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There’s a whiff of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at the start of this latest period of transition Manchester United. Much has been said about the club’s missing “DNA”, whatever it may contain. But under Michael Carrick United won the big games again – historically reflecting the ‘Manchester United way’ – and just as under Solskjaer, player rebirth was at the heart of things.
In Solskjaer’s side, 21-year-old Marcus Rashford has enjoyed a resurgence after being misused out wide by Jose Mourinho. The representative of Carrick is Patrick Dolgu. The Dane has found new life in a United shirt since being promoted to a winger role, a year after he was signed as a defensive solution Ruben Amorim. His outstanding performance against the Gunners, which included a screamer few could have imagined, was further evidence of how he has been hampered by the now former Manchester United boss over the past 12 months.
“Pat has been a big player for us in attack over the last few games – he’s scored two goals but his threat, athleticism and quality have been outstanding,” Carrick said. “Delighted for him. His two goals (against Arsenal and Manchester City) were very different goals but you get the idea because he puts so much into his performance. It’s great to see him smiling and happy.”
The early stages were a mirror to the ghosts of Dorgu’s past at Old Trafford. so much arsenalEarly joy came from the right wing, where Dolgu was forced to return to his old post further back and soon found himself losing a battle with Bukayo Saka.
It was that duel that sparked the Gunners’ opener, with Saka calmly curling the ball over the legs of a Riders player, Martin Odegaardwho forced problems by firing the ball into the six-yard box occupied by Jurrien Timber, Lisandro Martinezfixed on the hip. Paul Scholes Having warned Martinez not to ride too high after impressing in last week’s derby, perhaps the Argentinian should have listened and Odegaard’s pass bounced off Martinez’s heel and into his own net. “When you start talking and yelling, the game comes back to bite you,” Scholes says. He’s right.
But from the moment Arsenal took advantage, they also seemed bent on being the architects of their own downfall. Brian Mbemo After play resumed, the Gunners passed the ball sloppily in midfield but were released when Bruno Fernandes fired wildly on the track.
Mbemo was United’s top scorer in his debut season at Old Trafford and perhaps should have left on his own, ensuring he didn’t repeat his mistakes when opponents offered him similar opportunities. With United’s press closing in, Martin Zubimendi panicked on to William Saliba’s hospital pass and tried to pass the ball to the goalkeeper. The Spaniard passed Mbeumo straight into his sights and the Cameroonian rounded off David Raya to equalize.
“We gave them goals,” lamented Arteta as he struggled to find out why his players were guilty of a spike in errors as they got United back into the game. “Mistakes are part of football. It was very different to us but we gave them goals and hope and that changed the energy.” The visitors were in good spirits and, fueled by their new weapons, put in a strong performance in the second half.
Despite the instability at the back, Dolgu looks like a new signing. This is something we saw against Newcastle when Ruben Amorim was still in charge, making you wonder why the stubborn Portuguese manager dragged him back to left-wing-back before he did. eventually fired. This is consistent with his inability to adapt, even when better options are presented to him.
Five minutes after the restart, Dolgu’s stunning volley hit the underside of Raya’s crossbar, putting an exclamation mark on Amorim’s mistake. While Arsenal were easily broken by Dolgu and Fernandes combining, it would be unfair to blame defensive deficiencies for such a stunning effort. “You take them to amazing places,” Carrick said.
Dolgu often found himself the farthest United player on the pitch. He was allowed to relinquish his defensive duties and Carrick realized that the opposition half was where he belonged. That was until he was forced off with a suspected hamstring injury, although Carrick hoped it was nothing serious. “He ended up feeling a bit cramped and hopefully it’s not worse. It’s hard to say at this stage so we’ll just have to wait and see but we’re hoping it’s not too bad.”
Set-pieces seemed to save Arsenal again when Mikel Merino forced the ball over the line after a goal-mouth scramble in the 84th minute. This is their 15th game in England’s top flight this season. Avoiding defeat would be a huge relief for the league leaders, who are under renewed pressure from Aston Villa their victory over Newcastle Not particularly threatened after falling behind earlier in the day.
But three minutes later there was individual brilliance from Matheus Cunha, who found himself curling in space to seal the Gunners’ first home defeat of the season after three Arsenal players were fouled but failed to stop Kobe Mainu.
“We’re going to win the league,” the away players sang cheerfully throughout the game. They might be a little ahead of their time. But with Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table reduced to four points, seeds of doubt may have been sown over the Gunners’ ability to achieve the elusive feat.