How Arsenal recorded an important win over Manchester United

Arsenal took a vital three points against Manchester United on Sunday, leapfrogging them above United into fourth place and just one point behind Tottenham. A long-range strike from Granit Xhaka followed by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s penalty in the second half allowed Unai Emery’s side to end Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s unbeaten league streak as United manager. The game itself was end-to-end, laden with chances for either side. United failed to capitalise on their chances, hitting the bar twice while Arsenal could have scored a couple of more goals as well.

Lineups 

Unai Emery sent out a very positive looking Arsenal side following their disappointing loss to Rennes in the Europa League. Shifting to a three-man defence, Arsenal lined up in a 3-4-1-2 with Nacho Monreal playing as the third centre-back along with Sokratis and Laurent Koscielny. Sead Kolasinac and Ainsley Maitland-Niles took up positions as the wing-backs. In midfield, Granit Xhaka operated as the deep-lying playmaker alongside Aaron Ramsey. Forwards Alexandre Lacazette and Aubameyang started together in front of Mesut Ozil as an attacking midfielder.  The lineup was a clear indication that Emery wanted to take the game to United but provide additional defensive reinforcement as well.

The visitors lined up in a 4-4-2 with Lukaku and Rashford leading the line. Diogo Dalot played as a right winger and Pogba was allowed the freedom to operate in central midfield. United were faced with a long list of injured players which forced Solskjaer to play a relatively weaker side than the one that beat Arsenal in the FA Cup in January. Chris Smalling played alongside Victor Lindelof in defence due to the continued absence of Eric Bailly. United sorely missed Ander Herrera and Jesse Lingard as well.

Balanced Arsenal side and smart pressing 

Unai Emery has chopped and changed a lot this season, frequently switching systems and personnel. The team that beat United was very well balanced, especially in defence and midfield. The defensive trio linked with the wing-backs and midfield very well. Arsenal frequently rotated between a four and five-man defence during the game itself. Kolasinac’s attacking aggression was used very well as the Bosnian was a great outlet at wing-back but at the same time was able to assist Monreal.

Similarly, Aaron Ramsey’s presence in midfield was very important in keeping Pogba quiet. The Welshman recorded eight tackles and two interceptions recording a second immense performance in the Premier League in the space of a week. When in possession, Maitland-Niles and Kolasinac would operate as wide midfielders supporting the attack and when Arsenal lost the ball, the duo would drop into a more defensive shape forming a five-man defence.

Maitland-Niles and Kolasinac push higher up the pitch while Lacazette and Aubameyang prepare to make diagonal runs between the defenders. This is how Arsenal coped with their lack of wide players

When out of possession, Arsenal dropped into a defensive five at the back

Arsenal’s pressing curtailed United’s freedom and really made them struggle in the initial stages. Emery set up his side to press in packs with only certain players tasked with actually harrying the opposition. Xhaka was more conservative in his pressing while Ramsey, Lacazette and Aubameyang were allowed to press relentlessly. The attacking duo caused lots of trouble to United’s defenders, constantly forcing errors.

An interesting aspect of the pressing, Aubameyang and Lacazette would shift wider to press United’s full-backs better

Midfield triumvirate

The Gunners’ midfield was pivotal in the win, particularly the balance and restraint shown without compromising on an attacking mindset. Xhaka operated in his favoured role deep in midfield and the Swiss star really does become a completely different animal when in a midfield setup that suits him. On the night, Ramsey and Ozil played in front of Xhaka and both were tasked with pressing United more and freeing up space for Xhaka to enjoy more time on the ball and pick his passes.

With Ramsey’s tireless running alongside Xhaka’s defensive duties, Pogba found it difficult to make an impact on the game. Similarly, as Ozil dropped into deeper roles, Matic’s utility to United waned as Arsenal preferred to concentrate attacks from wider areas. The stats of Arsenal’s midfielders were impressive as Xhaka, Ramsey and Ozil registered 79, 63 and 44 touches respectively. The Swiss midfielder made 69 passes, the highest for his side as he excelled as the midfield metronome.

Xhaka sits deep as Ozil and Ramsey maintain their positions. Ozil was slightly subdued but put in a defensive shift nonetheless and aided the side during transitions. Xhaka would intelligently position himself between United’s split strikers and between their lines

Ozil and Ramsey rotated while moving into the final third to ensure that Xhaka wasn’t left exposed. The space in midfield opened passing lanes to Kolasinac and Maitland-Niles as well

The element of luck

Arsenal were very good but also enjoyed a great deal of luck against United. The visitors hit the post twice and created many chances for themselves which they struggled to finish. Bernd Leno made a string of great saves that kept the home side in the game. United’s split strikers were able to operate in the gaps between Arsenal’s defenders but were closed down quickly to ensure they couldn’t capitalize on the same. Leno’s fantastic form has gone under the radar quite a bit but the German has been exceptional over the past few weeks. Leno has ironed out the errors that dotted his initial performances for the side and his reflexes and reactionary saves, as well as positioning, have been exceptional.

Final word

Unai Emery’s Arsenal ensured that the fight for Champions League qualification is in their own hands with a very important win against Manchester United, a game in which few gave the home side a chance, given United’s recent exploits in the Champions League.

Arsenal now play Rennes in the Europa League with the difficult task of overturning a 3-1 deficit. Emery is sure to field a similarly attacking lineup against the French side and Arsenal will need to be clinical yet cautious of the counter-attacking prowess of Rennes. The win against United is an indicator of how Arsenal have improved against fellow top-six sides in the league this season. The Gunners have registered wins against United, Chelsea and Spurs at home along with a draw to Liverpool and away at United.

Arsenal are far more sensible and pragmatic coming into these games, looking to exploit opposition weaknesses rather than carelessly overload in attack as they have in the past.