Manchester United made it three wins in a row in preseason with a win over Premier League rival Arsenal.
The Red Devils defeated the Gunners 2-0 in a pre-season friendly at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, on Wednesday (Aug. 23), joining Leeds United and Olympique Lyonnais as winners.
United opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation. Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho-Bruno Fernandez-Antony, Mason Mount-Kobi Mainu, Luke Shaw-Lissandro Martinez-Rafael Varane-Aaron Wambisaka, and Tom Heaton started.
Arsenal started in a 4-3-3 formation. Gabriel Martinelli-Eddie Nketiah-Bukayo Sakho, Kai Havertz-Declan Rice-Martin Ødegaard, Takehiro Tomiyasu-Gabriel Magalhaes-William Saliba-Willien Timber, and Aaron Ramsey took the field first.
United missed a crucial chance. Bruno, wearing his new captain’s armband, broke down the left side of the box in the fifth minute and beat a defender before laying the ball off to the side. Anthony was able to connect with an unguarded left-footed shot, but the ball sailed wide of the post.
Arsenal hit back. In the 10th minute, Xhaka broke through on the right side of the box and sent a low, quick cross into the center of the box, where Martinelli tried his luck with a right-footed shot, but Heaton dived to make the save.
United took the lead first. In the 29th minute, Bruno won the ball on the right flank, cut into the middle and fired a sharp left-footed mid-range shot. The ball bounced off Ramsdale’s hands and into the back of the net to give United the lead.
Arsenal fell victim to a mistake. In the 36th minute, Magalhaes failed to clear the ball properly and spilled it, allowing Sancho to pick it up. He sprinted into the box and ripped a powerful shot into the back of the net.
There was even a squad collision. In the 42nd minute, Martinez made a rather rough contact with Xhaka in the box, which led to a nervous breakdown as the Arsenal players protested strongly.
United failed to drive a wedge into the game. In the 18th minute of the second half, Dalot sent a grounded cross in front of the goal. It was a simple header, but Marcus Rashford couldn’t time it right and missed the chance. 스포츠토토
Arsenal struggled to catch up. Haberts’ header in front of goal in the 21st minute went over the bar, and Gabriel Jesus’ header in the 24th minute was easily saved by the keeper. Both teams experimented with different combinations, making nearly 20 substitutions in total, but there were no more goals. The match ended with a 2-0 victory for United.
In the post-match event penalty shootout, United won 5-3. All five of United’s kickers were on target, while Arsenal’s No. 3 kicker, Fabio Vieira, had a shot go over the bar.