Arsenal Take Three Points after Rice Late Goal

Arsenal picked up a 3-1 win against Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium. The game was tied at 1 going into stoppage time and in the 94th minute, midfielder Declan Rice gave Arsenal the lead. The game had a few controversial calls that could have swung the game either way. In the end, Manchester United will feel disappointed that they could not get a point out of the game.

United are beaten in north London.#MUFC || #ARSMUN

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 3, 2023

United struck first but Arsenal answered

Arsenal began on the front foot minutes after kickoff. They played at a quick tempo when they got in possession and depended on their wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka to create chances.

Around the thirteenth minute, Arsenal had their first big chance of the match. Rice won the ball for Arsenal and they broke on the attack. Martinelli sent in a cross, which fell to Kai Havertz, who seemed to have a free shot. Havertz did not make good enough contact with the ball and whiffed on the chance.

For the next ten minutes, United struggled to get on the ball. When they were on the ball, they did not play as high tempo as Arsenal were doing. That quickly changed in the 27th minute, when winger Marcus Rashford put Manchester United up 1-0. Havertz gave the ball away, and United started the counterattack. Christian Eriksen passed the ball to Rashford, who cut inside and scored a brilliant goal.

United’s lead would not hold up for long, however, as Arsenal quickly got one back. Martinelli made a great pass inside the box to Martin Ødegaard, who fired the ball into the bottom corner. United’s goalie André Onana could not get a hand to it, and Arsenal were leveled. The first half ended with a 1-1 score.

Controversial calls and the late winner

The second started off in a similar fashion as the start of the first half. Arsenal began attacking when they got possession of the ball and tried to pin United in their own half. United, however, would have the first chance of the half in the 54th minute.

Anthony Martial struck the ball from a tight angle, which was saved by Arsenal’s goalie Aaron Ramsdale. The ball fell to Rashford, and he put in a shot that was blocked by Arsenal’s defense. In the 59th minute, it seemed Arsenal had a breakthrough in the game.

Penalty Call

Eddie Nketiah sent in a through ball to Havertz, who went down in the box. Referee Anthony Taylor pointed to the spot for a penalty. The call looked a bit spotty, as the replay showed there was not much contact when Havertz went down. Taylor used the video assistant referee (VAR) to have a look at the play. After a few seconds, Taylor determined the play was not a penalty and the game continued.

Havertz wins a penalty that is then overturned by Anthony Taylor. #afc https://t.co/i6EINy5xxM

— DailyAFC (@DailyAFC) September 3, 2023

United looked a bit better after that, as they got on the ball and had a few chances to score. It was not until the 88th minute when United thought they had the game-winner. Arsenal lost the ball in close to the middle of the pitch, and United broke through for a counter.

Offsides Call

Casemiro put in an excellent through ball to substitute Alejandro Garnacho, who found himself one-on-one with Ramsdale. Garnacho slotted the ball past Ramsdale into the right corner of the goal. United thought they won the game after this goal. VAR intervened again, and the goal was ruled for offsides. The game stayed 1-1 and stoppage time added seven additional minutes.

https://twitter.com/centregoals/status/1698397966409560099

Stoppage time winner

Arsenal had possession for most of the stoppage time and won a corner in the 96th minute. Saka swung in a corner to the far post, which Rice handled. He took a touch and hammered it off a United defender and past Onana to give Arsenal the lead. The Emirates erupted after the goal, as it would become the game-winning goal in that match.

United tried to come back with a few long balls forward. Even so, they struggled to get chances to score. Instead, United pushed too far up and lost the ball. Arsenal would get the last touch of the ball, and Gabriel Jesus scored an insurance goal to put Arsenal 3-1 up.

Next up for both teams

Both teams go into the international break with different feelings. Arsenal picked up a huge win after a disappointing draw against Fulham, while United lost all three points and have not been at their best so far.

Next matchday, Arsenal will travel to Goodison Park to take on Everton. Manchester United will play a home match against a tough Brighton team.