After a dominant display against City at home on Saturday last week, Michael Carrick faced yet another tough challenge in his interim spell, as he travelled to the league leaders and favourites for several competitions this season in the form of Arsenal. The hosts were unbeaten at home going into the game, so after United went behind in the 29th minute, you could be forgiven for thinking this could be a bump in the road to the early momentum that Carrick had instilled.

What happened instead however, was that United produced 3 terrific goals of top quality (and a bit of good fortune for Mbeumo), demonstrating the ‘United DNA’ once again as the clash of styles gave United even more plaudits while questions rise over Arsenal’s title credentials.

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Teams

Arsenal: Raya, Hincapie (White 58′), Gabriel, Saliba, Timber, Rice, Zubimendi (Eze 58′), Odegaard (Merino 58′), Trossard (Madueke 75′), Jesus (Gyokeres 58′), Saka

Subs: Kepa, Mosquera, Lewis-Skelly, Martinelli

Manchester United: Lammens, Shaw, Martinez, Maguire, Dalot, Mainoo, Casemiro, Dorgu (Sesko 81′), Fernandes, Amad (Mazraoui 88′), Mbeumo (Cunha 69′)

Subs: Bayindir, Heaven, Yoro, Malacia, Ugarte, Mount

Arsenal 2-3 Manchester United

Manchester United produced a stirring comeback to defeat Arsenal 3–2 at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, delivering one of the most dramatic results of the Premier League season. In a match packed with momentum swings and late drama, United overturned a deficit twice to leave north London with three invaluable points and reignite the title race.

Arsenal started confidently and controlled much of the first half, probing patiently and pressing United into errors. Their breakthrough came in the 29th minute when Lisandro Martínez, under pressure in his own penalty area, inadvertently diverted the ball into his own net. The goal lifted the home crowd and seemed to confirm Arsenal’s authority, with Mikel Arteta’s side looking well on course as they dictated possession.

United responded impressively, refusing to retreat. Eight minutes later, Bryan Mbeumo capitalised on a loose pass in midfield, driving forward before firing a low strike beyond the goalkeeper to level the score. That equaliser changed the complexion of the contest, and United carried that momentum into the second half. Shortly after the restart, young full-back Patrick Dorgu announced himself on the big stage with a thunderous long-range effort that crashed in off the crossbar, putting the visitors ahead.

Arsenal pushed back relentlessly as the match entered its closing stages, committing numbers forward in search of an equaliser. Their pressure finally paid off in the 84th minute when Mikel Merino reacted quickest inside the box to turn home from close range, sending the Emirates into full voice and setting up a frantic finale.

The decisive moment arrived just three minutes later. Matheus Cunha found space on the edge of the area and curled a superb strike into the corner, silencing the home crowd and sealing a memorable 3–2 victory for United. Arsenal threw everything forward in stoppage time, but United held firm, leaving with a statement win that underlined their resilience and dealt a significant blow to Arsenal’s title momentum.

Talking Points

The first talking point once again has to be Michael Carrick’s management of the squad. With a genuine harmony and positive atmosphere, they look up for a fight, players are finding their best roles and some of the silky football on display is being mixed with a genuine cohesion in the setup both attacking and defensively. Given his 2 interim spells have resulted in some very tough fixtures, Carrick remains unbeaten, and produced yet another 3-2 win over Arteta’s side. With this result in the bag, United are now looking on course for their Champions League spot, and so the questions over the long-term appointment become even more uncertain, as a long run to finish the season could see the former United midfielder force his way into the top spot for the top job.

On the pitch, the quality was once again flowing in attack, with Patrick Dorgu producing one of the goals of the season. His higher role under Carrick underlines the energy he has to do both the attacking and defensive side of the game, and while he’s an unconventional winger for the modern game, he has got an underrated level of technical and attacking ability which has seen him become a real goal threat for United in recent weeks. Given the criticism just a few weeks ago from Amorim over his anxiety on the ball and lack of confidence, this is a player reborn under new management. It is a shame that he will now miss up to 10 weeks with a confirmed hamstring injury, but his flexibility on the left side of United’s XI mean he will certainly find a spot upon his return.

Finally, the last player I wanted to pick out was Lisandro Martinez. While he wasn’t on the scoresheet, and was actually the player who scored an own-goal for Arsenal’s first, his ability to shake this off and continue to be strong in defensive situations and in particular his distribution on the ball is top quality. While his physicality will always be under question given the nature of the opposition in this game, he is up for a fight, and with Lammens often giving Martinez the ball to start an attacking phase, he can thread a pass through the eye of a needle, which I’m interested to consider if a run in central midfield would be completely out of the question in a Casemiro type role.