LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 03: Declan Rice of Arsenal celebrates after scoring the team’s second goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on September 03, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
And that's why you pay the big bucks for the unicorns.
Arsenal and Manchester United reignited their historic rivalry during Matchday 4 of the 2023 English Premier League campaign on Sunday, and it was the former who laughed last.
With eight minutes of stoppage time and the game tied 1-1, new signing Declan Rice scored off a corner kick from Bukayo Saka to give the Gunners the lead in the 96th minute.
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But even after the game eclipsed the 98th-minute mark, referee Anthony Taylor persisted with United looking for a magical moment of their own. However, the added time only backfired on the Red Devils as Gabriel Jesus netted the Gunners' third in pure style.
The riveting encounter between the clubs lived up to the hype, with Arsenal prevailing in statistical categories like expected goals, field tilt, expected threat and more.
Marcus Rashford, as he usually does vs. Arsenal, made something out of nothing with a curling effort in the 27th minute that went against the run of play.
But the Gunners, as they usually do in general, responded immediately. A quick flurry of passes saw Arsenal get into United's penalty box, leading to Gabriel Martinelli finding captain Martin Odegaard on a cutback cross that the Norwegian hammered home with his strong left foot in the 29th minute.
Arsenal dominated most of the second half but couldn't find the equalizer despite a narrow miss from Saka late on. But that set the stage for Rice to deliver, and it was a perfect moment for the England international to score his first goal for the Gunners after arriving from West Ham this summer for a club-record fee of 105 million pounds.
It also marked a win Arsenal desperately needed following a draw at home to Fulham a week prior. They now sit fifth in the table with 10 points, tied with Tottenham, Liverpool and West Ham but possess a worse goal differential.
United, meanwhile, drop to 11th place with two wins and two losses through four games. With a goal differential of minus-two and mounting injuries, mainly across the backline, manager Erik ten Hag has quite the job at hand as the league heads into international break.
