Everything Ten Hag touches is turning to gold
Four straight wins transform mood after early-season turmoil
FROM the carnage of an early- season crisis, Manchester United are rising. Four straight wins under Erik ten Hag have breathed new life into this team and spread hope around Old Trafford.
The previous home game brought a convincing victory over Liverpool. Here, Ten Hag’s side beat Premier League leaders Arsenal, shattering the Gunners’ 100 per cent record.
It has transformed the mood around the club following those calamitous opening defeats by Brighton and Brentford.
Suddenly, everything Ten Hag touches is turning to gold. New £85million signing Antony scored on his debut here. Marcus Rashford, a man reborn, struck twice in the space of 10 minutes to take the game away from Arsenal after Bukayo Saka equalised in the second half.
There is so much more to be positive about at United right now. They may have spent £229m in the transfer window but Ten Hag is giving his employers an instant return on their money.
Casemiro hasn’t even started a game since his £70m move from Real Madrid, filling the bench with his former Bernabeu teammate Cristiano Ronaldo and United skipper Harry Maguire.
This is now a very impressive United on paper, and Ten Hag is getting results on the pitch too.
Take your pick of the best performers yesterday. Christian Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Lisandro Martinez, Rashford.
There’s fight in this United team too, something that was sorely missing before. It is a dubious accolade but no Premier League team can match their 20 yellow cards this season.
Scott McTominay hit Gabriel Jesus so hard in the opening minutes that the in-form Arsenal striker banged his head on the turf and referee Paul Tierney had to stop the game.
McTominay followed that up by literally body- slamming Jesus towards the end. Martinez, meanwhile, is every bit the warrior Ten Hag said he was signing from his old club Ajax.
Everyone is buying into the pressing game. Rashford and Jadon Sancho hunted down the ball here, transformed from the bewildered young men who lost their way at United last season.
Ten Hag knows there is still some way to go, though. No-one turns around a club like United overnight, and there will be bumps in the road.
But it has been a quite remarkable revival since the opening days of the season when the turmoil threatened to engulf the new manager.
And what of Arsenal? There was no disgrace in defeat in their first big test this season after beating Crystal Palace, Leicester, Bournemouth, Fulham and Aston Villa. They more than played their part in a pulsating game.
Mikel Arteta’s team remain top, a point ahead of Manchester City, and this one could easily have gone their way — certainly if Gabriel Martinelli’s 12th-minute goal had been allowed to stand.
Eriksen was robbed on halfway by Martin Odegaard and Saka released Martinelli with an excellent through ball. The Brazilian held off Diogo Dalot long enough to beat David de Gea.
Martinelli’s celebrations were cut short as the referee was advised to review the goal on the pitch-side monitor. He concluded that Odegaard had gone through the back of Eriksen and failed to get a touch on the ball.
After a weekend of fierce VAR controversy, it was a close call but the correct one.
United took advantage by going ahead in the 35th minute, shortly after Antony had performed a series of extravagant step-overs in front of Oleksandr Zinchenko, the like of which probably haven’t been seen at Old Trafford since Ronaldo was starting out.
Zinchenko held out his arms as if to say, ‘So what?’ but the former City defender was nowhere to be seen when Antony struck moments later.
Fernandes and Sancho combined to get the ball to Rashford on the edge of the box. Crucially, two Arsenal defenders tried to close him down and Rashford was able to prod the ball through for Antony.
The new man had time to compose himself before guiding the ball beyond Aaron Ramsdale. As Antony raced away in manic celebration, the cameras cut to the bench where Ronaldo was on his feet applauding.
The Brazilian had the audacity to try and chip Ramsdale from 30 yards before half- time but Arsenal’s equaliser, moments after he had been replaced by Ronaldo, had been coming since the start of the second half.
Raphael Varane moved the ball out from the back, but his pass was intercepted by Granit Xhaka and Arsenal pounced.
Xhaka played the ball to Odegaard who slid it brilliantly into the path of Jesus. Dalot got in an excellent tackle but the ball ran loose for Saka to score in an empty net.
At that point, you could easily have backed Arsenal to go on and win this game, but they were floored by Rashford’s double.
The first came in the 66th minute after Fernandes played an exquisite pass with the outside of his right foot to send Rashford clear of two defenders. The United striker took one touch before burying a shot past Ramsdale.
The second in the 75th minute followed a throw-in close to the halfway line. Ronaldo managed to get the ball to Dalot, whose first-time pass sent Eriksen clear. The Dane waited for the right moment to square to Rashford for a simple finish.
The celebrations around Old Trafford were unbridled. The hope tangible. ‘I understand the fans are dreaming,’ said Ten Hag, and who can blame them?
MAN UTD (4-2-3-1): De Gea 6.5; Dalot 7, Varane 6.5, Martinez 7 (Maguire 80), Malacia 6.5; McTominay 7, ERIKSEN 8; Antony 7 (Ronaldo 58, 6.5), Fernandes 7.5, Sancho 6 (Fred 67, 6.5); Rashford 7.5 (Casemiro 80).
Scorers: Antony 35, Rashford 66, 75. Booked: McTominay, Eriksen, Maguire. Manager: Erik ten Hag 8.
ARSENAL (4-2-3-1): Ramsdale 6; White 6 (Tomiyasu 80), Saliba 6.5, Gabriel 5, Zinchenko 6 (Nketiah 74, 6); Lokonga 5.5 (Vieira 74, 6), Xhaka 6.5; Saka 7, Odegaard 7 (Smith Rowe 74, 6), Martinelli 7; Jesus 7. Scorer: Saka 60.
Booked: Saliba, Saka, Jesus.
Manager: Mikel Arteta 6.5.
Referee: Paul Tierney 7.
Attendance: Not provided.