With goals from Timber and Saliba, Arsenal won 2-0 against Man Utd in the match of round 14 of the Premier League, which took place in the early morning of December 5.

Arsenal marked their 500th game at the Emirates Stadium with a 2-0 win over rivals Man Utd. This is the first time in history that the “Gunners” have won four consecutive matches against the “Red Devils”.

Following a resounding 4-0 home win over Everton, Ruben Amorim made six surprise changes to his starting line-up against a buoyant Arsenal side looking for a fourth successive win in all competitions.

Arsenal put great pressure on Man Utd after the opening whistle (Photo: Getty).

With the home advantage, Arsenal went on the attack after the opening whistle. Mikel Arteta’s men had the ball in the net after four minutes when Andre Onana’s poor clearance led to Gabriel Martinelli’s shot, but the goal was quickly ruled out for offside. Thomas Partey then missed a great chance when he failed to connect properly to head home from a corner.

Man Utd also showed progress as they gradually got into the rhythm of the game and frustrated the home team with neat possession, but they never threatened David Raya in the Arsenal goal, as the visitors failed to touch the ball in the home team’s penalty area in the first 30 minutes of the match.

The Gunners continued to probe, with the biggest threat coming from set pieces. Martinelli shot wide despite the Brazilian having a chance to finish from the centre of the box when the Man Utd defence had all retreated towards the goal, but unfortunately the ball went over the bar. The two teams failed to score in the first half as both sides had few shots (3-2) and none were on target.

Arsenal started the second half brightly and energetically, and their persistent threat from set pieces eventually led to the opening goal within 10 minutes of the restart. In the 54th minute, Declan Rice’s corner was headed into the net by Jurrien Timber at the near post to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. It was the Gunners’ 21st goal from a corner since last season.

Timber headed in the opening goal of the match (Photo: Getty).

When the visitors conceded, Amorim was forced to make personnel adjustments, targeting both the attack and the defense. Just five minutes after the goal, the Portuguese coach made a triple substitution, including Leny Yoro, who was making his official debut for the “Red Devils”.

Arsenal’s sharp weapon of set pieces clearly paid off as another corner almost produced a goal, but Manuel Ugarte managed to head the ball off the line after Joshua Zirkzee’s attempt to clear the ball accidentally sent it flying towards his own goal.

It wasn’t until the 67th minute that Man Utd made their first mark on the attack, but Raya made a superb save to deny Matthijs de Ligt. Arsenal kept out any threat from their opponents and doubled their lead from another set piece. In the 73rd minute, Bukayo Saka’s corner to the far post was headed back into the danger zone by Partey, the ball hitting the back of William Saliba and bouncing into the net to the astonishment of both players.

Saliba celebrates after scoring against Man Utd (Photo: Getty).

Although Kai Havertz failed to add a third for the hosts upon his arrival, Arsenal cruised through the final minutes without much danger from Amorim’s men, as the Portuguese suffered his first defeat as Man Utd boss.

Amorim will not have to wait long to help lift the spirits of Man Utd when they host Nottingham Forest on Saturday in the Premier League round of 15. Meanwhile, Arsenal are closing in on leaders Liverpool, closing the gap to seven points as their unbeaten home run reaches 13 games in all competitions (W11 D2).