Rice's volley and United's misses help Arsenal stay undefeated

Here and there, Liverpool shows signs of weakness, but they do not falter. And they receive help even from those they least expect. They don’t need to worry about the title because even Manchester United is giving them a gift! Liverpool has a highway to the title; all the signs along the way indicate that the trophy will end up at Anfield, allowing them to match their archrival from across the Broad Canal. The competition is fading; they are unable to keep up. Their parts are starting to fail. Arsenal lost some key players at Old Trafford and also dropped two points – 1:1 (1:0).

Very soon, long before the end of the season, possibly by mid-spring, the champion of the title race could already be decided, and the eternal table of English football might read: Manchester United 20 – Liverpool 20! The Premier League trophy is smiling upon Anfield, while Arsenal lags 15 points behind and is drowning in problems. One failure, then another, then a third in a row. The gap on the table is slowly becoming enormous, despite Arsenal having a game in hand. They can even be relieved that it's only this big because, after the derby at the Theatre of Dreams, it should have been even larger. They can and should celebrate David Raya at the Emirates because without him, they would have suffered a shipwreck.

But it can also be put this way: those at Old Trafford should seriously question who and what they spent 74,000,000 euros on. Because Rasmus Hojlund is not worth it. He does not justify it. Today, he missed chances beyond belief. He was one of the tragic figures, as he squandered two golden opportunities to shake Arsenal’s net in the final moments. First, he didn’t even take a shot—he needed all the time in the world to pull the trigger. Then, when he finally did, he struck the ball straight at David Raya. And he wasn’t the only one who failed to impress. Noussair Mazraoui also had a great chance after a cross from Diogo Dalot, but his shot from the six-yard box was miraculously saved by the Spanish goalkeeper. Then Joshua Zirkzee attempted a backheel, but the ball still ended up safely in the arms of Arteta’s first choice between the posts.

The only shot he couldn’t reach was the one Bruno Fernandes launched in first-half stoppage time. He lifted it over the wall and raised the decibel level in the stadium. His first real opportunity was crowned with a goal. Until then—dead calm. On both sides. Yet another reminder of how much Manchester United depends on the Portuguese star. This season, he has scored 12 goals and provided 13 assists. For the third season in a row, he has contributed to at least 25 goals. No one at Manchester United has numbers like that. And yet, Bruno Fernandes is probably the most criticized player. In reality, he is the least questionable in this team. For the second time in the last three matches, he scored from a free kick, bringing life to an otherwise dull and flavorless first half. Monotonous, barren, uninspiring. But then, after the break, fireworks exploded at the Theatre of Dreams. Both teams fired on all cylinders. Twice, Arsenal had unmarked players at the edge of the penalty area after set pieces—Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice took shots, but both were off target. There was plenty of power behind them, just as when Gabriel Martinelli broke through one-on-one with Andra Onana.

But when the Englishman found himself alone for the second time—there was no mistake. Jurrien Timber played in Declan Rice, and he delivered a surgically precise finish—off the post and into the net. Arsenal was in full flight, but Ruben Amorim’s team responded, pushed forward, created a flurry of chances—and wasted them all. Manchester United fans may take some positives from the performance, but they will be haunted by the missed opportunities of Noussair Mazraoui, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, and Rasmus Hojlund. Just like the man who, alongside the injured Amad Diallo, is the only one scoring goals for the team this season. In stoppage time, Bruno Fernandes missed a chance to shake the net once more and secure victory in the derby. It would have also marked the first time this season that Manchester United managed to win back-to-back Premier League matches.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 28

Saturday

Nott. Forest - Man. City 1-0 (0-0)

/Hudson-Odoi 83/

Brighton - Fulham 2-1 (1-1)

/Van Hecke 41, Pedro 90+8 - Jimenez 35/

Crystal Palace - Ipswich 1-0 (0-0)

/Sarr 82/

Liverpool - Southampton 3-1 (0-1)

/Nunez 51, Salah 54 pen, 88 pen - Smallbone 45+1/

Brentford - Aston Villa 0-1 (0-0)

/Watkins 49/

Wolverhampton - Everton 1-1 (1-1)

/Munetsi 40 - Harrison 33/

Sunday

Chelsea - Leicester 1-0 (0-0)

/Cucurella 60/

Tottenham - Bournemouth (0-1)

/Sarr 67,Son 84(p) - Tavernier 42, Evanilson 65/

Man.Utd. - Arsenal 1-1 (1-0)

/Fernandes 45+2 -Rice 74/

Monday

23:00: (3.25) West Ham (3.50) Newcastle (2.30)

***odds are subject to change**