The Gunners beat the Red Devils with two goals from set pieces by Timber and Saliba
They're not 'cannons', they're planes: Arsenal cause Amorim's first defeat with Manchester United
The 500th match in the history of the Emirates Stadium, which opened in 2006, will not go down in history. At least not for its beauty. Arsenal-Manchester United (2-0) was nothing like the late 20th and early 21st centuries duels, with Wenger and Ferguson in the trenches.
Amorim surprised everyone in his fourth game in charge with six changes! Lisandro, Diallo, Mainoo, Casemiro, Rashford, and Zirkzee made way for Maguire, Ugarte, Mount, Garnacho, Hojlund, and Malacia. Special mention goes to the latter, who made his return to the Premier League 546 days later!!!
Arsenal, without White, Magalhaes, and Calafiori in defense and Mikel Merino (substitute), were on the verge of taking the lead (almost) before the start. Not even three minutes had passed when Samuel Barrott disallowed Martinelli’s goal for offside.
It was a mirage. Both the Gunners and the Red Devils were more concerned with creating mistakes for their opponents than generating their own successes. Only set pieces broke the monotony.
Every corner was a nightmare for United. Thomas Partey headed a Rice corner wide of goal. He headed it in with his shoulder. Martinelli also came close to making it 1-0 in the 25th minute with a shot that went just wide of the top corner after another set piece.
United went into the break without a shot on target but almost took the lead when Diogo Dalot’s shot just missed the post in the 42nd minute.
Amorim brought on Diallo for Malacia to give him more of a presence in attack… but he didn’t succeed. On the contrary. Jurrien Timber ‘opened the scoring’ from a corner, of course. The former Ajax player headed in an extraordinary Rice cross at the near post to make his debut as a goalscorer for the ‘gunners’.
Leny Yoro’s official debut for Manchester United – he came on for Maguire in the 59th minute – did not stem the flow of set-pieces. Zirkzee was close to putting in another Rice corner in the 61st minute.
Curiously, United’s first shot on target, in the 67th minute, came close to scoring, but David Raya saved De Ligt’s header with a brilliant save.
The drama of the ‘Red Devils’ was completed in the 73rd minute. Saka served from the corner, Thomas Partey extended and Saliba scored from point-blank range. They are not ‘cannons’, they are planes. Arsenal, since the start of last season, have scored more goals than anyone else (22) from corner kicks. And that was without Gabriel Magalhaes.
The ‘Red Devils’ were saved from a bigger thrashing in the final stretch. Onana was brilliant when he shot at Havertz in the 75th minute and prevented Rice’s Olympic goal with his fists in the 76th minute. It would have been the last straw. Mikel Merino also came close to making it 3-0 in the 77th minute with a header, also after a corner.
In the 86th minute, Raya prevented Antony from adding some spice to the match. Amorim has already experienced defeat at United, who are 11th. Arsenal, who are third with 28 points, are seven behind Liverpool.