Arsenal 2-0 Man Utd: Gunners secure first win under Mikel Arteta
Nicolas Pepe scored his fifth goal of the season and also hit the post before he was substituted
Mikel Arteta earned his first win as Arsenal boss as the Gunners produced a powerful first-half performance to beat a lacklustre Manchester United.
The visitors, who were without the injured Paul Pogba, actually began brightly, but the game took a different turn on eight minutes when Nicolas Pepe steered in his fifth goal of the season after Sead Kolasinac's cross was deflected to him.
That led to a first half in which the hosts were in control and Pepe hit the post before they doubled their lead when his corner was smashed in from close range by Sokratis Papastathopoulos.
Ole Gunnar Solskajer's side came into the game with one loss in their previous nine games, and although they improved after the break, they rarely tested Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno.
It was characteristic of a stop-start season in which they are yet to win three Premier League games in a row.
The defeat leaves them fifth in the table, five points behind Chelsea, who drew with Brighton earlier in the day.
Victory for Arsenal lifts them to 10th place, four points behind United, but they remain closer to the relegation zone than the top four.
Mikel Arteta thanked fans after the game for contributing to a buoyant atmosphere inside the EmiratesPepe peps up Arsenal
There had been little evidence of a lift in Arsenal's three performances since Arteta was appointed, and questions were already being asked as to whether he was the right man to take over from former boss Unai Emery, given his lack of experience as a manager.
Arteta was just an onlooker in the stands for the lifeless draw at Everton, but that was followed by a 1-1 draw with Bournemouth on Boxing Day and a crushing late defeat by Chelsea at home last Sunday.
This was a different game altogether, though. With Granit Xhaka, who has been linked with a move to Hertha Berlin, restored to the midfield, the Swiss and Lucas Torreira were quicker to the tackle than their opponents.
Pepe was also at the heart of their attacking endeavour as they were roared on by their fans.
After scoring early on, he sent United left-back Luke Shaw halfway down the Holloway Road with a sharp turn before setting up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who sliced a volley over.
The Ivorian then fed Alexandre Lacazette, who somehow hit his shot out for a throw-in from about six yards out, before Torreira went close from another Pepe pass.
The hosts had to withstand greater pressure from Solskjaer's side in the second period but in contrast to the Chelsea defeat, when they conceded twice in the last seven minutes, Arteta's side managed the game well.
Their only concerns were injuries to Kolasinac and Lacazette, who were both taken off in the second half.
Jesse Lingard was substituted after 58 minutes and has not scored in the Premier League for over a yearPogba-less United show further cause for concern
Manchester United improved after the break, but it would have been hard not to do so after a poor first half.
Marcus Rashford had tested Bernd Leno in the first minute, but once they went behind to Pepe's opener, they struggled to match Arsenal's superior energy in midfield.
Jesse Lingard, who returned to the starting line-up, was hardly involved while Nemanja Matic could not get to grips with Mesut Ozil, Torreira or Xhaka, who were often one step ahead.
It was another game where Solskjaer's team missed the influence of Pogba, who has not started a game in three months, and the mystery over his omission continued as the United boss said he had picked up an ankle injury which could keep him out for a few weeks.
Prior to the game, it had been hinted that Pogba would be fit to play.
United did lift their game once Lingard was substituted, with his replacement Andreas Pereira almost making an instant impact as he hit the side netting.
There were also chances for Fred and substitute Mason Greenwood, but without the injured Scott McTominay, and the ongoing problems with Pogba, United looked short on creativity in midfield and need to find solutions quickly should they want to maintain a top-four challenge.
Man of the Match - Nicolas Pepe
Nicolas Pepe scored, hit the post and set up several good chances, which made his 62nd substitution surprisingWhat next?
Arsenal host Leeds on Monday 6 January in the FA Cup third round (kick-off 19:56 GMT), while Manchester United travel to Wolves on Saturday, 4 January (kick-off 17:31) in a repeat of their quarter-final defeat last season.
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Line-ups
Match Stats
Live Text
Line-ups
Arsenal
1Leno
15Maitland-Niles
5Papastathopoulos
23David Luiz
31KolasinacBooked at 3minsSubstituted forSakaat 69'minutesBooked at 82mins
11Torreira
34Xhaka
19PépéSubstituted forNelsonat 62'minutes
10Özil
14Aubameyang
9LacazetteSubstituted forGuendouziat 82'minutes
Substitutes
8Ceballos
16Holding
24Nelson
26Martínez
28Willock
29Guendouzi
77Saka
Man Utd
1de Gea
29Wan-Bissaka
2Lindelöf
5Maguire
23Shaw
17Fred
31MaticSubstituted forMataat 81'minutes
21JamesSubstituted forGreenwoodat 58'minutes
14LingardSubstituted forPereiraat 58'minutes
10Rashford
9Martial
Substitutes
4Jones
8Mata
15Pereira
18Young
22Romero
26Greenwood
53Williams
Referee:
Chris Kavanagh
Attendance:
60,328
Match Stats
Home TeamArsenalAway TeamMan Utd
Possession
Home49%
Away51%
Shots
Home10
Away10
Shots on Target
Home4
Away4
Corners
Home1
Away4
Fouls
Home11
Away15
Live Text
Posted at
Match ends, Arsenal 2, Manchester United 0.
Full TimePosted at 90'+5'
Second Half ends, Arsenal 2, Manchester United 0.
Posted at 90'+4'
Attempt missed. Fred (Manchester United) left footed shot from outside the box is too high from a direct free kick.
Posted at 90'+3'
Foul by Granit Xhaka (Arsenal).
Posted at 90'+3'
Fred (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Posted at 90'+3'
Attempt saved. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Juan Mata with a through ball.
Posted at 90'
Matteo Guendouzi (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Posted at 90'
Foul by Andreas Pereira (Manchester United).
Posted at 90'
Sokratis (Arsenal) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Posted at 90'
Foul by Anthony Martial (Manchester United).
Posted at 87'
Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by David Luiz.
Posted at 87'
Attempt blocked. Fred (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked.
BookingPosted at 82'
Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) is shown the yellow card.
SubstitutionPosted at 82'
Substitution, Arsenal. Matteo Guendouzi replaces Alexandre Lacazette.
SubstitutionPosted at 81'
Substitution, Manchester United. Juan Mata replaces Nemanja Matic.
Posted at 80'
Attempt blocked. Reiss Nelson (Arsenal) right footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Alexandre Lacazette.
Posted at 79'
Attempt saved. Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the bottom left corner. Assisted by Mesut Özil.
Posted at 78'
Attempt missed. Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal) right footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right. Assisted by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Posted at 74'
Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Sokratis.
Posted at 73'
Attempt blocked. Mason Greenwood (Manchester United) left footed shot from the right side of the box is blocked. Assisted by Anthony Martial.
Posted at 72'
Corner, Manchester United. Conceded by Ainsley Maitland-Niles.
SubstitutionPosted at 69'
Substitution, Arsenal. Bukayo Saka replaces Sead Kolasinac because of an injury.
Posted at 65'
Reiss Nelson (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Posted at 65'
Foul by Harry Maguire (Manchester United).
Posted at 64'
Attempt missed. Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) right footed shot from the left side of the box is too high. Assisted by Andreas Pereira.
SubstitutionPosted at 62'
Substitution, Arsenal. Reiss Nelson replaces Nicolas Pépé.
Posted at 59'
Attempt missed. Andreas Pereira (Manchester United) left footed shot from the left side of the box is close, but misses to the left. Assisted by Nemanja Matic with a through ball.
SubstitutionPosted at 58'
Substitution, Manchester United. Mason Greenwood replaces Daniel James.
SubstitutionPosted at 58'
Substitution, Manchester United. Andreas Pereira replaces Jesse Lingard.
Posted at 57'
Foul by Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal).
Posted at 57'
Fred (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Posted at 56'
Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Posted at 56'
Foul by Jesse Lingard (Manchester United).
Posted at 55'
Attempt saved. Fred (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is saved in the centre of the goal. Assisted by Luke Shaw.
Posted at 54'
Granit Xhaka (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Posted at 54'
Foul by Fred (Manchester United).
Posted at 53'
Attempt blocked. Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Anthony Martial.
Posted at 50'
Foul by Lucas Torreira (Arsenal).
Posted at 50'
Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Posted at 49'
Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
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Source: bbc.com
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