After a thrilling victory over Manchester United at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal remains unbeaten and with just two points lost after four games of the season despite not yet finding their rhythm.
Arsenal demonstrated their resiliency, character, and squad depth with two late goals through Declan Rice and substitute Gabriel Jesus to keep the pressure on early pace-setters Manchester City as the game entered the final eight minutes of stoppage time tied at 1-1.
The victory was no less than Arsenal deserved after a commanding performance against a depleted United team, and Martin Odegaard’s equalizer just 35 seconds after Marcus Rashford’s unexpected opening goal also showed the team’s mental toughness.
There is no doubt that Arsenal possesses a great deal of character and spirit, which feels especially significant as Mikel Arteta’s revamped team continues to gel.
Declan Rice delivered his first outstanding Arsenal performance.
The additions of Kai Havertz and Rice were meant to elevate Arsenal’s midfield to a new level after Arteta felt they were outplayed in games, particularly against Newcastle, Everton, and twice Manchester City, last season.
It was another disappointing performance for the Havertz, even though this outcome will undoubtedly go down as a significant milestone for Rice.
Rice’s late, late goal—which snuck inside Andre Onana’s near post after United had failed to clear a corner—indicates that he has the potential to make a difference, much like Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira frequently did when this matchup was at its peak.
A commanding performance that helped Arsenal defeat Casemiro and Christian Eriksen in the midfield duel was capped by his first goal for the team following a £105 million transfer from West Ham.
However, a goal in front of a boisterous home crowd could work wonders.
He is still capable of being more dominant.
Havertz, on the other hand, had yet another difficult outing as he squandered a glorious early opportunity and lost the ball in the lead-up to United’s goal.
In the middle of the field, Kai Havertz already appears to be an awkward fit.
After believing he had been awarded a second-half penalty following a foul by Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the £65 million summer signing from Chelsea’s frustration was only made worse when referee Anthony Taylor reversed his decision after consulting with the VAR.
The ball fell into Havertz’s path yards from goal, but he fluffed his lines with an air kick, displaying his lack of confidence.
Havertz still appears to be a square peg at Arsenal.
He blew a glorious opportunity to open the scoring.
And it was Eriksen who brilliantly released Rashford for the United goal, a fierce strike off the inside of the post, after intercepting his errant pass.
When Havertz charged into the box and appeared to be caught, referee Taylor pointed to the spot, but the call was reversed because replays showed there was only light contact.
With fifteen minutes left, Fabio Vieira took Havertz’s place after his final noteworthy contribution.
The Portuguese replacement played well, setting up Jesus to score the game-winning goal on the break with a deft pass.
The Brazilian finished strongly while maintaining composure.
Arteta will be thrilled with a thrilling comeback victory that shows Arsenal has the grit to compete with City once more this season, but the Spaniard may spend the international break considering how to make the most of his midfield three, especially since Thomas Partey is anticipated to miss a significant amount of time due to injury.
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