Arsenal inflict first loss to Ruben Amorim’s Man United side

Arsenal secured a comfortable 2-0 victory over Manchester United with two goals from corner kicks, marking Ruben Amorim’s first defeat in English football.

Defenders Jurrien Timber and William Saliba were instrumental in the win, capitalizing on Liverpool’s slip to close the gap at the top of the Premier League table. Arsenal now sits third with 28 points, level with Chelsea and seven points behind Arne Slot’s Liverpool.

The first goal of the game came in the 54th minute when Declan Rice’s corner was headed in by Timber at the near post. Arsenal nearly doubled their lead soon after, but United’s Manuel Ugarte cleared a flick-on from Joshua Zirkzee off the line.

Saliba sealed the victory when Thomas Partey’s header from a Bukayo Saka corner deflected off Saliba’s back and into the net, past United’s goalkeeper Andre Onana.

Under Mikel Arteta, Arsenal has become formidable from set-pieces, scoring 22 goals from corners since the start of last season—more than any other Premier League team. United had their chances, with Diogo Dalot narrowly missing the goal and David Raya making a crucial save against Matthijs de Ligt.

Substitute Mikel Merino headed wide from another Arsenal set-piece, and Kai Havertz saw his shot saved by Onana as Arsenal dominated the latter stages of the match. Following early November defeats to Inter Milan and Newcastle, Arsenal has found form, bolstered by the return of Martin Odegaard, and is now on a five-match unbeaten run, re-establishing themselves as title contenders.

This latest victory marked Arsenal’s 500th game at the Emirates Stadium. Arteta’s side have now won three consecutive league matches this season. 

Despite the loss for United, there was a silver lining for Ruben Amorim, as he was able to hand a competitive debut to highly-rated French defender Leny Yoro. The 19-year-old is expected to play a crucial role as Amorim aims to build a squad capable of challenging the Premier League’s top teams.