This was always going to be an intriguing game, with Man United being in excellent form until the midweek defeat by Sheffield United, and Arsenal of course unbeaten in the League since Christmas, so it was probably expected to be a very cagey affair.
The first 20 minutes were very even with a few chances created but the rivalry between the sides were evident, with Cedric sticking an arm into Bruno Fernandes’s face as they both jump for the ball, and not much later Fernandes raked his studs down Xhaka’s heel. Neither player was carded.
Then came the best chance of the first quarter when Fred had an wxcellent shot saved well by Leno to keep the Gunners in the game.
Marcus Rashford then missed the best chance of the game by dithering in front of goal, and that was all the best action from the first half.
Arsenal improved drastically after the break, even though Willian replaced Martinelli to much consternation from JustArsenal readers, but the Brazilian looked like he would only last ten minutes when the game was stopped to check out a knee injury but he recovered quickly.
Cavani came close on the hour mark, but five minutes later Lacazette nearly sealed the points with a firce free kick that came back off the bar. With 15 minutes to go, David Luiz was given a chance of a free kick, but he couldn’t have been further over the bar if he wanted to!
We had a hairy moment at the death, but Cavani’s scissor kick went just wide of the post, and after that there was an injury to Lacazette which stopped play. He was replaced by Nketiah but by then the game had fizzled out.
A fair result?
At least Arsenal are still unbeaten since Xmas in the League…