Arsenal vs. Manchester United: Winners and Losers from Premier League Game
Manchester United beat Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium, and the three points moved them back into the Premier League's top four.
United took the lead without actually having a shot on target, as Kieran Gibbs' unfortunate own goal put the Red Devils ahead before the one-hour mark. Wayne Rooney then appeared to clinch the three points with a breakaway finish five minutes from the end of the 90, before Arsenal substitute Olivier Giroud beat David de Gea with a thumping strike to briefly create thoughts of a comeback.
Arsenal dominated much of the match—especially the first half, when De Gea bailed his side out on more than one occasion with some impressive saves. But United eventually overcame the early loss of Luke Shaw (Arsenal later saw Jack Wilshere and Wojciech Szczesny limp off) to clinch Louis van Gaal's first away win in English football.
Here are some winners and losers from Saturday's late kick-off.
Winner: David De Gea
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He was beaten late on by a fantastic Olivier Giroud strike, but Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea arguably deserved to keep a clean sheet considering some of the saves he made over the course of the 90 minutes.
Perhaps none of them were truly spectacular, but the Spaniard—who only recently dislocated a finger—was tested time and time again from all sorts of angles, and he never put a foot wrong. The best save perhaps came in the first half, as he stood tall to deny Jack Wilshere in a one-on-one situation that never seemed to favour the goalkeeper.
By the time United took the lead, they could have been 2-0 down were it not for their goalkeeper. De Gea played a crucial role throughout the contest.
Loser: Arsene Wenger
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Anyone who goes back and watches the first 40 minutes of this match will wonder quite how Arsenal ever managed to lose this match. It was partly down to bad luck—the opening goal was undoubtedly extremely unfortunate for Kieran Gibbs and the home side—but equally, it was Arsenal's same old failings coming to the fore, and the same old failings of their manager.
United, particularly in defence, were clearly (and understandably) uncertain and cautious in the opening exchanges, with their three-man back line struggling with its positioning time and time again. That allowed Arsenal to push forward and create openings, but while De Gea was frequently tested, the chances were only occasionally from truly dangerous positions.
In the second half, things changed and United grabbed a goal against the run of play. Their second came on the counter-attack, as Arsenal poured way too many people forward in pursuit of an equaliser. Yes, they needed to be more adventurous, but the Gunners did so excessively with plenty of time left on the clock—and it would ultimately cost them dearly.
Substitute Giroud kept the game alive at the death, but by then, a noticeable number of fans inside the Emirates had already left. Wenger will face more criticism in the days and weeks ahead. Could he have changed things sooner to exploit United's defensive issues? Should he have preached a touch more caution when his side went behind? Could more have been done to turn the tide of the game once they went behind?
This is a common story with Arsenal and Wenger—losing the tactical battle in the biggest games. Arsenal never should have lost this game, and bad luck cannot explain entirely why they ultimately did.
Winner: United's Improvised Back Line
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As uncertain as the defence was in the opening 30 minutes, the fact they went on to almost keep a clean sheet over the 90 minutes, and in the process help secure an important win, means the three central defenders deserve a huge amount of credit.
Chris Smalling, on his return to action, looked uncertain in his unfamiliar role as the organiser in the centre of the back three, while Paddy McNair and Tyler Blackett were both exposed for the extremely raw prospects they are on more than one occasion.
But the more the game went on, the more all three adjusted to what was being expected of them. And by the end, they were looking something approaching composed as they fended off wave after wave of Arsenal attacks.
With a nod to Michael Carrick, who was exemplary in a midfield holding role, Van Gaal will undoubtedly be delighted with the effort shown by his young, thrown-together defence.
Loser: Danny Welbeck
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It must have been particularly painful for Danny Welbeck to end up on the losing side, especially as Arsenal dominated for such a large part of the match.
He may yet get his revenge against the boyhood club that let him go, but he will have to wait until at least 2015 now. It was a solid performance from the forward, but not the game-changing one he might have been dreaming of. De Gea denied Welbeck from a couple of good positions to keep him off the score sheet.
Perhaps no player will be more disappointed than Welbeck tonight.
Winner: Wayne Rooney
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Another game, another goal for Wayne Rooney. More importantly, however, his cool finish helped United secure a crucial three points as they look to kick their Champions League qualification campaign into a higher gear.
Angel Di Maria started brighter, but as the game went on it was Rooney who was far and away United's most influential attacking player. He was also presented with the best chance of the game on a breakaway and made no mistake, clipping his shot over Arsenal backup goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez with a calmness that seemed to always evade his opponents.
Rooney has made a habit of scoring goals against Arsenal. But the win and the overall nature of the No. 10's performance are both equally good omens going forward.
Afterwards, Rooney told Sky Sports (via the Daily Star):
"We rode our luck at times, our goalkeeper was fantastic.
We felt they were vulnerable on the break and we hit them with two good goals, which was our game plan.
Paddy McNair and Tyler Blackett have coped really well. This will give us a lot of belief and confidence, it's come at a good time for us, It's been an indifferent start for us but we hope we can go on a good run now. We want to build a bit of momentum going into the new year and see where we are then.
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