Arsenal

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal have been excellent this season but it is fair to say that, despite their strong position in the Premier League and the Champions League, their attack has not really fired this term.

Forwards Gabriel Martinelli and Viktor Gyokeres are the joint-top goalscorers in all competitions with nine each.

Sweden international Gyokeres was signed in a £64m deal from Sporting in the summer as a win-now signing, but has only managed five goals in the Premier League.

The Gunners have been excellent from set-pieces, scoring 15 goals via that route this season in the league - the most of any team excluding penalties.

They have scored 42 goals in the top flight, which is the second-most in the division, but they rank 17th for their percentage of goals from open play which is 57.1%.

On the other side, they have the fourth-highest percentage of goals from set-pieces in the Premier League (35.7%).

This may only be a wobble from Arsenal as they look to win the title for the first time since 2004, but Mikel Arteta will be hoping he can get one of his forwards firing to make it more comfortable.

Karan Vinod
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal's attacking problem this season is not one of territory, control or effort. It is a finishing issue, and a comparison between Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke helps explain why the goals are not coming from wide areas.

Saka remains Arsenal's most relied-upon forward. He has played almost three times as many minutes as Madueke in the Premier League, starting 17 games and continuing to shoulder much of the creative responsibility on the right.

The underlying numbers suggest his role has not fundamentally changed. He is still shooting regularly, averaging 2.9 attempts per 90, still getting into dangerous areas and still posting healthy expected figures of 0.3 expected goals (xG) and 0.3 expected assists (xA) per 90.

What has changed is the outcome. Saka has not scored in his past 13 appearances in all competitions, and while his expected numbers point to involvement rather than absence, his goals per 90 (0.2) underline the gap between chance creation and conversion.

He is hitting the target more often than Madueke and continues to create more chances overall, but the decisive moments are not being turned into goals.

Madueke's profile is different but leads to the same conclusion. His minutes have been disrupted by injury, and his output reflects that lack of rhythm. He has yet to score in the league and averages fewer shots and shots on target per 90 than Saka.

Yet his attacking involvement inside the box is notable. Madueke averages 10 touches in the opposition area per 90, compared to Saka's seven, and attempts more take-ons, succeeding with them at a higher rate.

The issue is what happens after the carry. Madueke's expected goals and assists remain low, his final pass is inconsistent, and his shot volume is not high enough to compensate. He is arriving in promising positions but failing to turn them into end product, a theme that runs through Arsenal's forward line this season.

That broader context matters. Gabriel Martinelli, Viktor Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard are all enduring prolonged goal droughts, leaving Arsenal overly dependent on set-pieces for scoring [xG from set-plays was 0.8 and xG from open play was 0.39 against Manchester United].

The data around Saka and Madueke reinforces that picture. Arsenal's right wingers are still progressing the ball, still pressing, still contributing defensively and still generating pressure in advanced areas. Both average similar numbers for touches and high pressures per 90, underlining their work off the ball.

What is missing is not effort or structure, but ruthlessness. Saka's numbers suggest he should have more goals. Madueke's suggest he needs more volume and sharper final actions.

Until that changes, Arsenal could continue to look like a team that does much right in possession but struggles to finish the job in open play - a flaw that statistics are now consistently exposing.

We asked for your thoughts after Sunday's Premier League game between Arsenal and Manchester United.

Here are some of your comments:

Arsenal fans

Tim: We should have had the game wrapped up after 30 minutes. A mistake from Martin Zubimendi (who has been brilliant this year) to gift a goal out of nowhere. A blip but one I am sure we will bounce back from and go on to greater things this season.

Craig: Arsenal looked scared and too cautious, trying to avoid losing rather than trying to win. Biggest issue was up front without Viktor Gyokeres. United defenders had no real threat to mark allowing them to press further up the pitch. Arsenal need to take this on the chin and put it behind them for next week.

Nigel: Every game there is no plan B or plan C. Arteta for all his genius is actually getting caught out, easily. United knew what we would do and mugged us off. Arteta has to win something this season or go. He's has no excuses.

Deep: Fair play to United. It's typical arsenal, crumbling once again. It's the hope that kills you.

United fans

Barry: The real test of the United players mentality comes in the next few weeks against the so-called lower teams. We've had these false dawns before.

John: I really do not want to get carried away but Michael Carrick is one shrewd and cool man in charge. Manages like he used to play. Early days yes but he is not to be underestimated.

Chris: Fantastic now we are beginning to see what United can do, Carrick is doing a great job.

Gem: Absolutely wonderful to finally see Saint Michael Carrick galvanise the group. Great goals but wish Bruno would concentrate on leading rather then whinging in the first 25 minutes. Cunha brilliant finish, come on you Reds.

Alex Howell
Arsenal reporter

Image source, Getty Images

With a top-two finish already secured in the Champions League and a final fixture against bottom-of-the-table Kairat to come on Wednesday, Mikel Arteta will have a chance to rotate his squad before their next league game - at Leeds on Saturday.

"I think Arsenal are still title favourites but it will be a concern for Arteta what's happened in the last three games against Liverpool, [Nottingham] Forest and now Manchester United," said ex-England captain Wayne Rooney, who is a pundit on Sunday's Match of the Day.

"But I still think they're probably slight favourites."

One cause for concern will be the lack of a clear goalscorer in their side. None of their attackers are freely scoring at the moment, which is putting more of an emphasis on their threat from set-pieces.

• Bukayo Saka – 0 goals in past 13 appearances in all competitions

• Viktor Gyokeres – 0 non-penalty goals in past 11 Premier League appearances

• Gabriel Martinelli – 0 goals in past 13 Premier League appearances

• Noni Madueke – 0 goals in past 25 Premier League appearances

• Leandro Trossard – one goal in past 11 appearances in all competitions

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville thinks that it will be back to the drawing board for Arteta.

"An incredible, incredible match and a sobering day for Arsenal," Neville said on Sky Sports.

"They're going to have to regroup, reset and rethink. They've still got a four-point lead and there's still a long way to go, but certainly there'll be questions asked after that today."

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

It's a shock result.

Arsenal have been in very good form. They're a very good side.

So for Manchester United to go there and win the game is seismic in the title race, 24 hours after Manchester City had cut the gap to four points.

Arsenal appear to have a serious problem scoring goals from open play.

As good as they are as a team, you just wonder if that will be a problem moving forward.

The defensive partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba is probably the best in European football and they are the foundations of their title bid. But, United came away from home and scored three against them.

It's only one result and one weekend but City winning against Wolves proceeding this big result at the Emirates makes it feel like a pretty big weekend in the title race.

The one thing I do wonder about with Arsenal is, are they going to run out of legs?

I know they've got a big squad but they've had a whole load of injuries over the course of the season which has perhaps not allowed Mikel Arteta to rotate as much as he may have liked.

Given the workload, you just wonder if those injuries at the start of the season, and the pressure going into the business end of the season, affects Arsenal because they haven't got over the line yet.

Until they do, those doubts are there. They have the strongest squad in the Premier League so there can be no excuses.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Former England captain Wayne Rooney has questioned Mikel Arteta's decision-making after Arsenal surrendered their lead and went on to lose 3-2 to Manchester United, suggesting the Gunners boss reacted hastily as the game began to turn against his side.

Arteta introduced four changes after Patrick Dorgu's goal helped United retake the lead against the North London side. This saw the likes of Victor Gyokeres, Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze and Ben White being brought on just before the hour mark.

Speaking on the BBC's The Wayne Rooney Show, the former United superstar felt the momentum shift following United's second goal prompted an overreaction from the Arsenal dugout, with a flurry of substitutions disrupting rather than rescuing their rhythm at a critical point in the contest.

"I think there was a panic today. I think Arteta's brilliant, I've praised him a lot," Rooney said. "But I think he panicked after Man United went 2-1 up and to make the four changes at once.

"I think he's panicked and rushed those changes, and rather than let Arsenal try and get back into the game with the players they had on the pitch, I think he panicked with the four changes, and it didn't really pay off, I feel."

Despite the defeat cutting Arsenal's advantage at the top of the Premier League to four points, Rooney believes perspective is crucial as the title race begins to tighten heading into the final stretch of the season.

He added: "I think the main thing for Arsenal now is not to panic because I think that's two points from the last nine. And if you were to give Arsenal a four-point lead at this stage of the season, then I'm sure they would have taken it. But the slight concern is just the last few weeks, only picking up those two points out of nine. So I'm sure Arteta will want to try and get the next win on the table as quick as possible."

Watch The Wayne Rooney Show on BBC iPlayer or listen on BBC Sounds

Pundits Wayne Rooney and Danny Murphy join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Sunday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on iPlayer

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal v Man Utd

• Newcastle v Aston Villa

• Crystal Palace v Chelsea

• Brentford v Nottingham Forest

Alex Howell
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Sunday's defeat is undoubtedly a blow to Arsenal who will feel it is a missed opportunity to maintain a significant gap at the top of the table.

The Gunners had chances in the last two rounds of Premier League fixtures to further extend the gap between themselves and their rivals but after two goalless draws and now a loss to Manchester United, the difference is only four points.

It is still a strong position for Arsenal but one that could be even better if Mikel Arteta's side had taken the opportunities given to them.

Arteta cannot be accused of letting this game pass him by with a quadruple change when the score was 2-1 to United, but the substitutions never gave Arsenal the control of the match he desired.

The atmosphere in the stadium was tense throughout the second half with supporters making their displeasure known to the players on the pitch.

Arteta has spoken about how the groans from the crowd in previous matches was just down to a willingness to win, but this result will be a warning to the manager as he looks to bring the title back to north London.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, spoke to BBC Match of the Day after his side's defeat by Manchester United: "You have to give credit to Manchester United. We gave them a goal which is unusual and painful, then they two brilliant moments with incredible goals. We were not at our best.

"In the first 30 minutes we were in total control, scoring a goal, but after that so many times we gave the ball away in important areas. We started to lose control and dominance and it became a chaotic game.

"The players deserve a lot of praise for the consistency. When we lose a game I take the responsibility and I have to protect the players. We just gave it away. If you want to win you have to go through these moments and you can't expect to win every game, that's unrealistic.

"The margins are extremely small and we made them even smaller. Now we have to react and see what we are made of. The first game is the Champions League [against Kairat on Wednesday]. Today we were not at our level and we paid the price."

Captain Martin Odegaard spoke to Sky Sports: "It was not good enough from us and we need some time to analyse it. We should've done better but now is the time to stick together more, keep working, push each other more and bounce back.

"First half we were the better team, we scored a goal and had control but a lot of giveaways. We managed to get to 2-2 but then they scored straight away.

"It's never going to be easy in this league, we know that. I thought we were well prepared for the game, we started the game well and in the second we saw the momentum change a bit.

"The performance definitely should've been better from us and we have to take the lesson and keep working.

"Every game is a big challenge, this is part of football. We are still top of the league so we have to keep going and bounce back straight away, that's the only medicine."

Did you know?

• Arsenal have profited from more own goals than any other Premier League team in all competitions this season (six). All six of those have come since the start of December, which is at least twice as many as any other top-flight English side have benefitted from in the same period (three for Manchester City).

• Arsenal conceded three goals in a match for the first time since December 2023 (v Luton) - ending a run of 121 matches across all competitions without conceding more than twice.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Arsenal's performance

What did you make of Manchester United's display?

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Mikel Arteta makes four changes to the Arsenal side that beat Inter Milan in midweek.

Gabriel Jesus starts up top after his two goals at the San Siro and Piero Hincapie comes in at left-back for Myles Lewis-Skelly.

Arsenal XI: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Rice, Odegaard, Saka, Trossard, Jesus.

Subs: Arrizabalaga, White, Lewis-Skelly, Mosquera, Eze, Martinelli, Madueke, Merino, Gyokeres.

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick sticks with the same team that beat Manchester City in his first match in charge last weekend.

The only change is on the bench, where Noussair Mazraoui returns from Africa Cup of Nations duty and displaces teenager Jack Fletcher.

Manchester United XI: Lammens, Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw, Casemiro, Mainoo, Amad, Fernandes, Dorgu, Mbeumo.

Subs: Bayindir, Mazraoui, Mount, Cunha, Malacia, Yoro, Ugarte, Heaven, Sesko.

There are four games in the Premier League on Sunday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Brentford v Nottingham Forest - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Crystal Palace v Chelsea - listen on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Newcastle v Aston Villa - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Arsenal v Man Utd (16:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

Kick-off times 14:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction from the three 14:00 games here

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You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Crystal Palace v Chelsea" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Arsenal v Manchester United", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Manchester United were brilliant under Michael Carrick in the Manchester derby. They totally deserved their win.

Carrick has talked about finding some consistency to back up that performance and result but, even if they play well again here, it's a huge ask for them to go to the Emirates and get something.

Arsenal dropped points against Nottingham Forest last time out in the Premier League but it still turned out to be a good weekend for them.

I don't see Mikel Arteta's side slipping up this time. It will be fascinating to see if the 'Carrick effect' can last but even when Arsenal make changes I always think they will get the job done.

Carrick had a plan for playing against City and it worked. He might have an idea about stopping Arsenal in open play too, but then United will still have their set-pieces to deal with.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

You can listen to full commentary of Arsenal v Man Utd on BBC Radio 5 Live

Sami Mokbel
Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal hold an interest in Real Madrid defender Victor Valdepenas, who made his senior debut for the Spanish side this season.

Well-placed sources have told BBC Sport the 19-year-old has been heavily scouted in recent months with a view to go for a future move for the central-back.

Arsenal are yet to make a formal offer for Valdepenas but internal discussions towards a potential approach have taken place.

It remains to be seen whether Arsenal target the current transfer window or wait until the summer for Valdepenas should they decide to formalise their interest.

Valdepenas, has a reported 50m euro (£43m) release clause in his contract, made his senior debut for Real in December, starting in the La Liga clash versus Alaves.

The Spain Under-20 international is a left-footed central defender but can also be used as a full-back.

Arsenal are well stocked at centre-half with William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie currently at the club.

Ben White, Jurrien Timber and Ricardo Calafiori can also fill-in at centre back.

Arsenal have also been linked with Corinthians midfielder Brent Bidon, 20, in recent weeks.

BBC Sport sources have confirmed there has been interest in Bidon from the Gunners but other prospects are ahead of the Brazil Under-20 international.

Chris Adams
BBC Sport journalist

Few fixtures in Premier League history evoke memories quite like clashes between Arsenal and Manchester United. While the clubs' respective glories may have faded since their era-defining rivalry of the late 1990s and early 2000s, Sunday's game feels crucial in the context of this year's title race.

Gunning for glory

Despite enjoying a seven-point lead at the top, consecutive 0-0 draws for Arsenal mean they've failed to fully take advantage of the faltering form of Manchester City, Aston Villa and Liverpool in the chasing pack.

An impressive 3-1 win over Inter Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday ensured a top-two finish in the league phase of the Champions League for Mikel Arteta's side. They haven't always been at their best after European games this season though, drawing three of their subsequent league fixtures and relying on a stoppage-time own goal to beat bottom side Wolves.

"Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles." That was the motto of Sir Alex Ferguson, so often Arsenal's nemesis at the turn of the century.

Just 14 league goals conceded makes the Gunners' defence the meanest in the top flight, and Arteta will be hoping William Saliba's imperious form continues as they seek to bring the title back to north London after a 22-year absence.

Arsenal have conceded just 90 goals in 118 Premier League games with the Frenchman on the pitch, an average of one every 115 minutes. Among Gunners players to have played at least 10,000 minutes in the competition, only the legendary Tony Adams (one every 118 minutes) has a better ratio.

What Bruno does best

Michael Carrick's Manchester United will undoubtedly have a spring in their step after last week's 2-0 derby victory over Arsenal's closest challengers, Manchester City.

Bruno Fernandes' assist for Bryan Mbeumo's opener in that game was one of six opportunities he carved out for his team-mates, taking him to a total of 600 chances created in the league.

It was an incisive pass typical of a player who has dictated United's attacking play from the moment he joined the Red Devils. In the six years since, no-one in the league has created more chances or big chances than the Portuguese playmaker.

Can Carrick conjure repeat?

Carrick will take confidence from the fact he has got the better of Arteta before in the dugout. United won 3-2 at Old Trafford during the Englishman's brief interim spell in charge in December 2021.

United, however, are winless in their last six Premier League games against Arsenal (drawn one, lost five) – they have never gone seven in a row without a win against the Gunners.

At Emirates Stadium, their record makes for even worse reading. You have to go back to December 2017, a 3-1 triumph under Jose Mourinho during Arsene Wenger's final season, to find their last league victory there – a sorry run of one win in nine.

Fifth-placed United have proven themselves adept at taking advantage of set pieces this season, with 13 league goals coming from dead-ball situations, excluding penalties. The only team to better that record? Arsenal, with 14.