Finally, Arsenal has shown its true face, posting a 2-0 win over the big rivals Manchester United on the first day of the New Year. The Gunners defeated guests from the Old Trafford in a not so exciting game, but with confidence and style not seen this season.
During the first 45 minutes, many were reminded on the days when Arsenal used to roll over its opponents playing the most attractive soccer in England. With Nicolas Pepe upfront and Mesut Ozil orchestrating the middle, the hosts were looking very, very good.
“I am so happy I turned around at the stadium, and I see smiley faces and the energy. I see people standing, and that is what I want,” said Arsenal’s newly appointed manager Mikael Arteta right after the game.
Nicolas Pepe broke the bank in the 8th minutes. Sead Kolasinac stormed down the left flank and sent a nice low cross in the middle of the box, right where the French international waited. His precise shot left De Gea without any hopes, and the Gunners were up.
The hosts continued in the same rhythm, and they pressured Manchester all over the field. Pepe hit the post five minutes before the halftime, but his team managed to double the lead through Sokratis.
The Greek defender was the highest after one corner, managing to send a header behind De Gea, It was the 43rd minute, and the perfect timing for the hosts to struck once more.
This shock was too much for Solksjaer and his team who couldn’t recover in the second 45 minutes. The Norwegian manager tried with substitutions, and by switching tactics, however, there wasn’t any result. Andreas Pereira had one shot from the box, but it was off the mark. United had to make peace with another loss.
“We are fit and getting better,” Solskjaer spoke following the event. “The boys have really worked hard over the past few months. We’ve had ups and downs and I can‘t fault them because the energy and drive has been there.”
United again lost in the moment when they should materialize the run of solid results. That was the case against Watford, and it was now versus Arsenal. That inconsistency could cost the Red Devils a lot, as they already missed several solid chances for reaching Chelsea on the fourth place on joining the race for the Champions League.
Right now, United has 31 points, five fewer than the Blues and is sitting in the fifth place of the EPL standings. Meanwhile, Arsenal is 10th, four points behind the Red Devils. Arteta’s guys have a clash against Leeds in the FA Cup coming up, and after that visit Selhurst Park in an extremely tough matchup against Crystal Palace.
Manchester, meanwhile, has an even worse schedule. At first, they travel to Molineux to meet Wolves in the FA Cup, then comes the local derby against Man City in the semifinals of the English Football League Cup. After all that, the Red Devils come back to Old Trafford to meet the Norwich.
