Arsenal beat Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford to return to the top of the Premier League, with just one match remaining for Mikel Arteta’s side this season.
Leandro Trossard scored the all-important goal from close range following Kai Havertz’s pass. It now means the title race will go to the final day with Manchester City — who are a point behind Arsenal on 85 — playing their game in hand against Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday.
United, meanwhile, are in eighth on 54 points, three points behind Chelsea and Newcastle United, with two games remaining.
Carl Anka, James McNicholas and Liam Tharme break down the key talking points from the game…
Trossard turns up when it matters… again
Neither Gabriel Jesus nor Gabriel Martinelli have been as effective in front of goal as expected this season, with just 10 league goals between them. Fortunately, someone else has stepped up: Trossard. He tucked home the opener for his 12th Premier League goal this season — his 17th in all competitions.
His form has seen him displace Martinelli as first choice on the left wing, and he justified Arteta’s faith at Old Trafford with another critical contribution. Trossard is arguably the most natural finisher in the Arsenal squad and has a habit of delivering big moments even when he appears to be on the periphery of the game.
Typically, Trossard scoring has been a positive omen for Arsenal. Heading into this game, Arsenal had won their last nine Premier League games when the Belgian scored and were without a defeat in the last dozen games in which he found the net.
James McNicholas
It has been a week to forget for Casemiro. The 32-year-old was beaten and bullied by Crystal Palace players in Monday’s 4-0 defeat before he was dropped from the Brazil squad for the 2024 Copa America on Friday.
The formerly imperious defensive midfielder has been struggling for United all season as injuries, tactical adjustments and other oddities have left him a shadow of his former self.
This is not the Casemiro that was a controlled frenzy of a man, patrolling Real Madrid’s midfield on his way to winning five Champions League titles. This is not the man who waved away Marcel Sabitzer in February 2023, comfortable in the knowledge few Premier League attackers could beat him.
This season’s Casemiro has been slow to recognise footballing dangers and naive when reacting to them. Arsenal’s opener in the 20th minute saw Casemiro — who was again moonlighting at centre-back — dawdling by the byline when Andre Onana attempted a short goal kick.
Arsenal’s aggressive counter-press recovered the ball quickly but Casemiro had barely meandered past the edge of Onana’s penalty area by the time Havertz came into space on the right.
Instead of sprinting at top pace to join his team-mates and possibly set an offside trap, Casemiro moved without urgency.
Havertz’s pass found Trossard at the near post and Arsenal found themselves a goal up. The (reasonably) good work United had done up to that point had expired. As Gary Neville said on commentary for Sky Sports: “That is a basic error. You have to get up quicker, and he ambles out. There is no excuse for that.”
What Erik ten Hag’s side gained from Casemiro’s long passing from deep (he nearly set up Rasmus Hojlund with a pass over the top in the game’s opening 10 minutes), was balanced by everything else.
Casemiro is not a centre-back — nor would he, or anyone associated with United, have gone into the season expecting him to play there in an injury-enforced emergency. However, at a time when Ten Hag needs big performances from his most experienced players, Casemiro keeps making juvenile mistakes.
Carl Anka
Saliba and that tackle
What’s the biggest difference between Arsenal this time last year and Arsenal now?
There are a few possible answers: Declan Rice, a growing sense of maturity, going blow for blow with City rather than holding onto a lead. But the biggest of all might be the availability of William Saliba.
Saliba was imperious for Arsenal (Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
The centre-back’s value to Arsenal was shown during the second half when he executed a sublime tackle on Alejandro Garnacho. With the Argentina international bearing down on him, Saliba backtracked before stepping in with perfect timing. If a tackle can be a thing of beauty, then this was surely it.
During last season’s run-in, Arsenal lacked composure. Saliba epitomises it. In a game in which Arsenal were some way short of their best, they could still rely on the 23-year-old to keep United at arm’s length.
James McNicholas
An Arsenal of options
“We know the difficulty and the history,” said Arteta pre-match, of a ground where Arsenal had only won four times in 31 Premier League visits.
An injury-hit United side or not, it was a professional performance compared to how they came unstuck and faded away to Bayern Munich and Porto in the Champions League. Arsenal started the game sitting off, forcing United to try to play through the compact mid-block, then hitting with the sucker-punch goal.
There were a couple of heroics in Arsenal’s own box — notably Saliba’s tackle (as described above) — but it took more than 67 minutes for United to register a shot on target.
Arsenal showed their different faces throughout, pinning United back at the start of the second half with possession upfield, counter-pressing aggressively to win it back as quickly as they lost it. There was also some slick build-up using Havertz as a false nine and wingers running inside him, and the other end of the tactical spectrum with wingers defending deep in a back six.
Never mind only a second Old Trafford Premier League win since 2007, Arsenal made it 42 points, 13 wins, 11 clean sheets and only 13 goals conceded in Premier League away games in 2023-24 — their best season on the road since the 2003-04 Invincibles…
Liam Tharme
Any crumbs of comfort for United?
The last few weeks have seen Ten Hag at pains to express the impact injuries have had on United’s season. The Dutchman had ambitions to turn United into a transition-based side, but a litany of ailments have made him unable to field his best XI for large sections of the season.
At the start of the game, Ten Hag had gone through 14 different centre-back combinations this season. Arsenal, for comparison, had used three.
United are a team low in confidence and lacking familiar passing rhythms — as seen in a second half which saw multiple misplaced passes from United players in the final third, with individuals unsure of where to go and what to do in the rare moments they had possession in dangerous areas.
If there are any crumbs of comfort, they will likely be in United’s midfield balance.
Sofyan Amrabat was afforded a rare start in central midfield and was tasked with collecting the ball from United’s centre-backs during the build-up. The Moroccan would also sit next to Kobbie Mainoo when the side did not have the ball, creating a simple but not always seen screen ahead of the front four.
United were not the inconsistent and often incoherent pressers they have been in the past against Arsenal, instead staying in a more-compact-than-usual 4-4-2 shape when their opponents were looking to recycle possession.
Amad — who had to be substituted in the 70th minute with what looked to be an impact injury — did look dangerous in parts when progressing the ball in attacking areas. It may have been his first Premier League start, but he has made a case to get more game time soon (health permitting.)
Carl Anka
What did the managers say?
We’ll bring you this after both Ten Hag and Arteta have spoken at their post-match press conference.
What next for Arsenal? (… supporting Spurs?)
Sunday, May 19: Everton (H), Premier League, 4pm UK, 11am ET
After Manchester City fans endured watching this game hoping for a United win, Arsenal supporters face the unedifying prospect of having to support Spurs when they host City on Tuesday night. Arsenal know that if they’re to win this title, they need a favour from elsewhere.
Arteta’s side then face Everton at the Emirates, who they’ve only lost to twice at home in the Premier League era (31 matches), winning 24 and drawing five.
What next for Manchester United?
Wednesday, May 15: Newcastle United (H), Premier League, 8pm UK, 3pm ET
With Newcastle only having a solitary league win at Old Trafford since 1972, history is with Manchester United. Yet, Eddie Howe’s much-depleted Newcastle beat United 3-0 there in the Carabao Cup in November.
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(Top photo: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
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