Barney Ronay's verdict
No word from Mikel Arteta, with attention switching to the Saints-Villa 8pm kick-off. You can follow that here with Simon Burnton. But you can also read David Hytner’s verdict on the big game at the Emirates, which has landed for you to peruse at your leisure and pleasure. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
Updated
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer talks to Sky. “I felt we had the bigger chances to win the game. Decent performances, good defensively, two massive chances in the second half. We had a good performance. You come away with a share of possession, the bigger chances. There was a spell when we dropped off and were a little bit passive, but otherwise I’m pleased with the boys. Wednesday night was a disappointing one, but today was a good performance. We take this point and move on, it’s Southampton again.”
David Luiz, Sky’s man of the match, speaks: “It was a great game. Both teams tried to win. Both had opportunities. It was a proper match. It’s frustrating because we love to win, but we tried our best. We have to try to improve every single day. You have to be humble. The boss is doing a great job. The young boys have progressed a lot and are fantastic. The team has a great atmosphere. We are far from first. But the ambition has to be there, for the first position. When it is mathematically possible, you have to try.”
That’s a new club record set by Manchester United: 18 undefeated away matches in the league. Not that they’ll be particularly pleased with their performance this evening. Alexandre Lacazette came closest to scoring, belting a free kick off the underside of the bar, though Edinson Cavani missed two chances from a combined distance of roughly eight yards, so both teams will go away thinking they might on another day have nicked it. But as goalless draws go, it was more than entertaining.
FULL TIME: Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United
Both teams had their chances, but this is probably a fair result on balance. Arsenal leapfrog Chelsea into eighth place, while United remain in second, three behind leaders Manchester City having played a game more.
Updated
90 min +5: Fred has a lash from 25 yards. Nope.
90 min +4: Nketiah comes on for Lacazette.
90 min +3: Lacazette is groggy, but thankfully there seems to be no need for stretcher and neck brace. He’s gently lifted to his feet.
90 min +2: Lacazette has come off worst. Maguire is up and about again, while the Arsenal striker has yet to get up.
90 min +1: The first of three added minutes is spent seeing to Maguire and Lacazette, the former having executed that aforementioned Harry Kane trick. Suffice to say there will now be more than three added minutes.
Updated
90 min: But the short end is, Cavani has now missed two extremely presentable chances in the six-yard box. That won’t have happened too many times in his career.
Updated
89 min: Wan-Bissaka curls in from the right. Cavani connects, six yards out, with a low bicycle kick. It’s a wonderful effort, but whistles inches wide right. Martial was standing behind him, and probably better placed, but you can understand Cavani going for it himself.
Updated
87 min: Cedric takes, aiming for the top left, but it’s no good.
86 min: Arsenal probe. A few nice first touches for Odegaard. Then Wan-Bissaka kicks Willian up the jacksie and it’s a needless free kick to concede. It’s just outside the United box to the left.
Updated
84 min: Bruno slides Greenwood into space down the right. Greenwood pulls back for Martial, who fails to react. Bellerin blooters clear.
83 min: Smith-Rowe, who has been excellent, is replaced by the new boy Odegaard.
81 min: Space for Pepe down the right. He strolls into the box and tries to steer a low diagonal shot across De Gea and into the bottom left. Not far away at all, but wide.
Updated
80 min: Some space for Rashford down the right. He enters the box and lashes violently into the side netting. That’s his last contribution tonight: he’s replaced by Greenwood.
78 min: Rashford crosses from the right. Holding clears. Lacazette pulls the Harry Kane aerial trick on Pogba, backing in. Pogba lands awkwardly, but thankfully he’s up and about again quickly.
77 min: Bellerin has a bash from the corner but his shot is easily blocked.
76 min: Luiz takes, the free kick pinging off the wall and out for a corner on the left.
Updated
75 min: Arsenal are dominating possession again. Lacazette tries to spin clear down the inside-left channel, between Maguire and Lindelof, and the former decides to take him down. A free kick and a booking for Maguire.
73 min: Willian drifts in from the left and is unceremoniously upended by Pogba, who goes in the book for his cynicism.
71 min: Fred has a whack from distance. It’s deflected into the path of Martial, who prepares to shoot from an angle on the left, only for the offside flag to go up.
70 min: United have steadied the ship after that brief storm. Plenty of probing, albeit to little effect in the final third.
68 min: And so following that, United nearly take the lead against the run of play, Cavani and Martial thinking about shooting from the edge of the box, Shaw firing low into the mixer from the left. Luiz hacks out for a corner, from which Pogba wafts a weak effort straight at Leno from distance.
66 min: And now Smith-Rowe forces De Gea into action, skelping a shot towards the bottom right from 12 yards. Great save this time. Arsenal have come mighty close to scoring on four separate occasions since the restart.
65 min: Lacazette takes. A gorgeous fierce shot, with little backlift. It’s aimed towards the top right, but twangs off the underside of the bar and out! So unlucky!
Updated
64 min: A long ball down the right nearly releases Lacazette. Maguire ties himself in knots and is forced to drag his man down, just to the right of the D. Big free kick coming up.
62 min: Luiz advances on the United box and considers a shot. He tries to release Pepe instead. Pepe can’t sort his feet out, so gives it back. Luiz has a crack now. It’s well over.
61 min: Replays show Cavani shot wide. How on earth did he miss from there? Absurd. No clip from Cedric, though the ball may have shaved Leno’s leg, hence the corner. That doesn’t explain the miss, though.
59 min: That’s as close as United have come. Both teams will wonder how they’ve yet to find the net.
58 min: Shaw and Martial one-two their way into the Arsenal box from the left. Shaw fizzes low and hard into the centre. Cavani must surely slam home from close range ... but he’s put off by Cedric, who nicks the shot out for a corner. That was inches wide of the left-hand post. Nothing comes of the resulting set piece.
57 min: Willian gingerly leaves the pitch, but soon perks up and comes back on.
56 min: Willian is down. He looks to have a problem with his left knee. The physio comes on and has a long look.
54 min: Martial and Cavani one-two briskly down the middle. They would have opened Arsenal up were it not for Luiz’s last-gasp interception. Superb football all round.
53 min: The corner’s no good either. United clear easily. But this has been a decent start to the second half by Arsenal. They’ve had 83 percent possession since the restart! Will they come to rue the failure to convert one of those two fine chances?
52 min: Wan-Bissaka is booked for sliding in clumsily on Cedric. This is effectively a corner out on the left. Pepe fizzes it in. Wan-Bissaka clears out for an actual corner this time.
Updated
50 min: Nothing comes of the corner. Arsenal come again, Willian reaching the byline on the left and cutting back for Pepe, who creams a first-time effort towards the bottom left. It looks to have the beating of De Gea, but Maguire stands firm to block bravely. Wonderful defending.
48 min: Bellerin crosses from the right. It’s a poor ball, but somehow finds its way to Willian, on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. He should score, with only De Gea to beat, but stabs at the ball with great uncertainty. A weak effort is blocked out for a corner.
47 min: A really scrappy start to the half. Neither team put anything resembling a passing sequence together.
United get the second half underway. They’ve made no changes, but Arsenal have replaced Martinelli with Willian.
Half-time entertainment. In lieu of goals at the Emirates ...
HALF TIME: Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United
Nothing comes of the corner, and the whistle goes at a good time for Arsenal, with United beginning to ask some serious questions.
45 min: Bruno looks for the top right. Luiz flicks over the bar. That’s fine defending, because it didn’t look like Leno would get to an on-target effort.
Updated
43 min: Shaw curls dangerously from the left. Wan-Bissaka takes a fresh-air swipe. Xhaka tries to clear but is dispossessed. The ball lands at the feet of Rashford, one on one with Leno on the edge of the six-yard box. Leno does extremely well to close him right down, forcing Rashford to attempt a dragback before shooting. Blocked. The ball breaks to Bruno, who is upended on the edge of the D. Great chance for United here.
Updated
41 min: Corner for United out on the left. Maguire meets it with a header, but it’s tame and straight at Leno. The keepers haven’t had too much to do.
40 min: It’s very scrappy now. Both teams could do with some tactical tweaks. Fortunately opportunity for a pow-wow is coming up soon.
38 min: United stroke it about, though they don’t really go anywhere. The game almost grinds to a complete halt.
36 min: McTominay is really struggling. Down he goes. He looks green. He’s really not enjoying himself. Down the tunnel he goes, hopefully to find some sweet relief. Martial comes on in his place.
34 min: A couple of half-chances for United, as Wan-Bissaka flashes a header wide right, then Bruno curls one wide right from a deep position on the left, using Luiz as a shield.
Updated
33 min: Not sure that pill has helped McTominay too much. He’s grimacing and not moving freely. Or maybe moving freely is the exact problem. Poor fellow.
32 min: Rashford tries a Le Tissieresque juggle and volley from 25 yards. It flies wide left by some distance.
30 min: Bruno crosses from the right. Luiz clears. Smith-Rowe swans past Fred and romps into space down the middle. He slips Pepe into space down the right. Pepe reaches the box, throws a couple of dummies, and attempts a curler into the bottom left. It’s inches wide. That would have been a fine goal.
Updated
29 min: Pogba, to the left of the D, chips a cute diagonal pass towards Rashford, preparing to volley home from the right-hand corner of the six-yard box. Martinelli comes to Arsenal’s rescue, reading the danger and racing back in time to head out for a corner, just before Rashford can connect. Nothing comes of the set piece.
27 min: Martinelli storms in from the left and curls towards Lacazette at the far post. The inswinger takes Maguire out of the game, but there’s a little too much on it, and the ball evades the striker, just, flying out for a goal kick.
26 min: Pepe glides in from the right flank and swans past Shaw, who is forced to stick out an arm and drag him back. A free kick 25 yards out. Xhaka curls it to the far post, where Luiz loses Wan-Bissaka and heads across the face of goal. Nobody in red reacts. That was well-worked.
25 min: Bellerin has a whack from distance. His shot is deflected out for a corner on the right. Pepe takes, and Xhaka aims a header towards the top right. It’s easy for De Gea.
Updated
23 min: Cavani drives down the right and forces Holding to toe-poke out for a corner. Before it can be taken, McTominay trots to the touchline, clutching his stomach. He’s given a pill to settle things down. The corner comes to nothing.
21 min: A little bit of space for Pepe down the right. He enters the box and has options in the middle, but whistles a wild drive into the side netting.
20 min: Shaw’s corner is half cleared. The ball drops to Fred, who attempts to gently shovel a shot into the top right. It’s heading in, but Leno extends a finger to tip away sensationally. Arsenal deal with the second corner much more easily.
Updated
19 min: Wan-Bissaka curls in from the right. Luiz hysterically slices out for the first corner of the game.
18 min: Rashford and Bruno attack down the United right. They’re two on one with Luiz. Rashford enters the box and attempts a one-two with Bruno, to his right. The move breaks down. Cavani, in acres at the far post, seethes with some justification.
16 min: Lacazette strides towards the United box and sends a rising rasper towards goal. It’s hit with venom but straight at De Gea and an easy claim.
15 min: Bruno plants his studs on Xhaka’s heel. Was that a deliberate rake? You’ve seen players penalised for less, but both referee and VAR give him the benefit of the doubt. He’ll need to calm down, something he’s signally failed to do since the incident with Cedric.
13 min: Arsenal and United love a good bench-emptying brawl, and one nearly kicks off here. Cedric sticks an arm in Bruno’s face as the pair contest a high ball. It’s a foul and a booking for the Arsenal man. Bruno explodes in rage, with Cedric up in his grille. He considers throwing hands before deciding against it. Other players rush in, but only to calm things down.
11 min: Luiz strides forward and suffers a huge rush of blood. Attempting a shot from the best part of 35 yards, he nearly manages to hit the corner flag on the right. As ever, full marks for ambition for the ever-entertaining Luiz, if not for execution.
10 min: United press high and hard. Arsenal, with Partey, Cedric and Xhaka in the thick of it, escape well by executing a couple of crisp triangles. A good contest already, this.
8 min: Now Bruno wants a penalty, as he’s nudged by Cedric, the pair contesting Shaw’s deep cross from the left. There’s not much in it, and he’s not getting one.
Updated
7 min: Xhaka hangs out an arm, giving Rashford a slap in the face as the pair tussle down the United right. Accidental, according to the referee. We play on.
6 min: Smith-Rowe and Pepe combine really well down the right. The ball’s slipped inside for Lacazette, who twists and turns but can’t work space for a shot. A couple of promising signs for Arsenal down the flanks.
5 min: Arsenal launch their first attack of the evening, Martinelli slipping a pass down the left for Cedric, whose deep cross skims off the top of Lacazette’s head.
3 min: United continue to stroke it around. Arsenal don’t seem minded to pile forward and leave a load of space for the visitors to romp into.
1 min: United are out of the blocks quickly, Shaw racing down the left and reaching the byline after 30 seconds or so. But there’s nobody in the middle yet, so he’s forced to turn tail and the move fizzles out. A very early statement of intent by United, though.
Arsenal get the first half underway ... but only after everyone takes a knee of solidarity, respect, equality and love. There’s no room for racism. Kick it out.
The teams are out! Arsenal wear their famous red shirts with white sleeves, while Manchester United sport third-choice black. A world of fun is only a couple of heartbeats away. “I have a partly repressed joy watching Ole resurrect United,” writes Bill Hargreaves. “He has an expression like the lost dog in the park that only wants a good home, only to turn into your best buddy and a stalwart advisor.”
Mikel Arteta welcomes Martin Odegaard. “He is starting on the bench. He’s only done one and a half sessions with us, so he’s not familiar with the way we do it. But we brought him in because we know he can make a difference for us.”
Meanwhile Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has also been talking to Sky: “We have loads of games in a short space of time. [The changes are] not a reaction [to defeat]. There should be fresh legs there today. It’s Arsenal, that should be motivation enough. We haven’t done well here lately but traditionally we have had some good results here. When you lose you want to play again, it’s just the way it is.”
Arsenal will move into seventh if they win tonight. United will remain in second, whatever happens: Manchester City have just seen out a 1-0 victory against Sheffield United, Gabriel Jesus making the difference in the ninth minute, and extend their lead over United at the top to four points.
Arsenal make one change to the team that won at Southampton during the week. Gabriel Martinelli comes in for Bukayo Saka, left out altogether as a precautionary measure with a sore hip. Kieran Tierney and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang are both still out, but new loan signing Martin Odegaard might get on a bit later: he’s on the bench.
Manchester United replace nearly half of their starting XI after losing so dismally at home to Sheffield United. Anthony Martial, Axel Tuanzebe, Alex Telles, Nemanja Matic and Mason Greenwood make way for Edinson Cavani, Victor Lindelof, Luke Shaw, Scott McTominay and Fred.
Updated
The teams
Arsenal: Leno, Bellerin, Holding, Luiz, Cedric, Partey, Xhaka, Martinelli, Smith-Rowe, Pepe, Lacazette.
Subs: Gabriel, Odegaard, Willian, Runarsson, Maitland-Niles, Chambers, Elneny, Willock, Nketiah.
Manchester United: de Gea, Wan Bissaka, Lindelof, Maguire, Shaw, McTominay, Fred, Rashford, Bruno Fernandes, Pogba, Cavani.
Subs: Bailly, Martial, Greenwood, James, Henderson, Alex Telles, Matic, van de Beek, Tuanzebe.
Referee: Michael Oliver (Northumberland).
Updated
Preamble
Manchester United haven’t beaten Arsenal in the league since April 2018, when Marouane Fellaini scored a last-minute winner at Old Trafford. They’ve lost 2-0 on their last two visits to the Emirates, and lost this season’s corresponding home fixture 1-0 back in November. Arsenal have picked up 16 points from the last 18 on offer, while United went down flaccidly against bottom side Sheffield United the other day. Form slightly favours the Gunners, then, but when was form a factor in an epic rivalry that has delivered brilliance, bench-emptying brawls, and everything in between? Let the duel commence, this could be a whole lot of fun.
Kick off is at 5.30pm GMT. It’s on!
