Rainy Manchester witnessed a thrilling encounter between two of English football’s greatest teams yesterday. While Manchester United needed a win to save themselves from slipping further down the table, Arsenal were locked in to secure the three points and reclaim the top spot in the Premier League. In the end, it was the mighty Gunners that prevailed. Leandro Trossard scored the only goal of the game in the 20th minute to fire Arsenal to the top of the table.
Arsenal were expected to decimate Manchester United as the Red Devils were short of options in their lineup due to injuries. However, the Gunners were not able to impose their will and had to settle with just a goal on the evening. United could not create any meaningful chances as no player aside from Alejandro Garnacho showed any attacking intent. The young Argentinian kept running at the Arsenal defence but was unable to find the end product throughout the game.
The win against Manchester United means that Arsenal now are a point above Manchester City in the PL table. However, the reigning champions have a game in hand and could go on and win the league if they secure wins in their remaining two fixtures. The Gunners will be hoping that City drops points in their last two games, meanwhile, they will also have to ensure that they secure a win in their final league game to have any chance of winning the league.
Manchester United have a lot of problems to address after second consecutive defeat
Manchester United are currently eighth in the Premier League table. They are on the verge of getting pushed out of European spots by Chelsea, who are in incredible form. With two more games left, United will have to make sure they secure victories in both of them as failure in doing so will make their European qualifications almost impossible. If they fail to make it to Europe through the league, their only option then is to win the FA Cup Final against Manchester City. The defending champions of the competition are in firing form and it seems unlikely that this current United team can topple them.
Erik Ten Hag’s men have won just twice in ten games and conceded 23 goals during this time. They have shown no signs of improvement and keep getting battered by their opponents. One of the biggest concerns in the team is the injury list. Playing without their proper backline, Ten Hag has been forced to play Casemiro as the central defender. This experiment has proven to be a massive failure as the Brazilian has looked uncomfortable playing from there. However, the team have no option as the likes of Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire remain injured.
Undoubtedly injuries have been a big factor in the team’s failure this season. But that doesn’t take away the fact that the team lacks the will to win games. Ten Hag has been defending his team stating injuries to be the reason behind their failure. INEOS will have to look at making new signings as the current squad lacks depth and they will need new additions if they want to compete for trophies.
