OLE’S BOYS FIRE CITY ARE GIVEN BLANKS AS RIVALS A HUGE TITLE BOOST
MANCHESTER UNITED set a new club record of 18 successive away games in the league without defeat – but dropped points again to hand the title race advantage firmly to their noisy neighbours City.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was desperate to see his side bounce back from their shock defeat by Sheffield United onwednesday but they could not find a way through a resolute Arsenal defence.
They had the highest number of good chances, with the best falling to Edinson Cavani.
The Uruguayan saw Bernd Leno and Cedric Soares do enough to deny him from close range and then fired wide late on when he could have won the game.
At the other end, Alex Lacazette hit the bar with a fine free-kick but, ultimately, neither side could find that final, clinical touch.
Solskjaer had made five changes to his side from the defeat by the Blades, while Arsenal new boy Martin Odegaard, signed on loan from Real Madrid, was a late substitute.
And Solskjaer was rewarded with a different performance altogether in the first half as the visitors controlled possession.
Despite seeing the lion’s share of the ball, there were few clear cut chances with a clever, dinked, curling effort from the edge of the box from Fred, very well saved by Leno, the best of them.
But credit, too, to Gunners wide boys Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel Martinelli, for their defensive work, the latter in particular doing well to throw in his head as Marcus
Rashford prepared to pull the trigger on a dropping ball.
Arsenal were happy to sit back and try to catch them on the counter.and twice they burst forward – Emile Smith Rowe once again at the heart of a lot of their good attacking play – but Lacazette’s long-range effort was straight at David De Gea and Pepe dragged an effort wide.
As the half wore on, Bruno Fernandes went close with a curling effort after the impressive Paul Pogba released him that didn’t quite bend back enough.
While Fernandes then saw a free-kick headed over as David Luiz did his job well in the wall.
Arteta introduced
Willian at the break and Arsenal started the second half brightly, with the Brazilian soon into the action.
He couldn’t quite sort out his feet in time to get an early chance away with Aaron Wan-bissaka doing well. Then provided a cross for Pepe, but Harry Maguire did well to block the Frenchman’s effort.
Then a neat passage of play saw Luke Shaw, Fred and Anthony Martial carve open the Arsenal defence. Cavani burst on to the chance and looked odds-on to score but Leno steered it wide.
Arsenal went close soon after when Smith Rowe’s drilled effort forced a good save from De Gea.
Cavani had a last chance and, with his quality, ought to have then settled matters but could not find that bit of magic to settle the game.
POINTER: Arteta directs his side
CRUNCH: Luiz piles
in on Fernandes