On 24 October, 2004 Arsenal played Manchester United at Old Trafford in a premier league fixture that would later become famous – or infamous depending on who you support. Arsenal were on a record breaking 49 match unbeaten run and looked like they would continue it against a new look Man Utd side which featured youngsters like Wayne Rooney, Gabriel Heinz, Darren Fletcher, and Cristiano Ronaldo. In a match which would be referred to as “Pizzagate”, Man Utd beat Arsenal 2-0 thereby ending their unbeaten run. While Arsenal controlled large parts of the game, Man Utd successfully soaked up the pressure and hurt Arsenal on the counter. The match would also become famous for the post match tensions flaring up, something that was a part of the iconic rivalry.
Sunday’s fixture bore some similarities to that “in”famous fixture of 2004. While both giants have fallen in the new era and their rivalry is not as fierce as it used to be, the circumstances were similar. Arsenal have a team which plays like a team and understand what their manager wants from them. They were in the midst of a 5 game unbeaten run and were the favorites to win. They too controlled large parts of the game but ultimately fell to a new look Man Utd side which is still finding its feet. Youngsters like Sancho, Rashford, Antony, and Malacia played a huge role. Two of the remnants of Pizzagate are still at the club, albeit in different roles. Darren Fletcher is the technical director and Cristiano Ronaldo is back at the club after hugely successful stints at Real Madrid and Juventus. He started on the bench as he has most of this season.
Erik Ten Hag received flak for leaving new signing Casemiro on the bench, but it was another Brazilian who vindicated his decision. Record signing Antony made his debut for Man Utd and scored after a brilliant counter attack pulled Arsenal out of shape. A second half brace from a resurgent Rashford put the game beyond Arsenal. Their game management was perfect and despite conceding in the 60th minute, they always looked comfortable soaking up the pressure. Fan will be encouraged by Ronaldo’s performance who came on for Antony in the 58th minute. He showed good tactical awareness and acted as a focal point for the team. The only thing missing was a goal, but CR7 will score – he is inevitable. Another composed showing from the defensive quartet of Malacia, Martinez, Varane, and Dalot ensured Arsenal barely had a look in.
Arsenal played well and controlled proceedings, but were halted by a disciplined Man Utd. They had a goal disallowed in the 11th minute after Odegaard was judged to have fouled Eriksen in the build up. A second half equalizer by Saka acted as a consolation as Marcus Rashford scored just 6 minutes later. That goal killed Arsenal’s momentum and they never looked likely to get back into the game. However, Arsenal would rue some missed opportunities and inability to make use of their dominance of the ball. Manager Mikel Arteta would definitely have noticed how easily his team were pulled out of shape for all three goals.
Overall, it was a cracking game of football with brilliant passing and effort shown by both sets of players. Man Utd will be buzzing going into their first Europa League fixture with the understanding, that this was not their best starting XI. They have a long way to go before they can implement their manager’s vision, but the signs are promising. Arsenal need to dust themselves off and prepare for their Europa League fixture. These losses happen and there is no reason to panic.
