Many years may have passed since Manchester United last beat Arsenal to a Premier League title, but the Red Devils have continued to hit their rivals where it hurts.
Perhaps the most painful of those post-Ferguson results came back in 2016. Back then, Arsenal were on a high after their last-gasp victory over league leaders Leicester City, and a win over Louis van Gaal's inconsistent United would have made a first league title since 2004 a very realistic possibility.
As we now know, the Gunners were undone that day by a two-goal display from Marcus Rashford, fresh off a debut brace against FC Midtjylland. However, after one of Arsenal's own academy products prepared for this weekend's meeting with a two-goal display of his own, it could be time for revenge.
"It’s what he does all the time," Mikel Arteta said of Eddie Nketiah after the youngster led his team to victory at Stamford Bridge. "He hasn’t had enough minutes to show what he can do and that’s why I said what I said."
Arteta had earlier admitted he might have "missed something" with the 22-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season. There were parallels in his language with the way he spoke of Gabriel Martinelli last season, and this in itself may give Nketiah belief he can feature more next season if he opts to renew his deal.
Still, when quizzed on Nketiah's involvement against United - with Alexandre Lacazette continuing to work his way back to match-fitness after Covid - the Spaniard kept his cards close to his chest. “Let’s see how he recovers, how everybody is, and we’ll try to put the best possible team tomorrow to win the game,” the manager said.
Should Nketiah start against Man Utd? Have your say in the comments section
While Nketiah is more experienced now than Rashford was in 2016, the value of momentum in the situation is similar. Nketiah's two goals against Chelsea are more than fellow striker Lacazette has managed in all of 2022, and there's certainly some value in allowing him to carry the momentum forward and see how far it takes him.
“To get two goals on your debut it’s the stuff of dreams, it was great to see his reaction and what it means to him," Rashford's teammate Michael Carrick said of the then-teenager in 2016. "That's what it’s all about, getting the young lads through.
“He found out he was playing 10 or 15 minutes before the game, maybe that helped him as he didn’t have too much time to think about it. We’ll have to see who's fit and available for the Arsenal game but I’m sure after that debut performance he’s going to have bags of confidence."
Sure enough, Rashford earned another start against the Gunners and scored another two goals. His quickfire double was followed by an Ander Herrera strike in the second half, with Arsenal only able to find the net twice themselves, and a defeat against Swansea City three days later all but ended the Gunners' title chances.
There's a difference, though. Rashford was thrown in out of necessity, with Wayne Rooney and Anthony Martial unavailable, whereas a start for Nketiah on Saturday would come in place of a fit senior striker.
Nevertheless, this is a point in the season where unlikely heroes have thrived over the years. Federico Macheda famously stepped up for United during the 2008-09 run-in, Jermaine Pennant scored a late-season hat-trick for the Gunners as a 20-year-old, and Liverpool picked up a crucial win in May 2021 thanks to a first ever senior goal from goalkeeper Alisson.
By the time April and May roll around, opponents will have had the chance to take in hours and hours of footage of their rivals to prepare as well as humanly possible for each game. One way to counter that is to present them with something unexpected, even if the unpredictability might be part of the reason a player hasn't always featured.
Chelsea struggled to contain Nketiah in part because they faced the combination of an unlikely starter and a talented scorer looking to prove he belonged. The exact same thing ended up being the Gunners' undoing in 2016, even if they didn't know what Rashford was capable of at the time - or perhaps because they didn't know. Now it's time for them to show they've learned what's possible.
