Arsenal vs Man Utd match reaction: rude awakening for Amorim, what’s next for both clubs, transfer plans and more

Arsenal’s win over Manchester United on Wednesday night was one of the most visible examples where the result of the match outweighs the overall performance of the team. 

Mikel Arteta’s men weren’t at their sharpest, needing two set-piece goals to overcome a resilient Manchester United. However, with Premier League leaders and title favourites Liverpool dropping points at Newcastle the same evening, Arsenal will see the result as all that matters.

With Gabriel Magalhães unavailable as their primary aerial threat, other defenders rose to the occasion during corner situations, with Jurriën Timber and William Saliba finding the net to secure a 2-0 victory at full-time.

Ruben Amorim’s United team adopted a defensive approach, sitting deep and making it incredibly challenging for Arsenal to break through.

However, the hosts leaned heavily on their proficiency from set pieces—an area that has become a hallmark of Arteta’s side—to score the decisive goals.

Although the performance was far from flawless, Liverpool’s earlier draw underscored the importance of securing all three points, which Arsenal duly achieved.

Rude reawakening for Amorim

Ruben Amorim experienced his first league defeat since December 2023, with Arsenal handing the Portuguese coach his inaugural Premier League loss—a stark reminder of the challenges he faces at Manchester United.

After a highly successful tenure at Sporting in his native Portugal, Amorim had cautioned his team about the difficulties ahead, even after their emphatic 4-0 victory over Everton the previous weekend.

That warning materialised in the second half at the Emirates, as Arsenal exploited set-pieces to devastating effect. Corners into United’s six-yard box led to goals from Jurrien Timber and William Saliba, securing victory for the Gunners.

This marked the first instance since January 2014 that United conceded twice from corners in a Premier League match.

What next for Man Utd? 

Nine points separate United and Arsenal on the Premier League table, and while that gap is expected to either extend or be slightly reduced, one certain thing is that the Red Devils, who sit 11th on the Premier League table, will unlikely close down the gap or usurp the Gunners, who sit third on the Premier League table.

However, one certain thing is that United’s performance when they face the Gunners in the match will improve.

Amorim has already overseen two victories against Bodø Glimt in the Europa League and Everton in the Premier League, and his attacking style of play was on full display.

The team are still in the learning curve under the Portuguese manager, and they showed decent spells of control during the game against the Gunners.

The final third remains a problem, and if Amorim can sort it out in his next run of fixtures, then United could fancy a chance of a better attacking threat against Arsenal.

It won’t get any easier for Amorim, as he could face more baptism of fire with tough games coming this month, including Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur in the EFL Cup, Newcastle United, and Liverpool.

They’ll face Nottingham Forest in their next Premier League game this weekend, and Amorim will aim to assert more attacking patterns in his team ahead of the return game against Arsenal in March. Manchester United vs Arsenal tickets will be sold out for the clash at Old Trafford but Red Devil fans will hope to see a more positive result against the Gunners on home soil.

What’s next for Arsenal? 

With three of their next four fixtures across all competitions coming at the Emirates, Mikel Arteta will hope his side continues their strong form, particularly in the Premier League, where they’ll look to reduce the gap on first-placed Liverpool.

Alongside Brentford and Brighton & Hove Albion, Arsenal are one of just three teams in the division with their unbeaten home record still intact, and six of their last seven battles at the Emirates—where they are also on a 12-game scoring sequence in all competitions—have ended in victory.

Their next trip will be to West London to face Fulham, and the Gunners will be wary of their London rivals’ strong performances against teams like Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Manchester City, where they showcased a quality attacking intent.

Arsenal can’t afford to lose any game as they’re currently in a tight-knit race for a top-four finish. Gunning for the league title is also completely not out of their reach, as they’ll hope Liverpool slips up in what would be a déjà vu of Jürgen Klopp’s 2018-19 season, where his side bottled the league despite leading by seven points at this stage of the season.

Arsenal will be back in Premier League action on Sunday at Craven Cottage to face the Cottagers before hosting Monaco on Wednesday in the Champions League. Another run of home wins is expected when they host Everton three days later at the Emirates.

January transfer plans

United were one of the biggest spenders last summer after bringing in five different players.

Three of the players were signed to bolster the backline, but it appears United could be back again in the summer to sign another defender.

In a post on X by renowned transfer expert, Fabrizio Romano, he claimed that the Red Devils are planning on signing a new left-back that suits Amorim’s style of play.

The Portuguese manager has an astute style of play that was utilised during his successful spell with Sporting Lisbon, and he’ll look to replicate the same style at United.

As per Romano, United are already accessing options, and at least three names have been courted for a possible move to the club this January or in the summer.

Another area the club need to improve further is in attack as they look to struggle against tougher opponents like Arsenal. A more prolific forward would improve their attacking play and add more balance to Amorim’s system with Fernandes expected to play a big part in the connection between attack and defence.

For Arsenal, they’ve done almost everything right except for the unnecessary red cards they’ve collected this season. While they’ve been scoring for fun in recent games, one area that looks to be the only missing piece of the puzzle to lead Arsenal to a potential title triumph is a prolific out-and-out centre-forward.

Gabriel Jesus has been underwhelming this season, and Kai Havertz, despite flashes of brilliance, cannot lead Arteta’s attack to a dominant title charge. The German forward seems to have finally solved the dilemma of his best position since moving to the Emirates, but goalscoring isn’t his best quality.

The Gunners have been linked with several names in the transfer market in recent months, including Viktor Gyökeres, Alexander Isak and Benjamin Šeško.

Fortunately, Arteta’s style of play provides an array of chances to the forward line, which will benefit the strikers as long as they have the finishing edge.

However, the Gunners should go for a forward that possesses more traits and can become a great threat beyond only goalscoring.

Other qualities like link-up play, hold-up play, aerial dominance, speed, carries, etc., are to be considered, and a player in the mould of Gyökeres, despite being bullied by Saliba and Gabriel, will be a great asset to the club.

These two teams will meet again early next year in the Emirates FA Cup third-round clash at the Emirates Stadium.

Could Arteta make it a record fifth win in a row? United’s performances will tell.