LONDON —For Erik ten Hag this was a sport misplaced in moments, 4 of them to be exact. His Manchester United facet had merited greater than they received in a 3-1 defeat to Arsenal, one secured within the dying minutes by way of Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus. Nonetheless, a cocktail of selections that the supervisor judged to have been incorrect in the end introduced concerning the guests’ downfall at a jubilant Emirates Stadium.
Starting with a penalty to Arsenal awarded after which rescinded by Anthony Taylor, who concluded there had been inadequate contact on Kai Havertz to advantage a spot kick, Ten Hag felt aggrieved. On this occasion it was that the German had not then obtained a reserving for diving. Replays prompt there was contact, however not of the significant stage to immediate a penalty.
From there got here a cavalcade of dramatic late moments resulting in Rice volleying in from a nook, one the place Ten Hag believed Gabriel was hindering Jonny Evans makes an attempt to play the ball. Earlier on, the Arsenal defender had been grappling with substitute Rasmus Hojlund within the space, United appeals waived away by Taylor. Moments later it appeared Alejandro Garnacho had received it, bursting in behind the Gunners backline, just for VAR to conclude that the younger winger had accelerated simply past Gabriel into an offside place.
Please verify the opt-in field to acknowledge that you just wish to subscribe.
Thanks for signing up!
Regulate your inbox.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.
“The efficiency was proper however the outcome was not on our facet,” mentioned Ten Hag. “Positively, many choices have been in opposition to us.
“Let’s begin on the penalty given however rejected. Everybody sees it is a [dive] however [Havertz does not] get booked for it. Then, foul on [Rasmus] Hojlund within the penalty space, not even seen I do not suppose, not even by the VAR. Then the disallowed aim by Garnacho, I believe flawed angle, I believe it is onside.
“The [second] aim, how can they permit that aim? It is a clear and apparent foul on Jonny Evans, who ought to have blocked the shot from Declan Rice. There’s so much.”
Normally it’s straightforward to see why Ten Hag may really feel aggrieved although what angle he would suggest for confirming that Garnacho was onside was not clear. Equally, none of Taylor’s selections stood out as egregious errors and Arteta may effectively have been the one coming into the Emirates Stadium media room with a face like thunder if his facet had dropped factors after the Havertz penalty was overruled.
Put aside these cases and Ten Hag had an altogether extra constructive evaluation of the 100-plus minutes that constituted maybe the sport of the season to this point. “Our efficiency was excellent. I can’t say that we have been good, it isn’t potential at this stage of the sport. There’s positively room for enchancment but when we see in respect of compactness, urgent, transferring with the ball, making counters, in possession: very calm. We by no means gave Arsenal the chance to press us once we have been taking part in below their stress.
“The following stage, we may have accomplished that higher. To get the following move has to do with the motion in the correct moments. There have been loads of positives on this sport. It is logical that at this stage of the season there’s room for enchancment.”
It’s simpler to agree with Ten Hag’s perception that there’s room for enchancment than that United have been particularly good. Undeniably, that they had their moments and so they stay as devastating a power in transition as they’ve been all through latest years. When Marcus Rashford discovered himself remoted with Ben White within the twenty seventh minute the end result felt inevitable as he crafted simply sufficient house to bend a shot out of Aaron Ramsdale’s attain.
Andre Onana’s presence between the posts has instantly quelled the hazard that comes when any opponent presses the United backline. There was one thing of the excessive wire act to how Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof, each pressured off by way of damage within the second half, handled the ball when their goalkeeper clipped it over an Arsenal ahead and into their path, however that needs to be set in opposition to the one second the place United seemed like a completely fashionable workforce, Onana slipping a ball in behind Eddie Nketiah, permitting Lisandro Martinez to drive ahead. That second led to one of many guests’ finest probabilities, Anthony Martial drawing a save from Ramsdale earlier than William Saliba blocked Rashford on the rebound.
Nonetheless, this was a workforce with treasured few concepts on tips on how to advance themselves into Arsenal territory. The guests may need had 45 p.c possession — and certainly extra of the ball within the first half — however an excessive amount of of it was in areas the place they have been those in peril, hunted by Martin Odegaard’s pack of urgent Arsenal attackers. When the damaging Gabriel Martinelli alone has only one fewer contact in your third of the pitch than your complete entrance 4 have in Arsenal’s, the sector is tilting in opposition to you.
Ten Hag may need targeted on the choices of officers, on one other day Arteta may need been bemoaning the clear lower shut vary probabilities missed by Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka. As a substitute, he was in altogether extra playful temper, laughing off the newest rush of Emirates endorphins. “I instructed them yesterday that was what was gonna occur,” he mentioned when requested if his gamers had deliberate for one more grandstand end. “I did not need to inform the gang in order that there was a little bit of emotion there.”
That there actually was, the swing of Rice’s boot unleashing a roar of deafening power. This was not Arsenal at their finest for 90 minutes, however for a lot of the sport they have been significantly better. Martinelli particularly barging to the byline at will while Eddie Nketiah knitted the assault along with elan. Restoring final season’s system through which Oleksandr Zinchenko inverts into midfield introduced far higher zip to the Gunners passing, although his drifting ever additional to the correct flank does make one marvel if too many lodging are being made to get Rice in his favourite spots on the left facet of midfield.
There are foibles to this workforce too, however inside that they nonetheless managed to dictate the phrases of this sport. The important thing moments won’t have swung Ten Hag’s method however neither did the steadiness of the competition as a complete. In such circumstances it’s maybe no nice shock that the outcome finally favored Arsenal.
