Arsenal’s deadly corner routines prove too much for Manchester United
Never in the history of football has a team been such a threat from corners. It is hard to recall danger being created so often. Being created from every sniper-accurate delivery, in fact.
Those corners are Arsenal’s lethal weapon; they are their super-strength and so they struck twice more to deservedly gain the victory that cut Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League to seven points.
With Chelsea hammering Southampton Arsenal actually dropped down to third on goal difference but, make no mistake, this win over Manchester United was one of their most impressive of this campaign such was the maturity they showed. Once ahead they took a chokehold on the game.
In doing so Mikel Arteta inflicted a first defeat on United’s new head Ruben Amorim in what was his fourth game in charge and his biggest test so far. In fairness Amorim once more rotated his squad, making six more changes to his XI and getting finally fit summer signing Leny Yoro onto the pitch as a second-half substitute for his debut, as he tries to work out what he has inherited. It confirmed again the scale of the task.
Without a doubt United are better-organised under Amorim but, by the end, he was sat with his head in his hands. He had warned that his side would be found out in some games as he bravely implements his ideas and makes changes. That proved prescient as they were found out here.
“The set pieces changed the game,” he said. “Until the set pieces the game didn’t have too many opportunities for both sides, the set pieces killed the game.
“They can put a lot of players near the goalkeeper and it’s almost impossible to fight for the ball but we have to manage to defend them and we already know we have to be better.”
The Arsenal fans sang “corners again ole ole!” and it really is remarkable. They are to corners and set-pieces what Tony Pulis’ Stoke City in their pomp were to long throw-ins and are even more effective.
Such is their accuracy it is like watching some kind of corner simulator on a computer game.
That is not a slight. Arsenal can play. But they can also dog it out and it is now 22 goals from set-pieces since the start of last season, more than any other team in the Premier League.
Much has been made of the involvement of set-piece coach Nicolas Jover who is such a visible presence in the technical area when they are earned. But credit where it is due.
Just how do Arsenal do it? What is astonishing is that opponents almost appear fearful. Arsenal even try and create more tension with Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice walking over slowly to take them. “It’s more just seeing clips and I know the weight I need to put on the ball and it’s just about repetition,” Rice said.
Teams know what is coming but they do not seem capable of stopping it and, for this game, Arsenal remorselessly targeted what they obviously felt was Andre Onana’s weakness under pressure. Their accuracy at pinpointing their delivery into a crowded six-yard area and onto Onana was unerring and he struggled.
Still that does not explain it all. They are a big side. But so too are United. Arsenal’s movement is canny as they line up beyond the far post and break forward but that is not unexpected. They block off. But so do other teams. The delivery is precise – and that is key – but, again, it is not unexpected. And yet teams cannot cope.
“It was one of the best [set-piece performances], we could’ve scored more and I’m very pleased with that,” Arteta said as Arsenal celebrated their 500th game at this stadium.
They even did it without their commander of corners Gabriel Magalhaes, who had created the chaos in the weekend romp away to West Ham United, but was missing through injury. Instead it was two other defenders who scored with Jurrien Timber collecting his first Arsenal goal – and their 100th of 2024 – to break the deadlock and William Saliba adding the second.
Saliba knew little about it as Thomas Partey headed the ball back across goal from beyond the far post – striking his team-mate before flying into the net. But Saliba was in the right area, putting pressure on United. All Partey had done was run forward, then check out and run back and it was enough to out-fox United and create the space.
Man Utd just CANNOT DEAL with Arsenal's corners! 😯
The Gunners have their second goal thanks to William Saliba! ✌️#PLonPrime #ARSMUN pic.twitter.com/N2JQ105S8Q— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 4, 2024
Before that Timber had rose to beat Rasmus Hojlund at the near post and glance a header. Again it seemed too easy and so devastatingly effective which, of course, is the beauty of its simplicity. Just as the ball went in news filtered through of Liverpool’s draw at Newcastle United.
Arsenal just LOVE scoring from set-pieces!
Jurrien Timber glances his header into the net to hand the Gunners a lead over Man Utd! #PLonPrime #ARSMUN pic.twitter.com/x3Nv5JTmeQ— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 4, 2024
Undoubtedly there could have been even more goals from corners with Partey guilty of an early, glaring miss as he headed wide from close range and Manuel Ugarte heading off the line as substitute Joshua Zirkzee inadvertently turned yet another corner goalwards. Even in injury-time Onana just about got away with it as he tried to punch another deadly delivery away. It really is some sight to behold.
United offered little threat – beyond a Matthijs de Ligt header excellently pushed away by David Raya at 1-0 and a shot from Diogo Dalot – and can have no complaints. The corners had broken United who are trying to turn a corner under Amorim.
10:27 PM GMT
William Saliba speaks to Amazon Prime
We did well today again. The coach of set-pieces helps us a lot. No Gabriel today so we had to step up. We scored two on set-pieces and we are happy because it was tough.
We try not to give the clue to the opponent of whether we go first post or second post. In the first half we went first post a lot but in the second half we scored at the second post.
Gabriel is a great player for us but Kiwior today played very, very well.
We had a good first half, we had good intentions but in the second half we wanted to start well. The manager said we had to do a bit more in the last metre.
We played this coach when he was at Sporting so we knew how they would press us defensively.
I didn’t know the Liverpool score until I went to dressing room. We have to keep going. The Premier League goes quick, a lot of games to play. First we focus on ourselves. We were first two years ago [and got caught].
Chelsea have a good team, Liverpool are flying, City are not so good at the moment but we know they will be back. We need to keep winning.
10:19 PM GMT
Declan Rice speaks
Massive. What a night, we knew it would be a test. They’ve looked good the last couple of games.
You have to believe in your process, we keep at it all the time. We never get bored. When you go up for a corner it’s a time to score, not a time to relax and chill. Because of the game schedule it’s hard to practise but it’s repetition, more watching clips at the moment.
When you have a blip you get written off. We stuck together as a group and we now start to see the turn of that.
People get carried away with title talk. You need to be in and around at February time. It’s closer [now Liverpool have dropped two points] but we keep believing in ourselves and see what happens.
10:06 PM GMT
Full time: Arsenal 2 Man Utd 0
Manchester United set up well in the first half to thwart Arsenal but couldn’t cope when the home side upped the tempo, won corner after corner and the set-piece kings made two of them count.
Arsenal close the gap to Liverpool to seven points.
10:05 PM GMT
90+3 min: Arsenal 2 Man Utd 0
Arsenal happy now just to keep the ball and the fans olé every successful pass. One minute to go.
10:03 PM GMT
90+2 min: Arsenal 2 Man Utd 0
Another vicious inswinging Rice corner. Onana punches it after a near-post flick-on into the back of one of his own defenders and De Ligt lumps a clearance away.
10:02 PM GMT
90 min: Arsenal 2 Man Utd 0
Yoro and De Ligt combine to thwart Trossard after he was sent up the left by a fine Rice pass. Yoro forced him inside and De Ligt completed the block. Another corner, though.
Jorginho → Odegaard.
10:00 PM GMT
89 min: Arsenal 2 Man Utd 0
Alan Shearer names Declan Rice as his man of the match and I doubt many would quibble with that verdict.
09:58 PM GMT
87 min: Arsenal 2 Man Utd 0
Bruno slides it down the side of the wall to Antony who catches Arsenal by surprise but his centre is too close to Raya and the early promise fizzles out.
09:57 PM GMT
85 min: Arsenal 2 Man Utd 0
Man Utd free-kick to the left of the D after Kiwior swiped his right foot across Zirkzee’s shins. Bruno lines it up.
09:55 PM GMT
83 min: Arsenal 2 Man Utd 0
Fab block by Mazraoui when Odegaard shoots with his left from 15 yards after Trossard’s attempt to slalom through the box was disrupted by a defender’s toe.
09:54 PM GMT
81 min: Arsenal 2 Man Utd 0
Partey bends a pass down the outside right for Saka to gather at full pelt. He hares down the wing and crosses but Yoro gets there before Trossard to divert it behind.
And for once the corner is a dud, Bruno heading it away before the near post.
09:52 PM GMT
79 min: Arsenal 2 Man Utd 0
Antony → Hojlund.
All Arsenal now.
09:50 PM GMT
77 min: Arsenal 2 Man Utd 0
Havertz is played down the left of the box and thumps an angled shot that Onana blocks with his chest at the price of a corner. Rice hooks the latest corner under the crossbar and Onana slaps it behind.
Saka takes the next one and puts it flush on Merino’s head and the sub tries to steer it in at the right post but bludgeons it past.
Every corner gives Manchester United the heebie-jeebies.
Arsenal’s dominance at set pieces almost feels like a cheat code. United might feel a little aggrieved, having defended so well in open play for so long, but if you can’t defend set pieces then you can’t win football matches.
The Arsenal fans are singing “set piece again, ole ole”.
09:45 PM GMT
GOAL!
Arsenal 2 Man Utd 0 (Saliba) Saka takes the corner deep. Partey peels off and heads it firmly back across goal and it hits Saliba on the tuchas a yard out and goes past Onana. Quick VAR check for offside and the goal stands.
Man Utd just CANNOT DEAL with Arsenal's corners! 😯
The Gunners have their second goal thanks to William Saliba! ✌️#PLonPrime #ARSMUN pic.twitter.com/N2JQ105S8Q— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 4, 2024
09:44 PM GMT
73 min: Arsenal 1 Man Utd 0
Bruno bravely blocks Rice’s pile-driver, egged on by the crowd to shoot. The crowd, in turn, were egged on by Arteta and now by Odegaard when they earn a corner on the right.
09:43 PM GMT
71 min: Arsenal 1 Man Utd 0
Merino → Zinchenko
Trossard → Martinelli.
So Partey drops into rifht-back and Timber switches flanks.
09:42 PM GMT
69 min: Arsenal 1 Man Utd 0
Bruno threads a pass out to Rashford on the left and he faces up Timber, slows his stride but fires a low cross straight towards Raya who falls on it gratefully.
Declan Rice has turned into a different beast since half-time. He’s everywhere at the moment, sliding into tackles and driving Arsenal forward.
09:39 PM GMT
67 min: Arsenal 1 Man Utd 0
Bruno floats in a wonderful free-kick from the right and De Ligt bullets a header from the left of then penalty spot back across towards the top right corner that Raya claws away at full stretch with his left hand. Great save!
David Raya, that's a sensational save! 👏#PLonPrime #ARSMUN pic.twitter.com/EJsfL9hsrI
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 4, 2024
09:38 PM GMT
65 min: Arsenal 1 Man Utd 0
Booking for Zinchenko and a free-kick for Man Utd as the Ukraine captain yanked Amad’s shirt after being rounded by the Sunderland folk hero.
09:37 PM GMT
63 min: Arsenal 1 Man Utd 0
Rashford is on the left, Zirkzee on the right juts behind Hojlund. Amad might be their best attacking option if they can get the ball to him. They tried just then to feed him but Rice made sure they didn’t with a fine interception.
09:34 PM GMT
61 min: Arsenal 1 Man Utd 0
Another Arsenal corner on the left in the teeming rain after Rice ran at De Ligt and forced him to block a cross. It’s another brilliant corner that Zirkzee flicks on at the near post and Ugarte has to head behind at the back stick for another corner. Saka goes long with that one and Man Utd deal with it without the jitters of the previous two.
09:31 PM GMT
59 min: Arsenal 1 Man Utd 0
Triple Man utd substitution:
Rashford → Mount
Zirkzee → Garnacho
Yoro → Mount.
09:30 PM GMT
57 min: Arsenal 1 Man Utd 0
Odegaard and Saka link up after a driving run through the middle from Partey and Saka is played in behind United’s back three to shoot low. Onana goes down to save at his left post but Saka was offside in any case.
09:29 PM GMT
55 min: Arsenal 1 Man Utd 0
That was the 21st goal that Arsenal have scored from a corner since the start of last season. It probably goes without saying that no team in the Premier League has scored as many.
09:25 PM GMT
GOAL!
Arsenal 1 Man Utd 0 (Timber) Rice’s whipped, inswinging corner just evades Hojlund’s leap at the near post and Timber flicks it in with a sly, glancing header. For older readers that was Steve Bould. Even older readers Alan Gilzean. Younger readers ... ask your grandad.
Arsenal just LOVE scoring from set-pieces!
Jurrien Timber glances his header into the net to hand the Gunners a lead over Man Utd! #PLonPrime #ARSMUN pic.twitter.com/x3Nv5JTmeQ— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 4, 2024
09:25 PM GMT
53 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Martinelli lines up De Ligt and runs at him but fires his cross into the backpedalling Dutchman to earn a corner...
09:24 PM GMT
52 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Onana claws away the corner and though Arsenal launch it back in, they can’t keep it in play. Maguire is booked for timewasting for throwing on a second ball to delay the restart. De Ligt needed treatment for a calf or ankle knock but is back on now after hopping to halfway to re-enter the game.
A run from Timber marked the first time that Arsenal have got in behind the United defence. It might be the sort of night that requires a player like Timber or Zinchenko to take a real risk in order to open up the United defence.
09:22 PM GMT
50 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Two Arsenal chances, the first on the counter when they send Martinelli galloping down the left. He drives into the box but Maguire jockeys him perfectly and blocks the shot when it eventually comes. Then Odegaard’s silky feet set up a shot for Rice to the right of the penalty spot which he spears over the bar as he leans back.
09:20 PM GMT
48 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Garnacho skitters down the left and fades a wonderful cross with the outside of his boot that floats inches past Hojlund’s run as he made a near-post dart. But he should have got there. ‘You need to gamble’ as Alan Hansen would say.
09:18 PM GMT
46 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
One presumes Arteta will have empahsised that Arsenal need to up the tempo and with the scoreline at St James’ Park as it is, they cannot afford to drop any more points.
09:17 PM GMT
One half-time change
Amad Diallo → Malacia.
Dalot goes to left wing-back, Amad to right.
09:07 PM GMT
Interesting stat...
Only five shots in the first-half, the lowest for any PL game so far this season.
09:03 PM GMT
Half-time: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Only Partey’s chance in a half of very little goalmouth action but quite a lot to please those who find defensive strategy absorbing.
09:01 PM GMT
45 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Booking for Malacia for obstructing Havertz and stopping him from taking a quick free-kick then one for Ugarte for making the card signal when Malacia, having made an excellent tackle on Timber is fouled by Saka.
08:59 PM GMT
43 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Mount lofts the free-kick into the right of the box for Maguire who wins the header but without much power. The ball loops out of the area back to Mount who slices a volleyed shot that Zinchenko thought would go out for a goal-kick. But Maguire gave chase and retrieved it, pulling it back and Kiwior tapped it straight to Dalot who hammered a right-foot shot from an angle about 2ft wide of the left post.
08:57 PM GMT
41 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Garnacho is caught on the ankle by Timber as he shielded the ball and Man Utd have a free-kick 40 yards out, left of centre.
United are doing so well to block Arsenal’s midfield passes that, on a couple of occasions, William Saliba has had to take matters into his hand by surging upfield with the ball. This is not the sort of thing he does regularly, and that’s credit to United. The away side are yet to offer any attacking threat but this has unquestionably been a strong defensive showing so far.
08:55 PM GMT
39 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Martinelli takes a diagonal from Saliba and accelerates down the outside of Dalot but his cross is straight down Onana’s throat.
08:54 PM GMT
38 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Arsenal’s tempo has been sufficiently disrupted and they are dwelling on the ball too much. Mikel Arteta is very animated while talking to Albert Stuivenberg. Plenty of hand gestures.
08:52 PM GMT
35 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
The crowd is growing exasperated, more so when Saka is penalised for barging Garnacho over as he tried to launch a counter. It might come to naught but Amorim has drilled them superbly in terms of their defensive shape so far.
08:50 PM GMT
33 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Enterprising run from Garnacho down the left ends with a heavy touch that robs him of momentum and gives away a goal-kick. Alan Shearer points out that Bruno is stepping on to Odegaard whenever the Arsenal captain takes the ball deep and Mazraoui is doing so whenever he takes the ball higher up and have so far neutered him.
08:47 PM GMT
31 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Saka goes deep from the corner for the first time and Onana catches it comfortably at the back post.
08:46 PM GMT
29 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Arsenal corner on the right after Onana hacks it behind. Saka had been running at Malacia who showed him on to his right foot. He RSVPd the invitation by belting it across the six-yard box and it hit a crouching Maguire on his left biceps, arms by his side. Up goes the cry of ‘Penalty!’ but it wasn’t warranted and Onana opts for safety first.
08:44 PM GMT
27 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
The rain thickens and Mount slips on the glistening grass and pole-axes Odegaard in his followthrough in the centre-circle. The crowd wants a yellow card but it was an accident and the young ref keeps his cards zipped in his pocket.
08:41 PM GMT
25 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Saka bens it under the crossbar again and Maguire heads it as he wears a punch to the back of the head from his own goalie. The ball falls to Zinchenko who crashes a half-volley into a blue shirt and Martinelli pounces on the rebound to fire a left-foot riser over the bar.
08:40 PM GMT
23 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Malacia sticks to Saka as he chased Partey’s chip up the right and held him up long enough for Mazraoui to gallop to his aid and knock it out for a corner.
08:38 PM GMT
21 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Arsenal corner on the right. Saka whips it under the crossbar and Onana jabs it away with both fists. Saka has another go but Partey, backpedalling, can only stick it on the roof of the net.
Arsenal fans are furious that Onana is taking his time to restart.
United have started well here. They are slowing down the game and closing off the spaces in which Arsenal’s forwards usually want to operate. Arteta’s side don’t seem entirely sure how to handle United’s formation. That said, Arsenal should probably be leading still.
08:34 PM GMT
18 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Crunching but fair tackle from Maguire on Havertz sets up a run for Garnacho but he fails to play the ball back to the marauding centre-half who is bullocking up the wing like Hans-Peter Briegel and opts for the conservative option instead.
08:32 PM GMT
17 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Martinelli takes the ball with a velvety first touch on the left inside his half and lengthens his stride but Bruno slides in and hooks his leg round to stab the ball out for a throw.
08:31 PM GMT
15 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Garnacho spins away from Saka and tries to dart in down the left but Timber is there with a block tackle. The possession is 60-40 in the away side’s favour thus far.
08:29 PM GMT
14 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Hojlund controls a high ball with his back to Kiwior and lays it off down the right, looking for Dalot but the diligent Zinchenko motored back to clear up and roll it back to Raya to clear.
08:28 PM GMT
12 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Quiet start from Manchester United in terms of their play with the ball. Risk free so far in terms of intent. Safety first (like Mickey Nixon).
Even without the injured Gabriel, Arsenal remain an enormous threat at set-pieces. From their first corner of the night, Thomas Partey really should have scored. Since the start of last season, Arsenal’s 20 goals from corners are the most by a team in the Premier League.
08:26 PM GMT
10 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Rice whips in a corner to the near post that parts Hojlund’s hair and dips perfectly for Partey at the near post but he makes a proper Horlicks of his connection and scuffs it wide with a combination of temple and top of the napper.
08:23 PM GMT
8 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Arsenal trigger the press to snap at Bruno who loses the ball but is bailed out by his defence and partner, Ugarte.
Zinchenko chips the ball over the top for Martinelli to chase down the left and Dalot and De Ligt see it out for a corner.
08:21 PM GMT
7 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Partey chops down Mount just inside the Arsenal half. Bruno plays the free-kick back to Maguire who pings a long pass up the right straight into Dalot’s stride but he lays it off when hounded by Zinchenko and Man Utd keep the ball but go backwards.
08:20 PM GMT
5 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Mistake from Onana allows Arsenal to put the ball in the net. His short, shanked clearance is worked straight back to Havertz in an offside position in the box and he lays it off to Martinelli to ‘score’. But the flag goes straight up.
08:18 PM GMT
3 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Amazon Prime’s graphic was right. Mazraoui is to Maguire’s left, De Ligt to his right. Arsenal have the ball deep with Partey and start to build slowly. Once Zinchenko’s diagonal is headed into the centre by Malacia, Odegaard loses the ball.
08:16 PM GMT
1 min: Arsenal 0 Man Utd 0
Arsenal kick off and attack up the right but Manchester United see off the first thrust until Garnacho is shepherded out to give Arsenal a throw.
08:15 PM GMT
Both teams in the huddle
Not sure which way United’s back three will line up left, to right. Amazon Prime seems to think it’s Maguire in the middle, Mazraoui on the left and De Ligt on the right.
They’re going to give us a blast of North London Forever before kick-off.
08:12 PM GMT
Out come the teams
Arsenal in red and white with odd navy flashes, Manchester United in blue.
08:08 PM GMT
Man Utd doing corner defending drill
They have spent a good portion of the warm-up working on their defensive strategy from corners:
08:05 PM GMT
The sprinklers are on
Players love a slick surface and it’s about 9C in London tonight. The wind is up, though, so quite a chill.
07:38 PM GMT
On Manchester United’s bench
Ruben Amorim calls up the 16-year-old Godwill Kukonki, a 6ft 5in Potteries-born centre-back who was promoted to first-team training by the new manager a fortnight ago.
07:32 PM GMT
Left back to the future
It’s a big moment for Tyrell Malacia tonight. This is his first Premier League start since May 2023. And he’s up against Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard on that flank.
07:28 PM GMT
Capital punishment
A curious pre-match stat for you: United have won only two of their last 18 league games in London. Both of those were at Fulham, and both of those games required stoppage-time winners.
07:26 PM GMT
Mikel Arteta speaks to Gabby Logan
A lot of history between the two clubs. it creates a special atmosphere. I’m looking forward to it. We have had the best possible preparation. There are similarities between the structures [of Sporting and Man Utd] but it’s always about the players.
We played them a few years ago [Sporting’s 3-4-2-1] but it’s always about the players and the qualities.
This is the season, we play every two days. We lost Gabriel and Ricky [Calafiori] but it’s an opportunity for other players to show up and I really trust our players and squad.
07:21 PM GMT
Your teams in black and white
Arsenal Raya; Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Zinchenko; Odegaard, Partey, Rice; Saka, Havertz, Martinelli.
Substitutes Neto, Tierney, Gabriel Jesus, Trossard, Jorginho, Merino, Sterling, Nwaneri, Heaven.
Manchester United Onana; Mazraoui, De Ligt, Maguire; Dalot, Ugarte, Fernandes, Malacia; Mount, Garnacho; Hojlund.
Substitutes Bayindir, Rashford, Zirkzee, Eriksen, Yoro, Diallo, Casemiro, Antony, Kukonki.
Referee Sam Barrott (Halifax)
07:15 PM GMT
Amorim on his changes
It’s a massive game and everyone sees it as the great test but I don’t see it that way. It’s just one more game. We have to compete. I’m thinking of having the ball in the half space by picking Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes. They can run. In the front line when Rasmus scored twice he went to the bench and now the others have do the same. We have to rotate. Arsenal had an extra day [to prepare].
Arsenal are so much better than 2023 [when Sporting beat them]. Odegaard didn’t play then. They have more strength but I focus on our game and we have to improve and fight for the win. We want to improve as a team and win the game.
07:11 PM GMT
Bruno Fernandes speaks to Amazon Prime
When a new manager comes in the belief is always there. You want to get into his ideas as quickly as possible. It’s a big test for us to show today how we have improved. I try my best to help everyone who’s at the club and I’m doing the same for the new manager. We know about the rivalry, how big it is. We want to give our fans something big – they have come such a long way for this late night kick-off.
07:08 PM GMT
Gabby Logan helms Amzon Prime’s coverage
She’s come as Sherlock Holmes in her Ulster and the be-herringboned Theo Walcott is her Watson
07:06 PM GMT
Amorim’s sternest test
This is the toughest test of Ruben Amorim’s short reign and the United manager has warned his supporters that a “storm will come” for his team at one point. With Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez and Kobbie Mainoo all unavailable for this trip to north London, there must be plenty of United fans who fear that the storm will arrive tonight.
Amorim has been insistent that he will stick to his Plan A this season, and you can see the logic behind that: what message would it send to his players if he asked them to abandon the project as soon as they come up against a big opponent?
The counter-argument, though, can be found on the other side of the dugout. When Arteta took over Arsenal in similar circumstances, he did not immediately commit to free-flowing, possession-dominant football. Arteta moved there gradually, after sussing out his players and deciding which of them were good enough. Amorim is evidently taking a different approach. You could argue it is more bold than Arteta, but time might show it is also more foolish.
07:06 PM GMT
Arteta’s bunnies
Arsenal come into this game – their 500th match at the Emirates Stadium – with hopes of winning a fourth successive league encounter with Manchester United. Never in their history have they won four on the bounce against their fierce rivals.
Such is Arsenal’s recent dominance of this fixture that Mikel Arteta has the highest win percentage (67 per cent) of any manager who has faced United at least five times in the Premier League.
Arteta will want his team to play aggressive, intense football. He will also hope that his players deal with United’s back three as effectively as they destroyed Sporting’s back three in the Champions League last week. That was a Sporting team that had been built by Ruben Amorim, after all, and they could hardly escape their own half against Arsenal.
07:03 PM GMT
Arsenal make four changes
Gabriel not fit, in come Kiwior, Zinchenko, Martinelli and Partey for the centre-half, Calafiori, Trossard and Jorginho.
Ruben makes 6️⃣ changes to his starting XI 🔄📋
Bring on United! ❤️🔥#MUFC || #ARSMUN— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 4, 2024
07:01 PM GMT
Manchester United make six changes
Ruben makes 6️⃣ changes to his starting XI 🔄📋
Bring on United! ❤️🔥#MUFC || #ARSMUN— Manchester United (@ManUtd) December 4, 2024
05:46 PM GMT
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05:44 PM GMT
Preview: Arsenal’s quincentenary
Good evening and welcome to live coverage of Arsenal vs Manchester United, which, coming as it does during Amazon Prime’s first of two midweek rounds of fixtures, kicks off at the irksomely late time of 8.15pm of your Greenwich Mean Time. It is also the 500th competitive match that Arsenal’s men’s first team has played at Emirates Stadium since it opened at the beginning of the 2006-07 season and the ground has been a graveyard for Man Utd in recent years when they have lost five and drawn once on their last six Premier League visits.
In fact since Sir Alex Ferguson’s final away victory over Arsenal in January 2012, only Louis van Gaal, once in 2014, and Jose Mourinho, once in December 2017, of his successors have come away with a league win from the N5/N7 borderlands. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer did lead them to a fourth-round FA Cup victory there in 2019 but no more.
That sort of run as well as Arsenal’s stunning return to form – the away draw with Chelsea, the pannings handed out to Forest, a Sporting side still very much of Ruben Amorim’s design and West Ham – which unsurprisingly coincided with the return of Martin Odegaard from two months out, suggest that anyone predicting an away win would be in need of a straitjacket. Given that Everton, more the school of defiance these days than science, ran rings round United’s defence and midfield early on until the home side exploited errors to establish a beachhead for victory, Arsenal ought to expose that vulnerability, especially out wide if the Odegaard-Bukayo Saka-Jurrien Timber triangle clicks again and they rack up the corners and free-kicks at which they excel.
And yet Gabriel’s injury in Lisbon which restricted him to 45 minutes at the London Stadium, plus the fact he was banjoed by Lukasz Fabianski, would give United hope were he unable to play. But then again Kobbie Mainoo and Lisandro Martínez are suspended after picking up fifth bookings against Everton, Luke Shaw has broken down while Victor Lindelof and Jonny Evans are struggling. Harry Maguire returned as a sub on Sundayafter 55 days out and may have to start while the £53 million July signing Leny Yoro could make his debut after breaking his foot in pre-season.
