Arsène Wenger might rightly feel his side should have won, but that would be to deny the unadulterated brilliance of the man in Manchester United’s goalHow did Arsenal not win this match? Actually scratch that. How did Arsenal not win this match 6-3, or at the very least end up drawing it? This is not a rhetorical question. There is an answer. The main reason this didn’t happen and why instead Manchester United were able to extract a stirring, ruthlessly executed 3-1 away win is because David de Gea produced a performance of relentless brilliance in goal.For an hour at the Emirates, as Arsenal surged back from the indignity of conceding a 2-0 deficit, De Gea was a one-man spider’s...
The Gunners have long been vulnerable to conceding goals on the break but Arsène Wenger’s change in formation has helped in addressing the problemA common sight at the Emirates Stadium in the past decade has been the away team storming into acres of space to seek reward on the counterattack, with Arsenal’s defensive players nowhere to be seen. The weakness has often flared in the biggest games and one of the best examples was the goal Cristiano Ronaldo scored to clinch Manchester United’s victory over Arsène Wenger’s side in their Champions League semi-final in 2009. United ruthlessly exploited Arsenal’s gung-ho approach, breaking at exhilarating speed, Ronaldo hurtling into the area to finish off a move he had started with a...
The value of a reliable, unfussy midfield shield can be easily overlooked in an era of statistics and analysis but even the most expansive and exciting teams need a Kanté, a Busquets or a MakéléléOne man doesn’t make a team but one player can make the difference, which is what I witnessed as we put in a fine though fruitless performance at Old Trafford last weekend. Although the winning goalscorer, Ashley Young, got the praise and adulation he deserved for his role, there was one man completely unmentioned and unappreciated who thwarted our dangerous counterattacks time and again.He didn’t have the pace or skill of Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford, Romelu Lukaku or Anthony Martial but there wasn’t a moment in the match...
Is there a possible straw for Manchester City rivals to clutch at? Jack Wilshere has an impact off the bench and Riyad Mahrez is treading water at Leicester• Sign up to our weekly email, The Recap, here, showcasing a selection of our sport features from the past seven daysManchester City proved they possess the spirit to match their skills in fighting back from an undeserved half-time deficit to claim this win. Huddersfield Town, who were again impressive, held the lead for 1min54sec – 20% of the total time City have been behind in their seven away games this season. City’s unbeaten record was briefly imperilled by a poor period of play which had Fabian Delph at its heart. The stand-in...
The sense of purpose at the club goes well beyond Pep Guardiola’s squad, with youth sides and the women’s team showing the scale of the ownership’s plans“It’s Mars Next Stop,” was the back-page headline in the Daily Express on 13 May 1968. Manchester City had won the championship and, though it was another 40 years or so before the term “noisy neighbours” was applied (copyright: Sir Alex Ferguson), it is fair to say they had no intentions of going about it quietly.Their manager, Joe Mercer, set the tone in the week building up to the game at Newcastle in which they clinched the title, announcing to the newspapermen that he had already been practising the walk to Stretford to collect...