Kevin Whitcher's Arsenal Blog

Manchester United 0 Arsenal 1    Premier League    Sunday 12th May 2024  4.30pm     The points were the main thing for Arsenal, and given that they historically struggle to win at Old Trafford, nothing could be taken for granted in the Gunners’ penultimate game of the season. On paper, given the relative strength of the two teams, you’d have liked to see a scoreline akin to Manchester City’s at Fulham on Saturday lunchtime. If only football was that simple.  An unchanged Arsenal line-up did enough to win, in that they produced better efforts that Manchester United, whose finishing was woeful, but they didn’t play that well. As one friend commented,  “ That match was painful. We played like a team on the Wednesday before a cup final. Too cautious but a win is a win. Agonising as it was!”   That they kept a clean sheet was partially due to defensive resilience and organisation, but also the woeful quality of U...

Arsenal 3 Manchester United 1       Premier League    Sunday 3rd September 2023 4.30pm    It was a glorious September afternoon that saw Arsenal take a deserved three points against Manchester United, although that was in serious doubt until second half injury time. The opposition turned up for all the world looking like Newcastle United, which makes me ponder which Man Utd fans would actually buy such a replica top. More significantly, Arsenal’s defence had a far more familiar look, as Gabriel returned, Zinchenko started and Ben White was moved back to right back. In front of them it was as expected with Kai Havertz retained and Eddie Nketiah given the nod over the not yet match fit Gabriel Jesus.    Havertz did not have a particularly impressive game. He mishit a clear chance to score early on and lost possession in the build-up to United’s first goal, which gave them the lead with less than half an hour gone. There...

Arsenal 3 Manchester United 2     Premier League     Sunday 22nd January 2023 4.30pm     Phew! For neutrals, it was a thriller. For Gooners, it was a rollercoaster and the entertainment factor was secondary. However, there is no denying the win at home to a resurgent Manchester United side was dramatic, and hopefully it will prove as significant in time. The victories over Spurs and now United mean that, in matches against the other so-called top six sides this season, Arsenal’s record is more impressive than we have seen for a long time. Played 6, won 5, lost 1. Three home, three away. 15 points from 18 is a real achievement. Half the season has been played now. Seven points in total have been dropped, with 50 in the bag. People understandably talk about Arsenal as potential champions, although this observer feels the one thing that has come out of the season so far is that it would take an unforeseen calamity for the club not to be in next season’s Champi...

Manchester United 3 Arsenal 1   Premier League   Sunday 4th September 2022 4.30pm     Mikel Arteta went for a win at Old Trafford, but an Achilles’ Heel of his Arsenal side – being caught out high up the pitch when possession is lost – came back to haunt him as his team, in spite of his players getting into United’s box with a healthy regularity. Unfortunately, they were only able to deliver a goal once, not including Martinelli’s effort, subsequently chalked off by VAR. It was very much a game they could have won, based on their performance, but the wheels came off in the second half when United went ahead 2-1, Arteta gambled with three attacking subs, and their hosts capitalized. Marcus Rashford, the man behind giving innumerable school meals during lockdown, handed a lesson to Arsenal as he finished his chances with efficiency, adding to his assist for their opener.   A great start to the season now awaits a response to a setback – something Arsenal haven’t e...

Arsenal 3 Manchester United 1   Premier League   Wednesday 23rd April 2022   12.30pm     There have been a couple of highly significant missed Manchester United penalties in this fixture down the years. Brian McLair’s miss in a 1988 FA Cup game at Highbury ignited a rather spicy rivalry that never really died until Arsenal fell away as title contenders after moving stadium almost 20 years later. And of course, Ruud van Nistelroy’s effort against the crossbar in the late summer of 2003 ultimately meant the Gunners were able to complete a season without suffering a league defeat. Time will tell the importance of Bruno Fernandes’ miss yesterday afternoon, but it could actually accelerate Arsenal’s return to a hint of the club’s former status if they narrowly squeeze into next season’s Champions League in five games’ time.   A win’s a win, but this was not a 3-1 game. It was certainly cause for celebration, but until the final whistle was near enough to ensure ...

Manchester United 3 Arsenal 2   Premier League   Thursday 2nd December 2021   8.15pm     Whether you were leave or remain, one thing that Brexit was responsible for was that the new manager bounce did not play a part in last night’s visit to a chilly Old Trafford. So no Ralf Rangnick directed 'gegenpressing', although the two results under Michael Carrick's watch before the visit of Arsenal were more than respectable. Mikel Arteta rested Saka and Lokonga, bringing in Martinelli and Elneny. Saka certainly needs to be given the odd game off, as will Smith Rowe, and Martinelli deserved a chance after recent displays from the bench. Elneny’s presence exposes the lack of squad depth in central midfield, and his name on the team sheet struck fear into this writer’s heart. In fairness to the Egyptian, he’s had worse games and did not stand out as a particularly weak link. Arsenal started very well, although when they took the lead it was a real curate’s ...

Arsenal 0 Manchester United 0 Premier League Saturday 30th January 2021 5.30pm It was the kind of game that showed how fine margins in football can be. It could as easily have been a 1-0 win to Arsenal as a 1-0 defeat, and you can bet that many of the reactions would have been disproportionate in either the case. From ‘we can win the League now’ to ‘sack Arteta’. In reality, it was an evenly contested, open game between two sides who were both sloppy and creative in turns, enjoying some very presentable chances to score, and came agonizingly close enough times to make a very open game a far more entertaining spectacle than the result suggests. And we have seen some instantly forgettable matches between the two sides down the years, alongside the memorable epics. Mikel Arteta is seeking genuine squad depth in his attempts to improve Arsenal, and he was tested on Saturday evening with the absences of Tierney, Saka and Aubameyang. I’ll take a guess and say the Arsenal captain landed in th...

  Manchester United 0 Arsenal 1 Premier League Sunday 1st November 2020  4.30pm There was a key tactical masterstroke in the minutes before this match kicked off. A decision that led to an Arsenal victory – their first away against one of the fellow (so-called) top six clubs since the visit to Manchester City back in January 2015. Notified by a friend that Mike Dean would be taking charge of proceedings, your author stuck £20 on a home win. A surefire banker. Thank me later. Mikel Arteta also made some big calls ahead of this fixture. In 2015 at the Etihad, one suspects more by accident that design, Arsene Wenger combined Santi Cazorla and Francis Coquelin in central midfield and found an unlikely winning combination. It served the team well, although Cazorla’s injury in the autumn of 2015 ultimately put paid to what might have been a first league title since 2004.   Fast forward to November 2020, and who could have foreseen it would have been such a long wait to take thr...