Charles Jackson
On a day when many of Arsenal’s greatest technical qualities deserted them, William Saliba showed the steel of champions. A fearless, determined and young Manchester United approached their task with admirable purpose. They just never smelled it. In so many trips to Old Trafford since Sylvain Wiltord won the league in 2002, United have looked bigger, stronger and smarter. Not on Sunday. Saliba was like the playground bully. Alejandro Garnacho and Amad Diallo could swing and attack, but like Scrappy Doo, they couldn’t put a glove on the big bad.
It wasn’t so easy for Saliba’s other teammates. For 36 games, Arsenal kept their demons at bay. In the graveyard of so many of his contemporaries over the past 20 years and changes, they were frightened. There are few more convincing explanations for a timid and slow first half, in which those second-ball voids ricocheted off Manchester United’s bodies, carelessly distributing the ball from their own third, wasting too much time to hit it at their opponents.
Thomas Partey’s headed defeat was a relic of last season’s Arsenal, a team that may have been hampered by injuries but never got back into the game because they were too involved in the moment. Five brilliant minutes to start the game were almost undone when he tried to deceive Scott McTominay, whose flick on the ball helped Rasmus Hojlund shoot high and wide. The Ghanaian threw himself to the ground when Amad Diallo attacked in the box. There was never a convincing case for a United penalty, but Partey was positioning himself to do something very damaging.
A better United would have punished the clumsiness that extended to generally cold hands like Ben White, Bukayo Saka and even Declan Rice. Erik ten Hag didn’t have the opportunity to name that kind of team, but the youngsters he highlighted were determined to seize the moment. Diallo played with a vigor that makes you wonder why, other than the fact that his manager invested so much political capital in him, Antony was given so many chances on the right wing. Many of Garnacho’s crosses were from last season’s most wasted crop. He was most effective when hitting the byline, firing crosses where Hojlund or McTominay should have been.
You can’t fault the industry of this young team, but without Mason Mount or Marcus Rashford, let alone Bruno Fernandes, they lacked the guile needed to break down England’s best defense. United’s performance was typified by Kobbie Mainoo. He missed just two of his 51 passes, but the youngster often looked behind him, giving lateral control without penetration. Frankly, only one of the two was a major step forward from the team that botched things so badly at Crystal Palace on Monday night.
It may have been typified by young people, but it was defined by an altogether more experienced figure. You wouldn’t know Casemiro was this type as he dropped back into the rest of the defense when André Onana kicked the ball into midfield. Saliba, as he did so often, won the duel and Kai Havertz knew it. Shouting for the ball to come immediately towards him, he succeeded with Casemiro placing him on the wing by a margin of around five meters.
If you wanted to offer extenuating circumstances, that a career defensive midfielder often doesn’t have to worry about being the last player back, they were rather let down by the tame way in which he saved Havertz’s cross. A player with more than 650 career games knows that he should attack a cut instead of letting Leandro Trossard pass it into the net.
Arsenal had a chance to win the game away from home, particularly as counter-attacking opportunities arose when Gabriel Martinelli was introduced. Last year’s most determined and confident winger wouldn’t always need an extra touch before firing between three United defenders and onto Onana’s left arm.
It wasn’t much, but it was more than Manchester United created. Part of that was down to his team’s shortcomings, but much was down to the Arsenal players who came through the closing stages with composure, none more so than Saliba. As Garnacho advanced towards his box, he stood his ground, drawing footsteps, knowing they would be the perfect moment to step forward and regain possession.
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When Arsenal needed to brace themselves against pressure of their own making, they did. From the 77 minutes until the final whistle, United registered just one shot. Throughout the entire match, they only allowed four shots in the penalty area, all from the direct Garnacho. They challenged the young Argentine to beat them and when he couldn’t, United had nothing left to exploit. When the clock became his greatest weapon, David Raya sat on every cross. Jakub Kiwior and Jorginho entered the fight, as a precaution.
Their nerves were frayed, their possession game was shaky, but when the stakes were as high as they have been for a generation, Arsenal got the job done. The title race will go to the last day. They may find out in seven days’ time that they haven’t done enough to stay ahead of Manchester City, but Mikel Arteta’s men will at least make the champions win again.
