Mikel Arteta’s 2022/23 Arsenal squad joined the club’s history books by obtaining five consecutive wins to begin the Premier League season. This feat emulated the accomplishments of Arsene Wenger’s 2004/05 Arsenal team, a season where the Gunners finished second.
Gabriel Jesus & Co. have already made huge strides this term by collecting five successive victories in domestic action. Unfortunately, Manchester United put a dampener on their run while attempting their sixth win. However, this hasn’t altered Arsenal’s league position, as the North London side is still topping the table with 15 points from a possible 18.
With fourteen goals scored and seven conceded, many expected Arsenal to defeat United – what went wrong?
Manchester United vs. Arsenal flashback
As the top-flights youngest manager, Arteta’s initial success at Arsenal came against the Red Devils. However, last Sunday’s result was nothing more than a frustrating endeavour that delivered more questions than answers.
Can this youthful Arsenal squad provide the resiliency to compete with the division’s top six clubs? Despite the lack of experience on the pitch, their loss to United didn’t follow with the same disappointment as it would have over the previous seasons. In most parts of the game, a sense of injustice rung throughout Old Trafford, mainly involving referee decision-making.
“I thought it was an even game, but we managed to exploit the space better,” commented Marcus Rashford during the aftermath, who netted for the Red Devils six minutes following Bukayo Saka’s equalizer.
A poorly timed three-way substitution, wrongfully made by Arteta in the 74th minute, delivered another chance for Rashford as he sailed it beyond Ben White before slapping Christian Eriksen’s square pass to finalise the game. Both situations were a minute apart and proved Arsenal is still very beatable.
“Arsenal were fantastic for 65-70 minutes, but there was quite a bit of immaturity in the last 20 minutes,” Gary Neville commented.
Most bookmakers priced United as slight +160 favorites with the comeback on Arsenal at +165; these price tags were evidence of Arsenal’s rise from the ashes, and UK betting sites weren’t wrong to put them in this position.
Sadly, Arsenal wasn’t able to maintain the performance they’d held within the game’s initial 70 minutes, they crumbled from the 70th minute onwards, and the home side capitalized and gave bettors who backed the Red Devils a nice +160 winning ticket.
The Arteta era
While it may be slow-burning, the Arteta era is unquestionably gaining pace in 2022. Of course, Arsenal fans have every reason to remain cautious with the breakdown at Old Trafford, but overall, Arteta’s guidance is beginning to flow.
Since February 2022, Arsenal has collected 42 points from 21 EPL games. On average, they score more frequently (2.6), owning more shots on target and conceding fewer goals season-to-season.
Trusting in the process of William Saliba to signing the talents of Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko were great decisions over the summer. Jesus, in particular, has been a delight for a club lacking in that star flare up front.
Arsenal and United could be challenging for the coveted Champions League position this term, but at the least, they looked primed to close the gap between themselves and the EPL’s elite.
Next up: Brentford, maybe?
After the Premier Leagues postponement, Arsenal will have to wait another two weeks for a home fixture as the Everton meeting will take place later. Next up, Arsenal will be back on the road to face the unpredictable Brentford squad, a team that notably defeated Manchester United 4-0 earlier this season.
This, however, is still up for debate. The passing of Queen Elizabeth II will see events surrounding her funeral last for several days. Matchday 7 of the Premier League has been suspended, but Matchday 8 could also be an issue for those clubs playing in London.
Therefore, the London derby between Brentford and Arsenal is another fixture that remains in turmoil, but should it go ahead; it’s another tricky challenge for Arteta’s men to overcome.
One thing for sure is Manchester City is trailing behind the Gunners by a mere point; whoever Arsenal play next, they’ll need to collect all three points to maintain at the top of the table.
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