Arsenal came from behind through Pierre Emerick Aubameyang to cancel out Scott McTominay’s first-half strike.
Manchester United fans expressed their disappointment after the full-time whistle, drawing 1-1 to Arsenal in a tedious game. The first-half was entirely dull until Scott McTominay found the top corner with a peach. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang rounded off his Old Trafford visit with an important goal in the 58th minute to level the score and take home a point from Old Trafford.
For the major parts of the first half, Manchester United and Arsenal were cautious and saw out the 40 minutes by not conceding. However, things got changed when the players got a bit weary as chances started to come just moments before the half-time whistle.
The Gunners should have found the back of the net, but double save from David De Gea kept the scoreline intact. Solskjaer’s side failed to rest on their laurels and pushed for another offensive charge. In the stoppage time of the first half, midfielder Scott McTominay found the back of the net with an extraordinary strike from outside the box.
During the second part of the game, the game was wide open – enabling the visitors to find pockets of space in between Manchester United’s defence. Harry Maguire tried to play off-side, but the Englishman failed miserably. Pierre Emerick Aubameyang had a run through and found the back of the net. After this goal, both sides had chances to get the go-ahead goal, but failure in the final third saw these them sharing spoils.
We shall look at three talking points from this draw between Manchester United and Arsenal.
#3 Nicolas Pepe and Marcus Rashford have nil confidence
When Arsenal beat Liverpool to the signature of Nicolas Pepe, their supporters went ballistic and were raving over the Ivorian. To put things into perspective, Unai Emery wants the forward to play through the right-wing – a position where he thrives. But, it is important to note that the Arsenal attacker’s goals came when he cuts inside the defence.
Out of his basic shape, Pepe has been instructed to drift wide and feed Pierre Emerick Aubameyang. On many instances, Nicolas Pepe had the chance to play better passes, but his lack of judgement showcases his confidence in the early stages of his Arsenal career. He scored the penalty last week, but his overall game is yet to impress many.
As for Marcus Rashford, he has scored only thrice in 24 games in all competitions. The English International has been criticised for his poor form of late, but his positional play has been poor and he feels lost at times.
The striker had a chance in the first half, but his deterring confidence forced him to take a late shot, which was eventually blocked by Sokratis. For the rest of the game, he looked out of the groove. Heading into the crucial juncture of the season, Marcus Rashford needs a pat on the back and Solskjaer needs to instil confidence in him.
#2 Paul Pogba’s poor form continues
Paul Pogba was racing towards registering his name in the starting lineup for this clash after suffering a minor injury last week. The Frenchman was eventually believed to sit out, but Solskjaer opted to hand him the start due to lack of experience in the midfield department.
The Manchester United midfielder partnered Scott McTominay in the midfield department, but failed to raise his game with yet another miserable night. Pogba’s erratic passing and his positional play were brought into a highlight by Granit Xhaka, who had a good game despite committing a mistake leading to goal in the first half.
It has been a poor start to the season for Paul Pogba. He is yet to grapple out of this inferior form to abscond from deserved criticism. Good things are expected from the midfielder, but he has not yet lived up to his belief in the defensive and offensive department of the game.
#1 Pierre Emerick Aubameyang cannot stop scoring
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang registered his eighth goal of the season with a clinical finish over David De Gea at Old Trafford today. The Gabonese International did the spare work by tracking back and abundance to ease out his midfielders. This forced him to stay out of positions and the Gunners were not able to attack properly in the first half.
Unai Emery had a clearcut picture to press Manchester United higher up the pitch. The Gunners did exactly that and won the throw-in. World’s most costliest defender Harry Maguire tried to play off-side trap, but he got into huge trouble. Aubameyang was through on goal and found the back of the net. However, the flag was raised for off-side and appeals from Ashley Young and Victor Lindelof proved only a hit until Video Assistant Referee (VAR) intervened to provide the equalizer to Arsenal.
That was Pierre Emerick Aubameyang’s only chance of the game. He took it with a cool head to increase his goal tally for the season and most importantly gain a point out of this fixture.
