SEVEN AND HELL FOR OLE
Hot Scott can’t halt worst United start in 30 years
MANCHESTER United rolled back the clock for all the wrong reasons to make their worst start to a league season in 30 years.
Scott McTominay provided a rare piece of quality the game didn’t deserve to fire United ahead with a stunning strike on the stroke of half time.
But Arsenal hitman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang denied United three muchneeded points at Old Trafford with a 58th-minute equaliser to notch his 14th goal in his last 14 league starts.
The stalemate means United have failed to reach double figures in points after seven games for the first time since 1989 and are languishing in 10th place.
For as long as we could remember this clash used to be a footballing blockbuster of bad-tempered brilliance.
The game rolled out the red carpet for the game’s biggest managers and stars and the players never failed to deliver. We had confrontations on and off the pitch, red cards, genuine spite, mesmerising goals and individual battles that have gone down in folklore.
For almost a decade they were the top two teams in English football considering that, between 1997 and 2004, they were the only clubs to finish as champions.
In that same period there were just three meetings when one of them was not top of the table at the time but fast forward to 2019 and the narrative could not be more different or depressing.
Since 2013 not one of these meetings has involved either side going into it as league leaders and, while United have not been champions since that same year, the
Gunners have been waiting since 2004 and Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles to be the best team in the land.
On this evidence the wait will continue for two sides who resemble punch-drunk boxers looking, but failing, to recreate past glories.
The Gunners would have been happy just to win this game, let alone the title, considering it had not happened in more than 13 years while United needed three points just to get back into the top 10.
But whatever the outcome, it promised to have no effect on the title race at all. United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer made three changes that included Axel Tuanzebe replacing the unwell Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back while Marcus Rashford returned from injury ahead of schedule along with Paul Pogba.
Opposite number Unai Emery, without the injured Alexandre Lacazette, recalled Lucas Torreira and Calum Chambers and gave a second league start to Bukayo Saka, 18, in attack.
We had to wait almost 30 minutes for a shot from United’s Andreas Pereira. Then Nicolas Pepe had two at the opposite end. Pereira’s slip let in Saka but David De Gea got down well to palm away his shot before denying Matteo Guendouzi.
Then came the one moment of genuine quality of the half when McTominay rifled the opening goal into the top corner.
Torreira scuffed a volley to blow a good chance to equalise in the 52nd minute but soon after Tuanzebe gave the ball away to Saka, who played in Aubameyang and he beat De Gea with ease.
Pogba then curled a shot agonisingly wide, McTominay headed over from close range and Bernd Leno denied Harry Maguire and Rashford with flying saves.