On the balance of play, a 1-1 draw was a fair final outcome on Sunday evening as Manchester United and Arsenal both had their moments in the Premier League contest.
The visitors were ultimately punished in the first half for their lack of bite when Bruno Fernandes beautifully put away a free-kick in added-on time, whilst Declan Rice made sure the Red Devils would rue their own missed opportunities in the second 45 minutes when the ex-West Ham United titan powered home an equaliser.
Ruben Amorim would have lots of positives to hang onto at the full-time whistle despite the points being shared, with Fernandes sticking out once more as an obvious top performer for his underachieving team.
Man United’s best performers vs Arsenal
Fernandes once again lit up Old Trafford with a terrific attacking display, with the free-kick effort sailing past David Raya for his sixth strike of the unfolding Premier League season.
With seven assists also next to his name, it’s clear that the 30-year-old is a key individual that Amorim relies on, especially when Joshua Zirkzee and Rasmus Hojlund are misfiring.
Whilst both Zirkzee and Hojlund failed to impress once more in an attacking capacity – the latter notably messing up a huge late chance to win the game as he was tackled by Rice – the likes of Noussair Mazraoui and Diogo Dalot very much did impress.
Indeed, the Moroccan wing-back notching up three key passes come full-time, whilst his left-sided counterpart would create one big chance himself away from valiantly defending.
But, whilst there were glimmers of hope on display to suggest United can push up the league away from an unsatisfactory 14th spot, there were other stale performances on show as this experienced Red Devils head struggled to ever get going against the Gunners.
Man United’s worst performer against Arsenal
Fernandes has definitely cemented himself as a regular starter, but it’s his attacking midfield teammate Christian Eriksen who will worry for his spot in Amorim’s XIs moving forward, having put in a rather forgettable performance against Mikel Arteta’s opponents.
Indeed, the number 14 failed to attempt a single dribble all match as a timid performer partnering the classy Fernandes, alongside also never testing Raya with a single effort on goal. To make matter worse, he also had fewer touches than Andre Onana (53).
|
Eriksen’s performance in numbers |
|
|---|---|
|
Minutes played |
76 |
|
Goals scored |
0 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Shots |
0 |
|
Touches |
34 |
|
Accurate passes |
18/25 (72%) |
|
Possession lost |
11x |
|
Accurate crosses |
0/1 |
|
Accurate long balls |
2/5 |
|
Successful dribbles |
0 |
|
Total duels won |
1/4 |
|
Stats by Sofascore |
|
It was a weak display from the ageing Dane in every department, with seven of his 25 passes going astray, leading to possession being given up 11 times, once every three touches.
Moreover, it could be argued that his inability to get stuck in – which saw him just one duel all game – cost his team dear when Rice struck home his fierce effort, with Eriksen the closest man to the England international but doing very little to stop him levelling proceedings.
He could find his starting spot taken up by someone fresher in games to come consequently, with Gary Neville calling for the United squad to be “ripped up” in the near future, and Eriksen is just one face who might well be moved on as his contract expires this summer.
Manchester Evening News journalist Samuel Luckhurst handed out a poor 5/10 rating to Eriksen after the game, stating that he did “very little” when the ball was at his feet, which is in-keeping with his lacklustre season to date with just one assist coming his way in the league.
Whilst certain individuals continue to show they deserve to stick it out for the foreseeable at Old Trafford, others look very close to the exit door, with Eriksen very much deep now in that unwanted group.