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| Leandro Trossard celebrates after tapping home to help Arsenal past Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. (Photo credit: Euro Sport) |
For the first time since 2004, Arsenal has dragged the title race until the final day, and whatever happens between now and next Sunday, they can be proud of their season.
The game at Old Trafford on Sunday wasn’t a vintage performance from Arsenal; it was more of a show of how bad United is and the fears in the eyes of Sir Jim Ratcliff, who watched on helplessly as torrents of rain beat the dreams out of everyone at the away end.
Arsenal controlled the game well despite the hosts enjoying spells of possession. It’s to the Gunners’ credit that United didn’t know or do anything of note with the possession they had, helping the Gunners to their eleventh away clean sheet of the season; only Chelsea in 2008/09 had more.
If anything, the game at Old Trafford proves how much progress Arsenal has made over the years. The old Arsenal would have found ways to drop points in a game like the one away at United regardless of the opposition's challenges, as has happened before.
In February 2016, the game that introduced Marcus Rashford to the world, Arsenal went to a depleted United side with the title in sight. The Gunners somehow managed to lose the game 3-2 despite playing against an ageing Michael Carrick at centre back and academy boys in different positions.
Mikel Arteta can be proud of the hard work he has done on the Arsenal team, and whether they win the league this season or not, he is certain to be the long-term headache to Pep Guardiola and Manchester City. Anyone who wants to win the title will now have to go through Arsenal.
United lost 1-0, but that is not the end of the story. The score line should not flatter them, as it could have been worse. The positives of possession in longer spells shouldn’t excuse the rot at the club either; they must reflect on the abysmal state of the club on and off the pitch.
How did it get so bad that after the game, pictures of a waterlogged dressing room filtered through the internet? Was Cristiano Ronaldo right about the dilapidated state of infrastructure at the club? Where do they go from here?
According to Wayne Rooney, Erik Ten Hag must be surprised if he finds himself on the job next season; he sincerely hasn’t been helped by injuries, but are these players truly unfit to play or are they shying away from responsibility?
A lot must change at United if they ever want to compete again. Arsenal has left them in the cold, and it will take years of sheer discipline and dedication to catch up with the Gunners. It’s about hitting the reset button now at Old Trafford.