Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw against Arsenal in a thrilling encounter at Old Trafford.
Sadly, Man United’s victory was not to be as a shocking moment of magic by Declan Rice levelled the score line.
Three minutes in, disaster almost struck when Andre Onana made a short pass to Leny Yoro under significant pressure from the Arsenal front line. Arsenal intercepted the ball soon after, with Mikel Merino coming close to scoring right in front of goal, had Onana not reacted in time. It was a poor lapse in judgement from the United goalkeeper.
Soon after, Martin Odegaard rushed into the hosts’ final third, flicking the ball to Merino whose shot breezed wide.
It was a worrying start to the match for United, with the visitors dictating the flow of play and putting them under pressure with fast, intricate passing. The hosts, in contrast, were struggling to string together successive passes, with players failing to find open space and support their teammates.
11 minutes in, Alejandro Garnacho raced down the right flank, passing to Noussair Mazraoui in the centre, who was heavily marked. He was adjudged to handle the ball, however.
Nine minutes later, Arsenal were applying pressure to the United back line yet again. Odegaard took a grounded effort from outside the box that Onana managed to scoop up.
25 minutes in, Matthijs de Ligt collided with Merino, slumping to the ground in pain.
Eight minutes later, Leandro Trossard hit a shot wide. It was just one-way traffic up until that point.
With four minutes of stoppage time awarded, Garnacho was brought down on the edge of the box by Trossard, who was booked for his efforts. Suddenly, United had a prime opportunity to score before the break.
Captain Bruno Fernandes squared up the ball, taking a deep breath before belting in an unstoppable shot to send United into the lead. Old Trafford erupted following the Portuguese skipper’s phenomenal strike.
While the referee blew the half-time whistle at a questionable time, with United on the counter, it was a sweet ending to a difficult half for the hosts.
Manager Ruben Amorim would have no doubt looked to maintain his team’s composure as they sought to safeguard their lead in the second half.
Ahead of the second half, Amorim decided to make his first substitution. New signing Ayden Heaven came on for Leny Yoro, who appeared to be hobbling near the end of the first half.
Straight after the restart, United were on the attack. Mazraoui threaded the ball through the Garnacho on the wing, whose pass to the centre was cut out for a throw in. It was a positive start to the second half for United.
Odegaard took a shot from distance, earning Arsenal a corner. An unmarked Declan Rice awaited a cross on the edge of the box, taking a volley that flew far over the top.
54 minutes in, Diogo Dalot lost his mark as he blazed down the left wing, lobbing the ball over the Mazraoui in the centre of the box. Mazraoui’s shot was saved by David Raya, with the ball going just inches wide of the post.
Near the hour mark, Zirkzee came agonisingly close to scoring yet Raya had the awareness to stop his close-range effort. Suddenly, it appeared as if United were becoming increasingly likely to double their lead.
In the 74th minute, Arsenal found an equaliser through Declan Rice, who received the ball on the edge of the box from Jurrien Timber. Rice thumped the ball with his first touch, sending it past the defence and into the far corner.
With 15 minutes to go, Rasmus Hojlund and Toby Collyer came on to replace Eriksen and Zirkzee.
Soon after, United came close to scoring when De Ligt got on the end of a threatening cross and headed the ball goalwards, only for Raya to make a comfortable catch.
With nine minutes left to play, Gabriel Martinelli thumped a hard shot at goal from the right which Onana did well to parry out for a corner. The United defence held steady to break down another Arsenal attack.
Hojlund received the ball in the box in what was a lucrative scoring opportunity. Unfortunately, he hesitated, allowing himself to be dispossessed.
Two minutes later, United were on another counter as Collyer sent the ball to Hojlund in the centre. Again, the Dane appeared to be unprepared, with Arsenal cutting out the pass.
On the 90th minute mark, Garnacho took a speculative shot, veering just over the crossbar. Four minutes of added time were then announced, meaning that United could perhaps find a late winner.
Just then, Arsenal came desperately close to finding a winner. Trossard struck a snapshot at the goal, with Onana tipping the effort into the path of Martinelli, whose shot veered wide despite being from such close range.
Mazraoui embarked on an explosive run seconds later, sending the ball to Fernandes whose effort was saved. Just then, Raya dropped back to tip the rebound out of danger just inches before the ball crossed the goal line.