Arsenal 1 - Man Utd 3: Mourinho's men stun wasteful Gunners as De Gea shines in goal
JOSE MOURINHO triumphed in another round of his eternal duel with arch-rival Arsene Wenger, but this victory in a fierce and enthralling contest came at a heavy cost when Paul Pogba was sent off.
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The £89million midfielder Pogba will now miss next weekend’s crucial derby showdown against runaway Premier League leaders Manchester City.
Only the absence of keeper David De Gea could be worse for United --- and without the Spanish goalie they would have lost here against Arsenal.
De Gea made a catalogue of stunning saves to deny the Gunners and end the 12-match winning run at home by Wenger’s team.
In contrast, United were ruthless with their chances to score; a reflection of the intensity of their manager.
Mourinho’s men made a powerhouse start to the drama, 2-0 up inside 10 minutes of compelling action as they capitalised on errors in defence by Arsenal.
A lazy clearance by Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny was intercepted by Antonio Valencia who reacted with instant intelligence, playing a one-two with Pogba before shooting low into the net.
The speed of thought as well as technique was hugely impressive.
It was the same qualities that created the second goal for United soon afterwards when Jesse Lingard burgled the ball as Arsenal centre-back Shkodran Mustafi dallied in possession.
A couple of quick passes, a sublime turn and flick from Anthony Martial and Lingard was free in the box to score in off the post for a superb goal.
Mustafi limped off injured, although surely there was an element of wounded pride too.
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The rest of the first half was mostly incessant pressure from Arsenal --- and stupendous resistance by United.
Goalkeeper David De Gea was in inspired form, twice saving at close range from Alexandre Lacazette, the second of them seeing the ball bounce crazily against the bar and back for Granit Xhaka to shoot inches wide.
Arsenal’s fans roared on their team as every strategy was tried --- intricate moves, fizzing crosses and thunderous shots from outside the box.
De Gea leapt across his goal to tip away a fierce long-range drive by Hector Bellerin, and put out an instinctive palm to prevent an own goal by Lukaku.
When Aaron Ramsey had sight of goal he was stopped by a courageous block by United midfielder Nemanja Matic.
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The discipline and organisation of Mourinho’s defence was impeccable. It needed to be; this was a serious test of resolve.
Two minutes after the break the dam was finally breached with a beautifully crafted goal for the Gunners when Ramsey’s perfectly timed run beat United’s offside line.
He dinked the ball back to Lacazette, who lashed it into the net.
Now the action was non-stop. Lingard almost scored again for United, but Cech’s arm parried the ball onto the post.
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United keeper De Gea had much more work. He made a fine stop from a stinging drive from Alex Iwobi and then a stunning double save to deny Lacazette and Alexis Sanchez.
How valuable they proved to be as United scored next with a devastating counter-attacking goal in the 63rd minute. The power of Pogba was unstoppable on the right flank and Arsenal were so stretched that the final pass allowed Lingard to tap into an empty net.
Mourinho danced in delight on the touchline, and why not?
He was less delighted by the red card for Pogba in the 75th minute for a challenge that left stud marks on the leg of Bellerin. It was hard to argue with the decision by referee Andre Marriner.
United had 15 minutes to hold on with 10 men, and Marriner was at the centre of anger from both managers.
Wenger was incensed when two clear penalty claims were waved away by the referee after fouls on Lacazette and Danny Welbeck.
Mourinho was even more agitated when Koscielny was given only a yellow card after fouling Lukaku who was looking to run clear on goal from the halfway line.
It was a match that had everything --- and for Mourinho a superb result with a bittersweet taste.
