Arsenal 1-3 Man United
A brace from Jesse Lingard and Antonio Valencia’s opener helped Manchester United to a 3-1 win at Arsenal.
Alexandre Lacazette found the net for the Gunners, who created numerous clear-cut chances but were repeatedly denied by a wonderful performance from David de Gea.
Here’s how the players rated at the Emirates Stadium.
Petr Cech
Cech could perhaps have done better with the first goal, when Antonio Valencia drilled the ball through his legs. The goalkeeper was reluctant to sweep up behind his defence, which would have served Arsenal well as the hosts pushed up the pitch. FFT rating: 6.
Laurent Koscielny
Koscielny’s misplaced pass led to the opening goal, with Antonio Valencia stealing the ball high up the pitch and going on to score. He looked shaky for some time after and was beaten too easily by Paul Pogba for the third goal. FFT rating: 4.
Shkodran Mustafi
Mustafi was caught in possession for United’s second, with Jesse Lingard winning the ball and going on to score. The defender was substituted soon after. FFT rating: 5.
Nacho Monreal
Usually so assured, Monreal didn’t have his best game on Saturday evening. He was beaten for pace by United’s speedy attackers and got sucked inside for the first goal. FFT rating: 5.
Hector Bellerin
Given that Ashley Young spent most of the match defending, Bellerin would have hoped to make more of an impact going forward. His delivery from out wide was inconsistent, but he did carry the ball forward well. FFT rating: 6.
Aaron Ramsey
Ramsey provided a wonderful assist for Alexandre Lacazette’s goal, selflessly laying the ball to his team-mate after getting on the end of Alexis Sanchez’s cross. The midfielder drove Arsenal forward after they fell 2-0 behind, but he should have done better with a late chance in the centre of the box. FFT rating: 7.
Granit Xhaka
Xhaka came close to scoring in the first half, but the midfielder’s left-footed shot grazed the post. He struggled defensively whenever United swarmed forward on the counter-attack and lost track of Jesse Lingard for the visitors’ third. FFT rating: 5.
Sead Kolasinac
Kolasinac has had a superb start to his Arsenal career, but this wasn’t his best display. He was unable to take advantage of the space in front of him and didn’t offer much in attack. FFT rating: 5.
Mesut Ozil
Ozil often dropped deep to pick up the ball, before driving forward and looking to play penetrative passes in behind the United rearguard. As well as providing invention with the ball, the playmaker also worked hard out of possession. FFT rating: 8.
Alexandre Lacazette
A surprise selection after his injury in midweek, Lacazette had six shots but was only able to find the net once. The France international took too long to apply the finishing touch to a brilliant chance in the first half, but made no mistake when Aaron Ramsey teed him up in the 49th minute. He also impressed with his movement and link-up play. FFT rating: 8.
Alexis Sanchez
Sanchez did not always make the right decision in possession, but he looked a threat every time he was on the ball and created a number of chances. The Chilean chipped a magnificent cross into Aaron Ramsey for Lacazette’s strike and was denied a goal of his own by a fantastic save from David de Gea, although on other occasions he was guilty of holding onto the ball for too long. FFT rating: 7.
Sub: Alex Iwobi
Brought on in place of Shkodran Mustafi early on, Iwobi added another dose of speed to the Arsenal attack. His decision-making wasn’t always the best, however, and his use of the ball could have been better. FFT rating: 5.
Sub: Danny Welbeck
Arsenal should have been awarded a penalty when Welbeck was brought down by Matteo Darmian. The former United forward put himself about but wasn’t able to inspire a comeback. FFT rating: 6.
Sub: Olivier Giroud
Introduced to provide more of a penalty-box presence in the final 15 minutes, Giroud struggled to make his mark involved as United preserved their two-goal advantage. FFT rating: 6.
Arsene Wenger
It’s difficult to blame Wenger for the sloppy moments at the back which led to United’s first two goals, and it’s also not his fault that his players missed some presentable opportunities. Having said that, the Frenchman struggled to find a way to contain United’s counter-attacking bursts. FFT rating: 6.
David de Gea
De Gea made some sensational saves to keep Arsenal at bay in the first half, the best of which probably came from a hashed Romelu Lukaku clearance. Although he couldn’t do anything about Lacazette’s strike, the Spanish shot-stopper was equally as impressive after the interval, pulling off a magnificent double save to deny Alexandre Lacazette and Alexis Sanchez. FFT rating: 10.
Victor Lindelof
After a suspect start to his United career, this was another competent showing from Lindelof. His positioning and reading of the game were good, and he didn’t over-elaborate in possession. FFT rating: 7.
Chris Smalling
Stationed in the centre of United’s three-man backline, Smalling was probably United’s standout defender. He was often in the right place at the right time as the Red Devils limited Arsenal to a single goal. FFT rating: 7.
Marcos Rojo
Rojo looked nervous for much of the game and had a number of rash moments, including a foul on Alexis Sanchez for which he was booked. The Argentinian often struggled to cope with Arsenal’s snappy attacking interplay and made a poor decision by trying to play offside for the Gunners’ goal. FFT rating: 5.
Antonio Valencia
The right wing-back drilled home the opener after pinching possession high up the pitch. The rest of his evening was spent defending, and although he occasionally struggled to deal with Sanchez, the Ecuadorian performed well. FFT rating: 7.
Paul Pogba
Pogba’s ball-carrying through the centre was important to United’s transitions from defence to attack in the first half, but he was often caught too far ahead of the ball when Arsenal went forward. In the end, it was worth it: a fine run from Pogba led to Lingard’s second and United’s third, although he was later sent off for a bad challenge on Hector Bellerin. FFT rating: 7.
Nemanja Matic
Matic was often left alone in midfield as Pogba pushed up the pitch, which inevitably led to the former Chelsea man being overrun at times. He did a good job of halting several Arsenal attacks, though, making four tackles and three interceptions – no United player made more of either. FFT rating: 7.
Ashley Young
Despite being fielded as a wing-back, Young got forward less than usual as United held on to their early lead. He did brilliantly to get back on the line to clear a Mesut Ozil free-kick with his head in the first half. FFT rating: 7.
Jesse Lingard
Lingard applied the finishing touch to United’s second goal, but it was also he who won the ball in the first place. Deployed in a midfield role ahead of Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba, the 24-year-old did a good job of hassling and harrying Arsenal’s players in the first half, before tapping home the third just after the hour-mark. FFT rating: 8
Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku may not have got on the scoresheet himself, but he was heavily involved in United’s second goal, providing an excellent pass to assist-provider Anthony Martial. His link-up play and running without the ball were excellent. FFT rating: 7.
Anthony Martial
The Frenchman, who produced a brilliant flick to set up Jesse Lingard for United’s second, was a constant threat on the counter-attack. He also fulfilled his defensive duties diligently before his withdrawal in the 67th minute. FFT rating: 8.
Sub: Ander Herrera
Herrera helped to stabilise the midfield after United went 3-1 up, playing a disciplined role alongside Nemanja Matic. FFT rating: 7.
Sub: Matteo Darmian
Darmian should have been punished for a foul on Danny Welbeck in the penalty area. The Italian wasn’t exactly a calming influence during his time on the pitch. FFT rating: 5.
Sub: Marcus Rashford
Rashford entered the fray with just seconds left on the clock. FFT rating: N/A.
Jose Mourinho
Mourinho deserves credit for instructing his players to press high up the pitch in the early stages, but United were fortunate to be two goals ahead at the break. Nevertheless, the Portuguese will relish a first away win against big-six opposition as Red Devils boss. FFT rating: 7.
