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 celebrated their 500th game at the Emirates Stadium with a 2-0 victory over Manchester United, marking the first time in history they’ve won four consecutive matches against the Red Devils.
After a dominant 4-0 home win over Everton, Ruben Amorim made six unexpected changes to his starting lineup as his team faced an Arsenal side eager to extend their winning streak to four games across all competitions.
Arsenal put immediate pressure on Manchester United from the opening whistle, with the home side attacking relentlessly. Mikel Arteta’s team had the ball in the net after just four minutes when a poor clearance from Andre Onana led to Gabriel Martinelli’s shot, but the goal was ruled offside. Thomas Partey then squandered a great opportunity, misdirecting a header from a corner.
United slowly found their rhythm and frustrated Arsenal with their possession play, but they failed to test David Raya in the Arsenal goal, not managing a single touch inside the home side’s penalty area in the first 30 minutes.
Arsenal continued to press, with set-pieces proving to be their biggest threat. Martinelli had a chance to score from the center of the box but fired over the bar as the United defense retreated. Both teams failed to score in the first half, with just five shots between them, none on target.
The Gunners came out strong in the second half, and their persistent set-piece pressure paid off within 10 minutes. In the 54th minute, Declan Rice delivered a corner that Jurrien Timber headed in at the near post to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead. It marked their 21st goal from a corner since last season.
After conceding, Ruben Amorim was forced into making tactical changes, adjusting both his attack and defense. Just five minutes later, the Portuguese coach made a triple substitution, including Leny Yoro, who was making his official debut for Manchester United.
Arsenal’s deadly set-piece strategy continued to be a threat, with another corner almost leading to a goal. However, Manuel Ugarte cleared the ball off the line after an accidental clearance attempt by Joshua Zirkzee sent the ball towards his own net.
It wasn’t until the 67th minute that Manchester United threatened the Arsenal goal, but David Raya made a fantastic save to deny Matthijs de Ligt. Arsenal swiftly neutralized any further danger and doubled their lead from yet another set-piece in the 73rd minute. Bukayo Saka’s corner was flicked on by Thomas Partey to the far post, where the ball hit William Saliba and bounced into the net, much to the surprise of both players.
Although Kai Havertz couldn’t add a third for Arsenal after coming on, the hosts comfortably saw out the final minutes with little threat from Ruben Amorim’s side, handing the Portuguese coach his first defeat as Manchester United boss.
Amorim won’t have long to regroup, with United set to host Nottingham Forest on Saturday in the Premier League’s 15th round. Meanwhile, Arsenal are steadily closing the gap to league leaders Liverpool, reducing the deficit to seven points while extending their unbeaten home run to 13 games in all competitions (W11 D2).