Arsenal Stake Perfect Premier League Start at Old Trafford
Arsenal remain the only Premier League side with a perfect start after five games-their best start since 2004 and that record would be put to test this weekend at Old Trafford as they face Manchester United who seem to have found their mojo since the victory against bitter rivals-Liverpool two weeks ago and have gone to with three straight matches
A true test of Arsenal’s mettle commences tomorrow’s afternoon at Old Trafford, as an improving Manchester United side welcome the Gunners to the Theatre of Dreams.
Erik ten Hag’s side ran out narrow 1-0 winners over Leicester City on Thursday night, while the Gunners continued their winning streak with a 2-1 success over Aston Villa a day earlier.
Jadon Sancho’s finish on the 23-minute mark secured a third Premier League win on the bounce for Manchester United, who are seeking to consign their torrid start to the season to history, and the defensive nous that Ten Hag’s side demonstrated on Thursday was a pleasant sight for the travelling fans of the Red Devils.
Three consecutive wins over Liverpool, Southampton and now Leicester have lifted Man United up to fifth in the table with nine points gleaned from the opening 15 on offer, but a mere five goals is the lowest tally out of any team in the top half.
Ten Hag may have spent all of Thursday preparing his players for battle in Leicester, but the Red Devils hierarchy continued to work behind the scenes until the 11pm transfer deadline and officially welcomed Antony and Martin Dubravka to Old Trafford ahead of the visit of Arsenal.
Seeking to find the back of the net in a Premier League home fixture for the eighth game in a row, Man United ought to pay no attention to the fact that they have suffered three consecutive top-flight defeats in games played on a Sunday, even if Arsenal have been a different beast so far.
It was very nearly a whirlwind 24 hours for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, who scored direct from a corner against Arsenal before being involved in a deadline-day transfer saga, but the Gunners’ attempts to prise him away from the West Midlands did not bear fruit.
Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta’s summer business has already paid dividends to the maximum in the Premier League, and while Luiz managed to cancel out Gabriel Jesus’ opener on Wednesday night, Gabriel Martinelli was on hand to tuck home the winner three minutes later.
The Gunners should have arguably been four or five goals to be good in the first half alone, but by continuing their theme of responding quickly after conceding, Arteta’s side remain the only team in the Premier League with a 100 per cent record still intact.
As a result, Arsenal are sitting pretty at the top of the pile – two points clear of reigning champions Manchester City – but the Gunners’ return to European football is imminent as they travel to Zurich for their maiden Europa League tie next week.
Not since the 1947-48 campaign have Arsenal opened a top-flight season with six successive wins, and they went all the way to title glory that year, but Old Trafford is not a happy hunting ground for the North London club, who have won just one of their last 15 Premier League outings away to Man United.
Meanwhile, Everton welcome neighbours Liverpool to Goodison Park today for the first Merseyside derby of the 2022-23 season.
The Toffees go into the match still winless from five Premier League games this term, while Liverpool rescued a last-gasp win over Newcastle United on Wednesday night to make it back-to-back victories.
It has not been an entirely convincing start by either of Merseyside’s powerhouses, but still five points and 11 places already separate them in the Premier League table after only five games.
After failing to win any of their opening three Premier League games, Liverpool have now bounced back with successive victories, although they came in very different fashion.
Visits to Goodison Park in recent years have more often than not ended in a share of the spoils – eight of the last 11 have seen the points shared – although Liverpool did win this fixture 4-1 last season and could now record back-to-back triumphs across Stanley Park for the first time since 2009.
Draws have been the theme for Everton in general recently, though, with Frank Lampard’s side recording 1-1 stalemates with Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Leeds United in succession.
