Erik ten Hag gamble backfires and Andre Onana rages as Arsenal break Man Utd hoodoo

Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League with a victory over Manchester United.

Leandro Trossard celebrating scoring for Arsenal against Manchester United. (Image: Getty)

With just their second victory at Old Trafford in their previous 17 visits, Arsenal surged back to the top of the Premier League standings and gained three crucial points in the race for the championship. Although Manchester United had a great start, it was the visitors who took the lead when Kai Havertz’s low cross was met by Leandro Trossard, who scored from close range. The Belgian’s finish was all that was required for an away victory, since Express Sport controls the majority of the major talking points in the game.

Erik ten Hag’s wager fails

Erik ten Hag made a tactical switch that directly led to Arsenal’s winning goal. Casemiro and Jonny Evans were told to separate, and Sofyan Amrabat played a new role between the two center backs when in possession—something akin to an old-fashioned sweeper in a significant system change.

Following a strong first 20 minutes from the hosts, Casemiro moved to the right as Andre Onana gained possession. However, the makeshift defender was clearly caught out of position when the ball was played for a long time and eventually turned over.

Instead of running to get up to United’s defensive line, the Brazilian jogged. This gave Havertz time to receive the ball in the channel and pick out Trossard in the six-yard area, opening the score and making the United manager look foolish.

Andre Onana erupts at the United squad-partners

Goalie Onana found himself in the middle of the pitch with the ball at his feet as the half came to an end, looking for a teammate to pass to. To his annoyance, though, the Senegalese stopper was forced to postpone continuing play because there were none other options.

He shouted and motioned for his fellow United players to move as he stood in the center circle on the ball. He then let out a fit of rage and sent the ball long before the halftime whistle blew.

Onana’s workload increased in the second half, but there was little relief for him or anyone ahead of him as a determined visiting defense prevented them from breaking loose. The goalkeeper called attention to their lack of inventive runs.

Arsenal’s back four expose United

There were two teams competing, and the defenses of each team did a better job of illustrating their differences. In a historically challenging away trip for the Gunners, Ben White, Gabriel, and William Saliba have been the cornerstone of an Arsenal team that has only let up 28 goals in 37 Premier League games. The Gunners have kept another clean sheet.

Trossard’s goal against the Red Devils was United’s 82nd goal in all competitions this season, highlighting the team’s defensive shortcomings once again. The visitors only needed to score once to secure all three points at Old Trafford.

Even though Ten Hag’s backline has been severely damaged by injuries, the number of goals conceded is the highest in a single campaign since 1970–71. For the upcoming season, the new INEOS hierarchy will need to take the problem seriously.

Even worse, 19-year-old Willy Kambwala had to take over for seasoned center-back Evans after he was forced off the field after 75 minutes due to an injury, raising questions about whether or not he would play in the final three games of the season.

Arsenal locates and takes advantage of United’s weakness

The Manchester Evening News observed that Arsenal was practicing a particular training drill—which aimed to create an opportunity for a low cut-back cross and finish—very hard during the pre-match warm-ups.

They appeared to have found a gap in United’s defense, which they quickly took advantage of when Havertz found himself in a crossing position, drilled a cut-back, and Trossard was in the ideal position to put his effort past Onana.

The pre-match planning was obviously successful, and Mikel Arteta’s opposition analysts may reap the same benefits after a few weeks, when Arsenal’s set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has, quite rightly, garnered a great deal of praise.

United and Arsenal’s current standings

Even though Arsenal leads the league and has one game left, they are still not the winners. Manchester City leads the Gunners by one point with a game remaining after their 4-0 victory over Fulham on Saturday.

Now, all Arteta’s team can do is hope their title rivals lose to Tottenham or West Ham and win against Everton on the last day of the season.

With a loss guaranteeing they cannot pass fifth-place Spurs, United’s best possible result at this point is sixth. Currently in eighth place, three points behind both Newcastle and Chelsea above them, the Red Devils may not play in Europe next season.