Man Utd 0-1 Arsenal: Trossard's 'Freddie' goal takes it to the final day

Match report – Participant scores – Arteta response – Video

The title of yesterday’s weblog was ‘Simply win’, and Arsenal did precisely that. They received, simply. A single Leandro Trossard purpose was sufficient to take all three factors and make sure the vacation spot of the title goes all the way down to the ultimate day.

I mentioned in that weblog I assumed it was a troublesome sport to write down about beforehand, and I believe it’s a troublesome sport to write down about afterwards too. This was, on paper, the worst Manchester United line-up I’ve seen in a really very long time. They most likely put out League Cup sides with extra high quality than this one down the years. Arsenal, in the meantime, had been unchanged, packed filled with high quality, and a workforce that had received 14 of its final 16 video games going into this one. It ought to have been no contest.

However that’s not how soccer works. We didn’t play anyplace close to in addition to we will, and United weren’t fully hopeless, so it was all fairly even. It’s arduous to place your finger on why. From their perspective, reacting to a 4-0 hammering by Crystal Palace was most likely a part of it. Avoid wasting face in entrance of their house followers. From ours, it may have been the stress of the title race, the affect of Man Metropolis’s consequence towards Fulham, our document at Outdated Trafford, or simply an off-day. It was most likely just a little of all of them.

Generally what you want on a day like this can be a little bit of luck, and whereas there was nothing lucky in regards to the execution of our purpose, it was fortunate for us that United’s harm listing is so dangerous that Casemiro was taking part in at centre-half. He has clearly determined that operating is just not for him anymore, and the way in which he lazily ambled out from the again left house for Kai Havertz to use because the Brazilian performed him onside. The German took it into the field, the low cross was good for the excellent motion of Trossard, who tucked house to make it 1-0. His run of goalscoring feels very Freddie Ljungberg, and let’s hope the scoreline from this sport – which reminds you of Marc Overmars in 1998 and Slyvain Wiltord in 2002, is an efficient omen.

Truthfully although, it was so dangerous from Casemiro. All this nonsense about how, as a result of he’s performed as a central midfielder his complete life, he doesn’t perceive {that a} centre-half must push out rapidly. It’s rubbish. After all he does. It’s one of many first stuff you be taught once you play soccer, it’s not some secret data that solely defenders possess, he simply couldn’t be arsed, and I thank him for it.

Did the purpose settle us down? No, probably not. I assumed it was attention-grabbing that Mikel Arteta mentioned afterwards the purpose had the other impact you’d imaging on us, saying:

The purpose affected us in a adverse manner, particularly with the issues that we needed to do on the ball. We had been taking part in too protected, and taking part in backwards, and taking part in in areas the place it wasn’t progressing our play and creating the menace that we needed. We began to offer lots of balls away due to that after which the sport grew to become open but it surely’s true that on the identical hand, we defended so nicely once more.

To be truthful, if the efficiency from an attacking perspective was missing a lot of what we’ve seen from this workforce this season, we weren’t discovered wanting on the again. That solidity, with these 4 huge lads throughout the backline was an excessive amount of for United. They huffed and puffed, attempting to blow the home down, however they had been repelled as a result of high quality we had again there – coupled with their full lack of high quality within the closing third. As for blowing the home down, the wind and rain appeared to try this to Outdated Trafford at full-time.

Was it nice? Completely not. I’d have paid good cash, or sacrificed a toe, for an additional Arsenal purpose, but it surely didn’t come. For all United’s ‘stress’ we seemed the workforce almost definitely to attain. Onana needed to make some good saves within the closing levels, whereas Raya – to his credit score I ought to add – had little to do however make the ball stick once they slung in hopeful crosses. I loved his yellow card.

They introduced on Antony to do nothing, ten Hag tried a few Hail Mary subs on the finish, and I did surprise why we didn’t deliver Jorginho on so as to add some calm to midfield, however in the long run a 1-0 was all that mattered. Evaluation of this efficiency appears a bit pointless actually. I’m certain if we hadn’t taken all three factors we may decide the bones out of all of it week lengthy, however on the penultimate weekend of the season to go to Outdated Trafford and win, I don’t assume it deserves something greater than happiness, reduction, and rising pleasure about what this week may deliver.

Afterwards, Arteta mentioned:

They’re all buzzing. We actually needed to dwell that second, so we are saying, okay, now we now have to earn the appropriate to go to the final day and dwell that second. That’s a part of our journey and to have a giant probability of successful the Premier League and we’re going to expertise that. We’re going to have a standard preparation, like each week, to attempt to be in the most effective house to compete and attempt to beat Everton after which dwell the event as nicely.

I’m certain you all perceive the permutations, what we have to occur in different video games this week, so let’s not waste time with that now. For me, the sense of dread – which I attempted to elucidate on within the new Arsecast Additional recorded after the sport – was about not having that chance at house. If we beat Everton on the ultimate day, successful 15 of our final 17 video games, and lose the title as a result of Man Metropolis haven’t misplaced a league sport since December, I can compartmentalise that rather more simply than falling on the closing hurdle towards a United workforce who aren’t match for function.

We’ve completed that, and no matter occurs this week and subsequent weekend, I like the actual fact that is the place we’re as a membership now. I like that this workforce continues to progress. Once we missed out on Champions League soccer a few seasons in the past, so many pundits mentioned ‘That was their probability, they usually blew it!’. Final season, when the title problem crumbled, they mentioned, ‘That was their probability, they usually blew it!’.

Suppose once more, dickheads. No Arsenal workforce has ever received 27 Premier League video games earlier than. We have now extra factors than we did final season. If we win on the ultimate day, solely the Invincibles will ever have garnered extra factors in a single marketing campaign. We preserve going, we preserve getting higher, and this workforce isn’t any flash within the pan. I don’t know the way it finally ends up this season, however we’ll be difficult towards subsequent season for certain.

However, let’s dwell within the now. Let’s take pleasure in this week. Let’s preserve fingers crossed for the appropriate outcomes elsewhere, and see what the lie of the land is on Sunday. Take pleasure in this workforce, these gamers, this supervisor, and the actual fact the place we at the moment are is night time and day to the place we weren’t that way back. Being good and being getting ready to success does deliver its personal challenges when it comes to stress and stress, however they’re far, far preferable to the choice.

Thanks lads, and onto Sunday (for us!). For extra on the sport, and what it means, the Arsecast Additional is beneath. Pleased listening.