How Arsenal kept the title race alive

Arsenal ensured the Premier League title race will go to the final day of the season with this hard-fought win against Manchester United. It was far from Arsenal’s most sparkling performance, but they needed a win to go top and deny Manchester City the chance to win the league before the final round of games. All that really mattered was the result. 

Leandro Trossard got the crucial goal, applying the finishing touch to a Kai Havertz assist after Arsenal had regained the ball from an André Onana clearance. Casemiro had dropped to receive from Onana, and with the emergency centre-back failing to get up the pitch, Havertz had the time and space to attack the box and find Trossard. 

United rallied and had more possession and territory than Arsenal, albeit without David Raya having to make a significant save. Instead, Arsenal completed a league double over United to make it 27 Premier League wins this season. Only twice before have they won more league games, in 1930/31 (28 wins) and 1970/71 (29 wins), both of which were title-winning campaigns in a 42-game season. For United, it was a ninth home defeat of the season, a joint-worst performance in club history that was last recorded when being relegated in 1974.

How the managers saw it

“The [Arsenal] defensive record is very good,” said Erik ten Hag. “You have to be very good on the ball and to hammer them and that is probably when I want to be critical. We could have done better.”

Mikel Arteta was pleased with some if not all aspects of his team’s display. “We started the game well, we scored the goal – but that goal, I think it touched something,” he said. “We started to play too safe, not respecting any structure and knowing our purpose. If you don’t have that element of the game to be more dominant and be more present in the game, you have to be extraordinary at competing and doing the defensive things right. And after all that, we were excellent.”

Below, our UEFA-licensed coaches have picked out the key tactical points from this important victory for Arsenal.

Facing a 4-4-2 block

Both sides utilised a 4-4-2 structure when defending. In response to Arsenal’s block, Manchester United narrowed their full-backs to build around the Gunners’ front pair. Single pivot Sofyan Amrabat dropped deep to support United’s two centre-backs, helping overload and narrow Arsenal’s front line. This allowed Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot to drive inwards, or receive inside. Kobbie Mainoo then supported higher, with Scott McTominay working close to Rasmus Højlund. Wingers Amad Diallo and Alejandro Garnacho held the width for as long as possible, especially when Arsenal’s wingers were drawn inside by United’s narrowed full-backs (below).

Ten Hag’s team had a brief wobble after conceding, but found their rhythm again and had more possession than Arsenal in the first half. Amrabat continued to form a back-line trio with Casemiro and Evans, building around Arsenal’s front-line pair. McTominay still supported off Højlund, as Wan-Bissaka and Diallo rotated more on United’s right (below). This helped work the play from right to left, with Dalot moving inside off the ball, and Garnacho holding the width on the left. United built and progressed well, but lacked penetration. Despite all their possession, they had zero attempts on target in the opening 45 minutes.

With United also in a 4-4-2 block out of possession, Arsenal’s build had Declan Rice, Thomas Partey and Takehiro Tomiyasu interchanging, working off each other to progress play. Ben White was initially more reserved, as Arsenal built with a back three, before joining and overlapping Bukayo Saka from deep. Martin Ødegaard, meanwhile, operated in the right inside channel, supporting connections between the wide Saka and dropping Havertz (below).

Trossard was disciplined on the left, holding the width to create space for Rice, Tomiyasu and occasionally Partey, to rotate in the left inside channel. In their major moment of the first half, Trossard came inside to meet Havertz’s low cross.

Arsenal’s game management

Arsenal managed the second half very well, with Saka and Trossard working back defensively to help stop United’s wingers from attacking 1v1 against White and Tomiyasu. Although Dalot and Wan-Bissaka eventually supported their wingers, Arsenal’s wide pairings did a good job of protecting access into their defensive third. Partey and Rice were also well-positioned to cover the central spaces ahead of the centre-backs. They limited access into an often isolated Højlund, with Ødegaard and Havertz also very deep as the visitors’ first line (below).

On the rare occasions where Arsenal created an attack, the combinations between White, Saka and Ødegaard on their right were most purposeful. Havertz dropped on the angle in support, dragging his centre-back marker with him. This allowed Rice, and especially Trossard (later Gabriel Martinelli) to attack the penalty area with purpose, as Arsenal worked the ball well from right to left in the final third (below).

Despite again having more possession in the second half, United were unable to break Arsenal’s defence. To illustrate this, the home side’s first shot on target came from Casemiro, from almost 30 yards out. Garnacho on the left was United’s brightest spark in the second half, but he lacked quality with his end product (below).

For all of United’s improved build-up, patterns and overall control, compared with many games this season, they lacked the killer touch in front of goal. Arsenal, by contrast, made their moment count.

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