Manchester United entertained Arsenal at Old Trafford tonight looking to bounce back from their 2-0 loss away at West Ham United earlier this month. The Red Devils took a while to get going but grew stronger towards the latter stages of the first half. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men finally made the breakthrough in the 45th minute when Scott McTominay scored with a powerful strike from outside the Arsenal penalty box. The home side took a narrow one-goal lead into the half-time break.
The North London giants came out with a purpose in the second half and managed to score the equaliser via Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s chipped effort from close range. Both teams fought tooth and nail but failed to find the cutting edge in the final third. The match ended 1-1 with both sides sharing the spoils.
Let’s take a look at how each Man United player performed during the clash against the Gunners.
GK: David De Gea – 7/10
The Spanish keeper pulled off a couple of world-class saves to restrict the Arsenal attackers from registering more than one goal tonight.
RB: Ashley Young – 5/10
The veteran full-back looked a bit slow down the right flank. Saka’s blistering pace gave him a lot of headaches at the back.
CB: Victor Lindelöf – 4/10
He gave away the ball more than once during the game and looked vulnerable in defence. Lindelof needs to get his act together if he wants to keep his place in Solskjaer’s starting XI.
CB: Harry Maguire – 6/10
The English defender looked composed on the ball and made some vital clearances at the back. He was also a threat going forward when the game got stretched in the final quarter of the match.
LB: Axel Tuanzebe – 7/10
The Man United youngster put in a decent shift down the left-wing. He kept things tidy at the back and did his defensive job well when called into action.
CM: Scott McTominay – 8/10
The Red Devils rising star gave his team the lead with a fantastic strike before half-time. He was a driving force in midfield and managed to bully the Arsenal midfielders which helped Man United establish their dominance at the centre of the park.
CM: Paul Pogba – 6/10
The French midfield ace showed a few flashes of his brilliance. However, he was caught ball-watching at times during the game, which won’t please Solskjaer.
RM: Andreas Pereira – 5/10
He didn’t do enough to influence the contest positively in the Arsenal half. Pereira needs to improve his game considerably before he is ready to feature for the Red Devils every week.
CAM: Jesse Lingard – 5/10
Lingard was poor when in possession of the ball and lacked invention in the final third. It was another forgetful performance from the English prospect.
LM: Daniel James – 6/10
The Welsh winger came alive in the final quarter of the encounter when he tried his best to orchestrate the winning goal for Man United. However, it was too little too late for him after he struggled to make any real impact in the first half.
ST: Marcus Rashford – 5/10
The English striker squandered an excellent chance to score in the first half. He took way too many touches when in possession of the ball which allowed the Arsenal defenders to get back and maintain their defensive shape. Rashford is a forward who is out of form and low on confidence. His struggles were once again on full display tonight.
Substitutes:
CM: Fred – 5/10
The Brazilian midfielder failed to influence the game after coming on in the second half.
ST: Mason Greenwood – 6/10
Greenwood tried his best to get himself involved in the offensive end of the field. The 17-year-old found some space inside the Arsenal penalty box during the latter stages of the clash. However, his shot was inaccurate and lacked power.
