Manchester United set a new club record of 18 league away games without defeat after playing out to a goalless draw with Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
However, United’s Premier League title challenge suffered a
second setback in four days as they failed to breakdown an under-strength
Arsenal.
United threw away top spot with a shock 2-1 defeat to
bottom-of-the-table Sheffield United in midweek and are now three points adrift
of league leaders Manchester City having played a game more than their local
rivals.
A point edges eighth-placed Arsenal to within six points of
the top four and it was the Gunners who came closest to scoring when Granit
Xhaka’s free-kick struck the bar in the second half.
Unlike the early days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reign, it is
against their traditional top six rivals that the Red Devils’ challenge for a
first league title since 2013 has faltered.
United have still yet to beat any of City, Liverpool,
Tottenham, Chelsea or Arsenal in the league in six attempts this season.
After winning at Old Trafford three months ago, the Gunners
went seven league games without a victory but have bounced back in recent
weeks.
Mikel Arteta’s men are now unbeaten in seven to move back
into contention for a top-four finish, but will rue missing their chances in
the second half to take all three points despite a number of key absences.
Two of Arsenal’s most impressive performers this season,
Kieran Tierney and Bukayo Saka, were missing through injury, while captain
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was also absent for the third consecutive game due to
his mother suffering from an illness.
After a tentative start from both sides, Bernd Leno made a
brilliant save to deny Fred a clever opener for United as the Brazilian tried
to lob the ball in from the edge of the box.
Arsenal had a number of half-chances before the break
without testing David de Gea as Thomas Partey and Nicolas Pepe shot just wide
from the edge of the box and a teasing cross from Gabriel Martinelli just
evaded Alexandre Lacazette.
– Fernandes goes close –
It is exactly a year to the day since United signed Bruno
Fernandes and the Portuguese nearly celebrated the anniversary with a curling
effort that drifted inches wide.
Fernandes has had a transformative impact on United’s
fortunes and came closer than anyone to breaking the deadlock before the break
with a free-kick that was deflected inches over.
Willian has had the opposite effect since joining Arsenal in
August, but the Brazilian was called upon by Arteta for the second half in
place of Martinelli.
The former Chelsea winger’s lack of confidence was obvious
as his weak effort was blocked behind when presented with a great chance two
minutes into the second period.
Pepe then saw a goalbound shot blocked by Harry Maguire as
Arsenal were the better side after the break.
Xhaka’s free-kick came even closer than Fernandes’s effort
from a similar area on the field as the Swiss midfielder’s shot crashed back
off the bar.
Moments later Emile Smith Rowe’s powereful effort was
parried by De Gea.
Another swerving effort from Pepe just did not have enough
curl to nestle in the far corner, but United could still have snatched a win to
keep the pressure on City late on.
Edinson Cavani was quiet for 88 minutes, but the Uruguayan
pounced on Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s dangerous cross only to see his volley fly
inches wide.
A point does at least maintain United’s long unbeaten run
away from home in the league, which now stands at 18 games, bettering the
previous club record held by Alex Ferguson’s 1998/99 treble-winning team.
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