On the day Arsenal were the better team, but they lacked poise in front of goal and were punished for it, making their early mastery meaningless.
David De Gea proved to be the difference as he was rock solid in goal for United and allowed the Red Devils to survive until they scored the first goal.
Arsenal had their chances in the first half: Welbeck missed at the near post, Wilshere hit the ball straight at De Gea, Welbeck headed over the bar, Wilshere had a glorious chance saved by De Gea with a not too good shot (ironically Sanchez was to his left and would have had a tap in had Jack fed him the ball), and Sanchez had a good shot saved by the United keeper.
In the second half Arsenal continued to be dominant. Welbeck had a shot saved before Wilshere was taken down just outside the box and injured.
Shortly after United made one of their rare attacks and a cross from Fellaini to an offside teammate resulted in a collision between Szczesny and Gibbs. Valencia’s resulting shot struck Gibbs in an awkward way and the ball went into the goal.
At that point Arsenal surged forward to get the equalizer, leaving wide gaps at the back that United could exploit.
Sanchez had a header and Cazorla a shot which were both at De Gea.
Arsenal were finally punished on a corner where they left just one man, Monreal, back to defend and the others were slow to react when they lost possession, resulting in di Maria finding Wayne Rooney, who chipped the ball over Martinez, who had come in for Szczesny.
Angel di Maria almost made it three when he was played in alone, but his shot narrowly missed the goal.
Arsenal got some life in extra time when Olivier Giroud, yes Olivier the miracle man, ran through on goal and smashed a belter into the top corner, pulling Arsenal within reach.
However, Arsenal squandered the last few minutes, playing like Stoke City, sending a number of errant high balls towards the United goal. Add the United time wasting, the United “injury” and the fact that Mike Dean should’ve added another minute at least, but chose not to, and you had the end of a match we should,ve been celebrating.
Player Ratings:
Szczesny 5. He never had a save to make the entire time he was out on the field. There were a few nervy moments at corners and free-kicks, but there was little to do. Then he collided with Gibbs and hurt himself, followed by the unlucky own goal.
Chambers 7. Following the nightmare against Swansea, this was a polished display from Chambers. He made a key challenge on Rooney in the first half that thwarted United’s best move of the half. He was excellent on the ball, particularly in advanced areas.
Mertesacker 6. He was solid most of the game and not to blame for any of the goals. He needed a win for his confidence though.
Monreal 6. A decent game for Nacho. He was left exposed on United’s second goal, but there was little he could do.
Gibbs 6. A game he’ll want to forget. An unfortunate deflection off his raised boot means he’s credited with the own goal. I suspect he should have been back with Nacho on United’s second goal, but was cheating too much forward. He played well, but could have been more influential coming forward.
Arteta 6. Mikel played a very defensive role and for the most part he was very good.
Wilshere 7. He was excellent most of the time, but his shooting was poor. He had two chances in the first half, both resulting in poor shots at De Gea. The second chance was the best and he should have done better (Alexis was open on the left as well). In the second half he almost had another good chance, but a poor touch, and a reckless challenge from a United defender, injured his ankle. Had to leave shortly after. He also had a near head butting incident with Fellaini in the first half, which could have led to serious discipline, but Mike Dean (I think) felt embarrassed that he’d even blown for a foul and he didn’t come down hard on Jack.
Ramsey 5. A good defensive display for most of the game, but his offensive game leaves something to be desired. He cannot shoot near the goal right now.
Oxlade-Chamberlain 8. Another man of the match performance from the Ox. His pace was a constant threat. He almost got around De Gea, but the Spaniard made a key save in the first half. The Ox won a number of corners as well, however Arsenal continue to squander them.
Welbeck 6 He was up for the game against his former team, but will be disappointed with his contribution. Two good chances to shoot resulted in scuffed shots that didn’t trouble De Gea. He also headed over the bar in the first half. Did run a lot and keep the United defence busy.
Sanchez 7. United worked hard to contain him and he wasn’t as influential as normal. Did have a shot near the end of the first half and a header in the second which were saved by De Gea. Dropped back a little near the end of the game when Giroud came on and he lost possession several times.
Substitutes:
Cazorla 6. Continues to struggle for confidence in front of the goal. He had a good chance but hit it straight at De Gea. A little later when Arsenal seemed to be toying with United around the area, he looked reluctant to shoot.
Martinez 5. He faced two breakaways in his time on the pitch and he might be thinking about them in the next few nights and whether he could have done better.
Giroud 8. One of the few players we’ve had who has recovered far ahead of schedule. Got stuck in, headed wide at one point, and then scored a fabulous goal which gave the team a little life at the end.