Manchester United was edged out by Arsenal owing to two late goals, but an earlier event revealed just as much about how Erik ten Hag’s team was unable to defeat the Londoners.
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Andre Onana, the United goalkeeper who joined from Internazionale in the summer, made his first journey to the Emirates Stadium for a Premier League match. The Cameroonian international experienced the best and worst football feelings in a single minute during the first half, and his teammates were there to witness it.
In the space of a moment, Onana went from yelling in celebration of his team grabbing the lead to pleading with his teammates to cool up. More than an hour later, everything came to an emotional end as Declan Rice and Gabriel Jesus goals in stoppage time gave Arsenal the victory.
Marcus Rashford finished off a quick counterattack by curling a shot beyond Aaron Ramsdale’s grasp to give United the lead. After the winning goal, Onana was as animated as anybody else, but a short while later, he was picking the ball out of his goal.
The one who brought the hosts down to speed was Martin Odegaard. The Gunners skipper stroked the ball into the corner of Onana’s net after being given too much room on the edge of the United area.
Even though a penalty decision in favor of the hosts was reversed after a VAR review, United was still able to retain momentum in the second half. United even thought they had won late on, but Alejandro Garnacho was denied by a close offside call.
But in the end, Mikel Arteta’s team scored an extremely late goal. Rice’s deflected shot gave them the lead, and replacement Jesus’ late breakaway goal sealed the victory.
A deflection allowed Rice’s goal to sneak in at his near post after Onana was outmuscled. Peter Schmeichel, the goalkeeper for old United, was unimpressed with the former Ajax player’s performance.
“I have no words,”Schmeichel expressed his disbelief. It’s a bad way to drop a game, I agree. Declan Rice had plenty of time to take the corner at the end, but United defended it so poorly that the goalkeeper ought to have saved it.
After the game, United manager Erik ten Hag discussed the sudden equalizer surrender. He yet believed that his club had improved throughout the course of the season’s first four games.
You watched the game, but there was no offside for the Garnacho goal that was disallowed, he said. “There is a foul on Jonny Evans that results in a penalty on [Rasmus] Hojlund, and then we give up a goal [scored by Declan Rice]. It is very evident and straightforward.
“All right, say complete your chances now. After you go up 1-0, you can say, “Don’t concede the goal.” Yes, all of that is true. However, I believe there has been a true advancement, and I was pleased with the performance.
