Mourinho eventually turning to them reflect that they were more than tactics?
The initial change didn’t actually change anything about the team, pointing to deeper problems. They were still so defensively inept. United again conceded first, and they again conceded from a set-piece.
The only surprise was the main culprit: David de Gea (left), who committed a howler. He was once more left a little exposed, mind, and it was telling that he was still one of their better performers with two late saves. Having complained of being able to play no centre-halves, Mourinho ended up starting three, but none were able to get any kind of contact on a 25th-minute Arsenal corner.
Shkodran Mustafi was left to get good contact on his header, but it still shouldn’t have been enough to beat such a goalkeeper. This was not to be one of his vintage saves. It was a collector’s piece of an error. De Gea awkwardly palmed the ball into the air, but only enough so it rather farcically dropped behind him and the goal-line. The United clearances and complaints were irrelevant. It was 1-0 Arsenal. But not for long.
There has actually long been a statistical argument that United only finished second last season, and have actually over-performed relative to performance, because De Gea makes a disproportionately large number of improbable saves — even for him.
Maybe this is the offset, the levelling out… except it wasn’t long until United were level.
And that’s because Unai Emery hasn’t yet sorted out Arsenal’s own defending. That’s still one big problem with them.
Marcos Rojo fired over a freekick, with Bernd Leno doing well to push it away. No Arsenal player bothered to follow it or actually mark up, though, allowing Ander Herrera to