Manchester United took a huge step towards securing second position in the Premier League table with a 2-1 win over Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
Jose Mourinho’s side are now five points clear of third-placed Liverpool with a game in hand, while Arsenal stay down in sixth position on 57 points.
Paul Pogba sent United ahead in the 16th minute, but Henrikh Mkhitaryan levelled the scores with a calm finish early in the second period.
Marouane Fellaini came up with a late winner for the 20-time English champions, however, as they claimed all three points.
Below are four talking points from the clash at Old Trafford.
1. Mourinho is right, United are evolving under his leadership
At his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, Mourinho was keen to stress that there had been “a clear evolution” in his United team this season. The Portuguese landed the EFL Cup and Europa League last term, but a disappointing Premier League campaign saw them finish down in sixth position.
This season, United are in a very strong position when it comes to claiming second spot, while they will take on Chelsea in the FA Cup final next month. There is no getting away from the fact that their Champions League last-16 exit to Sevilla was disappointing, but there are plenty of reasons for the club’s supporters to feel positive about the 2018-19 campaign.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic was United’s leading scorer last season, but the Swede was never a long-term answer. Romelu Lukaku is just that though, and the Belgium international should go from strength to strength in a United shirt. There will need to be investment this summer, but 24 wins from 35 Premier League matches is an indication of the team’s improvement this term.
United took the lead in the 16th minute when Pogba finished from close range following a blocked header from Alexis Sanchez. There was not too much more in the way of chances in the first half, although Ashley Young did hit the outside of the post with a cross five minutes before the break.
Mourinho’s side were guilty of drifting early in the second half, and they were punished when Mkhitaryan found the back of the net. Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Marouane Fellaini all came off the bench as the home side looked for a second though, and it was the latter that won it with a clever header from a brilliant Young cross in the 92nd minute.
2. Keane vs Vieira days could not be further away
There have been some wonderful battles between United and Arsenal over the years, particularly those that occurred while Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira were sporting the armbands for the two clubs. They were title rivals, bitter enemies. The pair just did not like each other; it showed on the field, and indeed before the match with the hatred and rivalry clear to see.
That was just not the case at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon, with both sets of players embracing each other in the tunnel. There were handshakes all round, while the respect that Mourinho had asked the United fans to show Arsene Wenger was demonstrated. It was never going to be a full-throttle affair, but the first period passed without a challenge of serious note. Granit Xhaka was perhaps a touch fortunate not to be sent off, but that would have been for a deliberate handball.
There was a friendly atmosphere between the two teams, with Arsenal more focused on Thursday night. For a long time United vs Arsenal was seen as the rivalry, but while the former currently sit second in the Premier League table, the latter are down in sixth following a very disappointing campaign.
It is incredibly now 14 years since Arsenal last won the Premier League title, and the new manager has a serious job on his hands to lead this team into the top four next season. It remains to be seen whether the fierce rivalry that once dominated English football will return, but for the moment, fierce battles between these two clubs at the top of the table are a thing of the past.
3. Matic is a candidate for United’s Player of the Season
David de Gea is the favourite to win United’s Player of the Season award once again, with the Spanish goalkeeper having another wonderful campaign. There will be few arguments if the 27-year-old does receive the accolade, but Nemanja Matic should also be firmly in the running for the 20-time English champions.
Mourinho was desperate to sign the Serbian last summer, and the midfielder has played in all 35 of United’s Premier League matches this season. The 29-year-old has brought an air of calmness and authority to United’s midfield, and he was once again impressive against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.
Matic plays the match on his terms, and goes about his work with minimum fuss. He had a slight dip in form around Christmas, but has played a key role in a run that has seen United all but secure second position in the Premier League table.
It does appear that Mourinho will deploy a 4-3-3 formation leading into next season, and while a new midfielder might arrive this summer, Matic, who was the outstanding player on Sunday afternoon, will remain a hugely important individual for the Red Devils.
4. Arsenal’s season rests on Atletico tie
Wenger would never send out an Arsenal team expecting to lose, but the fact that the Frenchman made eight changes from the XI that started against Atletico Madrid in the Europa League on Thursday night spoke volumes.
Matches between United and Arsenal are always special, but Wenger simply had to rest players ahead of the second leg of their Europa League semi-final in Madrid next week. After all, it is the club’s only chance of securing a spot in the Champions League for the 2018-19 campaign.
Arsenal entered the match having lost 11 of their 34 Premier League matches, and boasting just three away victories in the league this term. Only Manchester City have a better home record than the Gunners this season, but the London club have simply been rotten on their travels.
It was a huge afternoon for Konstantinos Mavropanos as the 21-year-old centre-back made his Arsenal debut, but there was still plenty of experience in the XI, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is ineligible for the Europa League, among those to come in for the capital club.
Wenger received a standing ovation from the United fans ahead of kickoff, and there was also a wonderful moment on the field involving the Frenchman and Sir Alex Ferguson, who presented his former rival with a gift.
United’s players were not so kind, however, with Pogba making the breakthrough in the 16th minute. Arsenal’s first real chance of the match arrived shortly after when Mkhitaryan found space inside the penalty box, but the Armenian’s low effort was just wide of the post.
Aubameyang had Arsenal’s next big chance late in the first half, but the striker headed straight at De Gea. The Gunners actually played quite well in the opening 45 minutes of action, although they trailed to Pogba’s close-range finish.
Mkhitaryan levelled the scores with a calm effort early in the second half, and there could be little arguing that Arsenal deserved it. United were the team pressing for a second in the latter stages, however, and they won it through Fellaini after Rashford had one chalked off for offside. In many ways, the finish summed up the problems that Wenger will leave behind.
