After Arsenal's loss to Manchester United yesterday, there have been talks about the impossibility of Arsenal winning the league because they are currently topping the league table with just a four-point gap ahead of the second and third teams, which are Manchester City and Aston Villa respectively.
Yesterday's match was one of those games where bad luck played a role against Arsenal because, as far as I am concerned, they played good football. However, the tactics and plans of Manchester United worked very well, even though luck also favoured them.
The match kicked off with a good impression from the Gunners. They had a series of corners within just a few minutes, which showed their high pressing and attacking intent. They scored, an own goal, by the way, but it was forced by Odegaard’s pressure.
Manchester United equalised through Mbeumo’s brilliant goal before the end of the first half, and when the second half resumed, Dorgu slotted in a well-taken finish to give Manchester United the lead. This goal put Arsenal under intense pressure. We saw how Arteta made a four-man substitution at once, which showed how serious the situation was because they could not afford to lose the match.
Not long after, Merino slotted one in, bringing the game back to a balanced state, with both teams fighting to score while also defending well to avoid conceding another goal.
Towards the end of the match, Cunha blasted a shot from outside the 18-yard box and found the back of the net. The stadium erupted in loud cheers. It was like a dream, or rather a nightmare, for the Arsenal players yesterday. They did all they could, but they could not even hold on to a draw, which later became their only wish.