Manchester United have made some history at the Emirates Stadium, but not quite as they would have liked. A draw after this all-action stalemate meant they set a new club record for away games without a defeat.
The series now stands at 18 and includes 14 wins. Ole Gunnar Solskjær had wanted a reaction to the scruffy home loss against Sheffield United on Wednesday-evening and he got that in the form of a much improved performance. But his team couldn’t find the cutting edge.
They had the odds of scoring in a dominant performance in the first half and none better than Edinson Cavani’s in the second half. From scoreless distance, he could not find the goal from a cross from Luke Shaw. The Uruguayan was also inches wide with an 89-minute scissor stair.
Arsenal were much better after the break and they too had the chances of winning with only the crossbar to stop Alexandre Lacazette’s free kick. It’s now been seven encouraging league games since they tasted defeat.
United’s crash against Sheffield United formed the basis of the game and it was certainly one of the shocking results of a unique season. Before that, the club’s last league defeat was on November 1 against Arsenal in the reverse match at Old Trafford. United’s unbeaten streak in the league stood at 13 games, and it was nearly impossible to foresee the failure to perform against the division’s bottom club.
Perhaps it was an illustration that cracks still lurk in United’s makeup and the question at the outset was whether Arsenal could locate them. It was clear they would have to do it the hard way as Mikel Arteta didn’t have three key players in Kieran Tierney, Bukayo Saka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Saka, who reported a hip problem, was in the form of blistering.
The biting cold in north London did not diminish the passions at first, while Cédric Soares rattled off his compatriot Bruno Fernandes. Cédric led with his arm in an aerial challenge and he caught Fernandes before chasing him with a few choice words in his ear. Fernandes jumped up and pushed the fullback; Cédric was booked.
Fernandes was seen in conversation with Granit Xhaka and shortly after, he left his shoe for a challenge with the Arsenal midfielder and slashed him through the Achilles tendon. This time there was no card. It was hateful if hardly hostile Arsenal-United top level.
The game was more open than at Old Trafford, with United on the front foot and came under control for the first half. Their passes and movements were slicker, their comfort on the ball more pronounced. They missed the final move, however, with Marcus Rashford playing one tough pass to the overlapping Fernandes and also unable to fire a shot from close range after a cross from Luke Shaw had come to him.
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Fred extended Bernd Leno after a corner was half cleared – it was an excellent save from the Arsenal goalkeeper – and Aaron Wan-Bissaka headed wide when he was loosely marked. Then there were Fernandes’s moments in the first half. After being released by Paul Pogba, he jinked at David Luiz before curving off goal, then saw a 45-minute free-kick on the edge of the area hit a jumping David Luiz in the wall and just walked over it .
Arsenal were happy to come to rest at 0-0. Gabriel Martinelli almost played in Lacazette while Nicolas Pépé curled a yard wide after a run, but Arteta’s team hadn’t shown enough as a cohesive offensive force.
Solskjær had made five changes from Sheffield United and had to rearrange further when Scott McTominay was forced out after 37 minutes and Pogba stepped in from left midfield. Arteta changed his own choice for the second half, replacing Martinelli with Willian, and his team was more focused on the restart; there was more intensity.
Twice they advertised the opening goal and twice United had to intervene decisively. First Willian showed up at the far post to meet Héctor Bellerín’s cross, only for Wan-Bissaka to make a savings block and then cut back for Pépé only for Harry Maguire to block.
A goal felt close and United thought they had it when Shaw cut back on Cavani. Incredibly, the attacker thrust the ball past Leno’s post wide at close range. Arsenal came back and so were the best margins against them. Lacazette’s free kick had defeated David de Gea and came back off the crossbar before Emile Smith Rowe was denied by a sharp save from the goalkeeper. Pépé also saw another low shot flash wide.