TIMING IS EVERYTHING
Arsenal hit form against rivals to inflict Ole’s first league defeat
Tottenham hotspur, we’re coming for you,’ sang the locals. maybe, maybe not. But they’re coming for somebody.
First it was Chelsea, beaten 2-0 here in January and subsequently relegated to sixth place, now manchester United, defeated by domestic opponents for the first time in ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tenure and edged out of the Champions League top four.
arsenal face Rennes on thursday in a competition that has come to be known as their Champions League safety blanket.
If it stays like this, however, it is Solskjaer who will need to land the big one to be in it next season. Curtis mayfield’s Move On Up serenaded the fans as they walked into the night and the rain — and arsenal have.
they lead United by two points and trail tottenham by one. For a manager in his first Premier League season, undertaking a considerable rebuilding exercise on limited resources, Unai emery is doing a very good job. It was a strange kind of victory — the first goal an unfamiliar sight, the second all too common.
nobody expects a howler from David de Gea these days, a contentious penalty decision, sadly, seems to happen every game. arsenal benefitted from both.
that is not to say the win was without merit. Sead Kolasinac was the man of the match, a constant threat from left wing-back, closely followed by goalkeeper Bernd Leno, who was both quick-witted and brave in repelling United’s forwards.
ainsley maitland- niles is a prospect, while Granit Xhaka is at last looking a central midfielder capable of holding the fort as well as blasting his way out of it.
Paul Pogba has been running games of late but not this one. It wasn’t that he didn’t play well, more that arsenal kept him in check. there remains the potential for upset, as happened in Rennes last thursday, but gradually emery is getting his team where he wants it.
of course, given their exertions in midweek, it is hardly surprising there was a reaction from United at the start — or, more accurately, a lack of one.
they were uncommonly slow out of the blocks, considering the levels of energy displayed under Solskjaer this season and arsenal came very close to capitalising on that. Just two minutes gone and the template was set, Kolasinac marauding down the left flank, alexandre Lacazette unable to get a touch on the ball as it flew across United’s box.
then, in the 11th minute, arsenal took the lead via the unlikeliest of sources — an error of judgement from De Gea. It was a neat move, Sokratis to maitland-niles, inside to Lacazette and then back to Xhaka who tried his luck from 25 yards.
What happened next was a complete shock. It wasn’t so much that the ball moved in the air — although it did — more that De
Gea seemed completely wrongfooted by that swerve. he went to go one way, realised all too late it was the wrong direction and had no time to change. Meaning he stood flatfooted as the ball flew past him.
Kolasinac continued causing problems and in the 29th minute almost created arsenal’s second, lovely control followed by a cross that once again was inches away from reaching its intended target.
Xhaka had another shot travel wide in the 66th minute, but it was arsenal’s next attack that sealed the game.
For those fatalists who believe fortune evens out over the season — by the way, it doesn’t — a sign. On wednesday, United won in Paris thanks to a dubious handball penalty call. here they lost to arsenal, who were aided by an equally controversial decision.
who knows how the match would have panned out had Pierre-Emerick aubameyang not been able to convert arsenal’s second from the spot.
United were pressing for an equaliser, Leno continued to be tested — although it was hardly the alamo — and United under Solskjaer, do not forget, have developed a healthy habit of winning, or at least saving games, late.
then Fred went up against Lacazette and referee Jon Moss saw something. Quite what, it is hard to say. Fred looked as if he was trying to keep pace with his man, not foul him. a push? It didn’t look much like one. they touched thighs, certainly. Does that constitute a foul?
Lacazette fell like one had been committed. Maybe, as old professionals say, he felt contact. Let us hope he never takes a walk down Oxford Street at Christmas, then. It could take him all week.
anyway, penalty given, Nemanja Matic booked, no doubt for stating the obvious. aubameyang stepped up having missed one to win the game at tottenham nine days ago and stuck it low to De Gea’s right. Credit him for having the cojones to take one again in such pressured circumstances, credit Emery, too, for keeping faith with his man.
Lacazette could do with some of aubameyang’s confidence. he was left clear through after a mistake by Victor Lindelof but shot wide. In the 74th minute, Pogba cleared a Sokratis header off the line.
So, overall, arsenal just about edged it. and while it is only the first league defeat of Solskjaer’s time as United manager, it is still a big one.
Could it have been different? Most certainly, had Romelu Lukaku, in particular, taken his chances. For all arsenal’s command of the game across certain periods, United’s forward line can make any opponent seem vulnerable. they hit the woodwork twice and forced several excellent saves from Leno.
Before De Gea’s mistake Lukaku should have scored. there were eight minutes gone when, meeting a cross from Luke Shaw, he somehow scooped the ball on to the bar from close range.
ten minutes later, a lovely reverse pass from Pogba picked out Fred, whose low shot was rather tame but still defeated Leno, although not his left post. Finally, another excellent pass by Pogba put Lukaku through only for Leno to save bravely and smartly at his feet
Often the goalkeeper sends the attacking player tumbling in those circumstances but Leno executed his challenge perfectly.
Second half, same again, Leno this time at the feet of Marcus Rashford and also blocking superbly from Lukaku. Emery has persevered with the German in a sweeper-keeper role and he is growing into it.
So arsenal and United change places. a way to go yet, obviously, but timing is everything. arsenal have hit good form against their immediate rivals — drawing with tottenham away, beating Chelsea, now United.
a lot of managers around him have been getting huge plaudits but, under the radar, Emery is doing everything that was required of him at arsenal — and maybe a little more.