Arsenal 3-1 Manchester United: Notebook

The notes from the match

These are my notes from the match, when I published them last week it was popular so I will do it again.

Arsenal vs. Manchester United

Pre-game:

Arsenal confirm the news that Partey is injured. That's not surprising given what came out from his national team and the rumors that were starting to pop up. Still no information on the time table for how long he's out, I worry it is on the longer side but that will probably be confirmed over the next few days.

This information does mean that the lineup is a little easier to forsee with one less player that has a shot at making the first eleven not in the mix.

We get to see the return to last season's back four. I think this might have been the case regardless with Zinchenko looking like he had built up his match fitness. In midfield Arteta sticks with Havertz, I thought maybe he would go with control and another midfielder but he has a plan and he's sticking with it. Eddie up top as it seems like Jesus wasn't quite ready here coming back from injury.

The United team is pretty bad, I seriously don't believe I take a single player from that team over an Arsenal player (maybe some close but nothing clear for me). Bench strength is massively in Arsenal's favor.

Feeling good, odds are in Arsenal's favor my model giving 55% win, which matches the betting odds at 55% as well.

First Half:

1' Arsenal are so obviously content to let Casimero have the ball in buildup. Marking lanes into Eriksen but backing off Casimero. Works with a long ball cut out. Havertz good ball over the top to Martinelli, his pullback is okay but no one there as it falls between Saka and Odegaard to get on the end. Nice quick transition there.

2' Zinchenko back doing Zinchenko things in his free role on the ball.

Martinelli shot 0.07 xG

4' Gabi good defending on Antony, nice to have him back for that kind of work.

Arsenal not going super aggressive with the press, looking to cut passing lanes instead. Content with them to have the ball in the defensive third

7' United more pressy. Force Ramsdale into a bad pass in the middle, thankfully comes to no danger. Really have no idea where he is aiming this one. I guess at Odegaard but he is well covered and it is never being completed

8' Havertz maybe lucky to not get a yellow

9' Saliba pass a little undercooked, could have been a nice one between the lines.

13' Rice with a great tackle, sets Arsenal on their way!

Falls to Havertz and he wifffs. Falls down so well for him and he can't make the contact, the ball just squirts away from Neketiah. Interestingly this is not given as a big chance on the event data. Martinelli did great here to get his head up and survey before he passes.

0.02 xG

15' Arsenal starting to squeeze United and pin them back. Still worried about the counter but it feels like mostly under control and not over-committing things.

0.05 xG

18' Odegaard is really hunting his own shot right now, maybe to the detriment of looking at other options.

18' I like Martinelli driving deep and aiming for the back post. Just headed away but that has been open so far this year and I want that attacked more. Arsenal generated a decent look from the corner for Rice.

0.17 xG

19' Martinelli with a great switch, Saka's touch let's him down and he fouls. Saka is just off in this game. He hasn't really done anything against Dalot and that is a matchup that I really like for him.

The first quarter done. Arsenal are playing a lot better here. 5 shots to 0 and a lot more danger from my view. 0.6 xG to 0, 9 touches in the box to 0, 44 to 3 in F3rd touches

25' Antony luck to not get a yellow for his ball kicking away, could something that now that it is september we don't see those given. LOL

26' United have had a bit more of the ball in the later part of this period but they have been pushed way back. The pressing has been very good. Looking to really force Wan-Bissaka to try and hurt them. This is so close to high turnover and great transition opportunity.

27' Of course. Arsenal press so good and win it high.

Give it away by Havertz and one pass from Eriksen and it is Rashford. Ramsdale should and would hope to have done better. That was the worry.

Havertz pass isn't good but it does take a bounce on him and it is under-hit. Erkisen reads it well to intercept.

He drives forwards well and there isn't a chance to foul him or slow him at all until after he has played the pass.

The pass he plays shouldn't be THAT dangerous with Arsenal having more players back and the pass out wide in the half-space.

White even has good positioning where Rashford shouldn't be able to cut inside, but Rashford sneakily slows things down and gets on the inside shoulder of White where he can.

From there both he and Saliba are in the same spot and he has a lane to shoot.

I think Ramsdale has a view of the shot, he just can't get the power to cover the shot with him only getting his fingers to it.

The lack of first step to drive the power is something that has cropped up before and I think hurts him on these 50/50 type shots. Maybe with the near post covered, he should be in a better spot but it happens really fast for him to cut inside.

Goals are rarely one player’s fault and I think it takes 3 mistakes here for this one to happen.

29' HERE WE FUCKING go. good response from Arsenal. It's Odegaard. Martinelli with a great pass there. Good finish, that's his bread and butter. The play starts with a very good pass into Zinchenko from Gabriel, a nice pass into Nketiah who lays off. Great ball movement and runs. This came right from the kickoff too. Very good play

xG 0.15

33' AHHH, Arsenal have a break and Eddie can't find the pass (maybe should have gone with loft or between).

Havertz comes in and is late and fouls. Really good from Saka to win the ball and shield to set things going. This is almost a mirror image of the chance that Manchester United scored from but they had Eriksen making the pass and Arsenal had Eddie, slight difference in passing quality there.

35' Rashford nice pass into Martial, he's so much better starting wide than through the middle in my mind.

37' Eddie chases a nothing ball and beats Lindeloff, he gets a yellow but it was pretty high.

On replay, you can see that his foot glances off the head but Eddie doesn't play up the contact at all, if he goes down and grabs his face he might get that to VAR. The scisor was also not great. Love Eddie chasing that because it was something that he had no business winning but he does.

40' Saka yellow, yeah he earned it. Maybe harsh because it is the foul on him that makes him go into Fernandes.

The game has seemed to slow way down here

xG 0.06

43' Some BS foul calls here that seem to favor United.

46' Saka does not get the same call, because obviously. Martinelli wins another corner, earning lots of these today. It goes very deep and it is laid off to Saka and his curling shot is blocked.

Eddie was alone with space, should he have taken a shot instead of passing it (probably)? This is roughly the same spot that Arsenal scored from 45 minutes later

xG 0.03, Obviously bodies in the way but closer and more open than the eventual shot.

48' Quick throw, loved that. Martinez out for a corner

Half Time. Arsenal 1 (0.7)-(0.1) 1 Manchester United