At the Emirates on Sunday, Arsenal overcame a goal deficit to defeat Manchester United 3-1 thanks to goals from Declan Rice, Gabriel Jesus, and the team’s captain.
Against the run of play, Marcus Rashford gave the visitors the lead in the first half, but Martin Odegaard, the captain of Arsenal, equalized a few seconds later.
After a VAR review, the Gunners’ penalty was reversed, and United’s late winner was thwarted when replacement Alejandro Garnacho was flagged offside.
After eight minutes of extra time, the home team continued to exert pressure, and it paid off when Rice controlled a corner and beat Andre Onana with a shot that was deflected off Jonny Evans.
There was still time for another goal, which was scored by substitute Jesus, who rushed forward and teased Onana before finishing.
After their third victory in four games, Arsenal now sits fifth in the rankings, two points behind champions Manchester City, while United is ranked eleventh.
Quick start
In the balmy September sunlight, Arsenal had earlier pinned United back after getting off to a fast start.
When Kai Havertz, the new signing, miskicked horribly from inside the box with the goal at his mercy, the home team should have grabbed the lead in the thirteenth minute.
Arsenal kept up their dominance, pushing high and putting United’s defense in difficult positions.
Shortly before the half-hour mark, United grabbed the lead against the run of play with a swift counterattack, igniting an explosive game.
After picking up a loose ball in midfield, Christian Eriksen surged forward and hit Rashford with a superbly timed pass that went through the left channel.
The England attacker, who had been rather invisible up until this point, cut inside and outwitted two defenders before putting a shot beyond Aaron Ramsdale’s helpless dive.
However, a minute later, the Gunners were equal thanks to a strike from Odegaard, who was unmarked in the area and was found by the excellent Gabriel Martinelli. He scored from just inside the box.
Despite their bold play, the home team managed to manage only one shot on goal throughout the first half.
After the half, Arsenal settled down faster and were given a penalty just before the hour mark when Havertz fell in the area after being tangled up with Casemiro and Aaron Wan-Bissaka. However, referee Anthony Taylor reversed his call after a VAR assessment.
The 67th minute saw the introduction of former captain Harry Maguire in place of Lisandro Martinez, while United manager Erik ten Hag handed new recruit Rasmus Hojlund his first action in a United jersey by substituting the Danish attacker for Anthony Martial.
While Arsenal continued to seem the more probable victors, Martinelli curled a shot just wide, and United were threatening on the break.
Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, made three changes, substituting Jesus for the energetic Nketiah.
In the 88th minute, Garnacho seemed to have given United the victory, but VAR determined that he was just barely off-side.
With an average of 3.66 goals conceded per away game, United lost all six of its road games against other top seven contenders in the previous campaign. Sunday’s outcome promises more away-day agony.