Arsenal traveled to Old Trafford to play Manchester United this past weekend. Unfortunately, Arsenal suffered their first loss of the season, losing 3-1. Let’s get into the match review week 6 to see what happened and how Arsenal can bounce back from this defeat.
The Positives
Despite the loss, there were some positives from this match for Arsenal. One of them was Gabriel Martinelli. Martinelli played quite well and gave Diogo Dalot a challenging time in this match.
Martinelli was unlucky to have his goal disallowed. He was certainly one of Arsenal’s best performers in this match. He caused Manchester United’s defense problems throughout the match.
Bukayo Saka also had quite a good game, as well. He scored his first goal of the season and Arsenal’s only goal in this match. He proved to be a constant threat down the right flank. It is good to see Saka get his first goal of the season and this should increase his confidence.
The Negatives
Sambi Lokonga struggled in Arsenal’s midfield in this match. It was clear that Arsenal missed Thomas Partey quite a bit in this contest. Lokonga did his best, but it was too easy for Manchester United to pass through Arsenal’s midfield and create opportunities. To be fair to Lokonga, he did often find himself isolated in midfield.
Gabriel Magalhaes also deserves some blame for this defeat. He was overly aggressive on several occasions, which directly contributed to Manchester United’s first goal. He should have held his position better against Antony.
Zinchenko didn’t have the best game, either. His defending was suspect at times and he could have done better to prevent Manchester United from scoring its second goal. He still passed the ball well and got forward, but Tierney likely would have been a better choice at left-back in this match.
Odegaard could have played better, as well. He missed a goal-scoring opportunity that may have changed the outcome of the match. Odegaard has played well in recent weeks, but this was not one of his best performances.
Manager Rating: 7
It would be easy to give Arteta a worse rating than 7 due to this defeat. However, Arsenal’s defensive lapses were not really his fault. Despite this, choosing Zinchenko instead of Tierney at left-back and leaving Lokonga isolated in midfield at times means he does deserve some blame. Arsenal also likely should have made some substitutions early in the match.
Arsenal Will Look to Bounce Back Against Everton
Arsenal next host Everton at the Emirates. The Gunners will look to return to winning ways against the Merseyside club. Everton managed a 0-0 draw with their rivals, Liverpool, in their last match, but their form has been fairly unimpressive so far in general. Arsenal should defeat Everton in their next match and bounce back from their first defeat of the season. You can even bet on Arsenal winning that match if you want. Check back in next week for our match review of the PL match against Everton.