Arsenal vs. Manchester United: Score and Reaction from 2015 Premier League Match

Arsenal produced a scorching opening 20 minutes to set up an easy 3-0 win over Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, leapfrogging the Red Devils in the table in the process.

The Gunners dominated the first half, blitzing the United defence and scoring three times in the opening quarter of the contest. Alexis Sanchez first pushed the ball past David De Gea with a lovely backheel and then doubled his tally in the 19th minute, with Mesut Ozil bagging himself a goal in between those two. The German's goal came just a minute after Sanchez's opener, taking full advantage of a reeling United side.

It was smooth sailing from that point forward for the Gunners, who sit just two points behind first place in the Premier League after the win. United are third, also two points behind Manchester City.

As shared by BBC 5 Live Sport, Petr Cech returned to the starting XI for Arsenal in the wake of David Ospina's poor showing in the Champions League, while Louis van Gaal once again trusted Anthony Martial to lead the United attack:

From the opening whistle, the Gunners pushed forward, seemingly determined to erase the memories of the Champions League loss against Olympiakos, arguably the worst match the team has played this campaign.

It took the hosts just six minutes to draw first blood after Daley Blind failed to properly clear a ball. Aaron Ramsey found Ozil out on the wing, and he crossed the ball into the path of Sanchez. The Chilean produced a lovely backheel to put the Gunners ahead, although De Gea could have done better, per Bleacher Report's Sam Tighe:

Sportswriter Liam was shocked:

United were shaken from the early setback, but things were about to get worse. Almost straight from the restart, Ozil found Theo Walcott, who isolated the Germany international in front of De Gea with a clever pass. The in-form midfielder didn't miss, sending the Emirates Stadium into a delirium.

Leading by two goals, the Gunners finally took their foot off the gas, allowing United some breathing space in midfield. Martial did well to tee up Wayne Rooney, but the England international couldn't get his shot off in time.

Chances were few for the Red Devils, however, and the Gunners were absurdly efficient whenever they broke into United's box. Sanchez is finally starting to find his best form again, and he highlighted that by scoring his second goal after just 19 minutes, dribbling past Matteo Darmian before blasting home.

Sport Witness was in awe:

Santi Cazorla nearly produced a fourth goal, freeing himself up with a little header before blasting a volley wide of the goal. Arsenal completely overran United's midfield, with Bastian Schweinsteiger and Michael Carrick looking lost.

The visitors enjoyed a nice spell of possession midway through the first half, with Arsenal content to aim for the counter-attack, and Walcott in particular looked dangerous against United's static back line. Ramsey should have added a fourth after a great ball in from Sanchez, but, per Bleacher Report's James McNicholas, the Welshman couldn't get his shot on target:

Rooney highlighted his lack of form by chipping a ball directly into the arms of Cech, to the delight of the home fans. Martial nearly converted the best chance of the half for United, only to find the veteran goalkeeper in his path once again.

At half-time, Simon Peach of the Press Association was anything but impressed with United:

Antonio Valencia and Marouane Fellaini were introduced at half-time in an attempt to add both pace and physicality to the Red Devils side, but Arsenal remained in control in midfield. Ozil had two attempts on goal from a free-kick, blasting his initial shot into the wall before firing wide.

Rooney once again struggled on Sunday, but following the addition of Fellaini, the prolific forward started getting his foot in the door. He drew a fine save from Cech with an arching shot toward the bottom corner, and McNicholas thought the Gunners were starting to come under some real pressure:

On the other side of the pitch, Ozil had a golden opportunity to double his tally, but the German's shot was too close to De Gea. The miss hardly mattered, as United failed to truly threaten Cech, despite their dominance in possession in the second half. Arsenal's defence looked solid and composed and more than held its own against the speedy Martial.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain came closest to adding another goal, hitting the crossbar for Arsenal, before the official brought an end to this one-sided match.

The Gunners' win on Sunday was a huge statement toward the rest of the league with an eye on the title race. Arsene Wenger's men bounced back from a tough defeat in midweek and thoroughly dominated one of the top teams in the Premier League, giving up few chances and almost scoring at will.

For the Red Devils, the loss makes it very clear Van Gaal's men aren't ready to hang with the Premier League's elite sides, but if United keep winning the matches they're supposed to win, they'll remain in the thick of the title race. United will face a tricky trip to Everton in Week 9, while Arsenal will take on Watford. 

Post-Match Reaction

When asked why Arsenal can't play at such a high level every week, Wenger told reporters that's simply not physically possible, via ESPN FC's Ben Dinnery:

Van Gaal was "surprised" his players performed as poorly as they did, per the Guardian's Daniel Taylor: 

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