Arsenal 0-0 Man Utd: Three Talking Points From Goalless Draw

Manchester United travelled to London on the weekend in hopes to get back to winning ways following defeat against Sheffield United.

However, the much-awaited fixture ended in a stalemate that left some fans disappointed. Both sides created good chances several times, but the forwards were wasteful and eventually led to a goalless draw.

It is not hard to see where it all went wrong for United, so let’s take a look at those key aspects:

Title-challenge Becomes an Uphill Climb, Yet Again

The Red Devils haven’t exactly been at their best against top-six sides this season. And this game was no different as 2 points were dropped. This means that rivals Manchester City have now pulled 3 points ahead of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side with still a game in hand, making those days on the top of the table seem like a distant memory.

High-pressure games are exactly what determines whether a side is capable of winning titles or not and if the Mancunians wish to challenge for the title seriously, they need to find a way to win maximum points.

 

Not the Forwards’ Day

The Old Trafford outfit created several chances in the game — mainly via the services of Bruno Fernandes.

However, Edinson Cavani seemed to be adamant on not getting on the scoresheet tonight — missing 2 big chances, which contributed heavily to the result. Marcus Rashford was also behind a few shots but did not land even a single one on target and wasted arguably the best chance of the game by taking unnecessary touches.

 

A Valiant Display from the Defenders

Despite not having been on top of their games when it came to attacking, both sides were solid when it came to defending. Rob Holding and Victor Lindelof performed very well to complement their partners who stole the show tonight.

Harry Maguire led the defence in a solid manner and was incredibly good at keeping Alexandre Lacazette quiet. Moreover, the Englishman imposed himself very well physically and made sure he used his physicality to the best.

David Luiz was another defender who had a stand-out performance. The former Chelsea man was single-handedly responsible for keeping the Gunners in the tie, especially in the second half. It came as no surprise that he was awarded the Man of the Match award.

 

Despite the draw, there were a lot of positives visible tonight. But one thing is for sure, Solskjaer’s side cannot carry on as they have so far if they truly wish to challenge for the title.