has taken Arsenal just two minutes to open the scoring against manchester united – and it was a comic series of defensive mistakes by the away team that made it 1-0.
Granit Xhaka fired a dangerous ball down the left flank and after Raphael Varane and Alex Telles failed to clear, David de Gea managed to deflect a good effort from Bukayo Saka.
But after a loose defense from full-back Diogo Dalot, who failed to pick up his man, Nuno Tavares ducked in from close range to give Mikel Arteta’s side an early lead. You can see the goal below.
Arsenal take the lead in just two minutes 😱
Nuno Tavares brings home the rebound to make it a nightmarish start to a nightmarish week for Man Utd! pic.twitter.com/aZdwwBuXOq
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 23, 2022
Shameful defense of Telles. De Gea has perfect that ‘what the hell is this?’ view from october #mufc
—Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) April 23, 2022
Social media was quick to react to United’s woeful defense in the opening stages on Saturday afternoon.
One fan said: “Telles and Varane that’s actually a criminal defence. Like worse than Sunday League level”, while another wrote: “So who do we blame for this? United fans, or finally We’ll admit that maybe we’re not good at defending as a unit.”
A third commented: “The only thing worse than United’s defense is celebrating the knee slide Tavares attempted to do.”
1998 – Nuno Tavares is the first player whose first goal for Arsenal came against Manchester United since Fredrik Ljungberg in September 1998. Opportunist. pic.twitter.com/iKdORfH5fd
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 23, 2022
Despite conceding early on against the Gunners, United have looked dangerous going forward.
Meanwhile, Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has been dropped from the starting XI for Saturday’s clash against Arsenal, with caretaker boss Ralf Rangnick explaining the decision before kick-off.
“I had to make a decision between the three [Lindelof, Varane, Maguire]. Two could only play,” the German told MUTV.
“Harry has had a tough week. I decided to give him a break and play Rapha Varane and Victor Lindelof.”
Paul Merson and Clinton Morrison react as Harry Maguire was named on the bench for Man United’s game against Arsenal. pic.twitter.com/8SBi9m6CgC
– Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) April 23, 2022
Any thoughts on United’s performance so far against Arsenal?
Let us know in the comments.