Arsenal suffered their first home defeat this season, losing 2-3 to Manchester United, exposing critical weaknesses in the team; the Premier League title race remains uncertain.

At 00:30 on January 26th Beijing time, the 23rd round of the Premier League featured a Big Six clash with league leaders Arsenal hosting Manchester United.

In the first half, Soumaré headed a chance, Ramsdale made a brilliant save, Odegaard was unfortunate with an own goal caused by Lima, Soumaré’s back pass error gifted a goal, and Mbappé scored a one-on-one to equalize; halftime score was 1-1. In the second half, Doku scored a stunning long-range goal to take the lead, then got injured, Merino scored a tap-in to level again, and Cunha netted a long-range strike for the winning goal.

In the end, Arsenal lost 2-3 at home to Manchester United, suffering their first home defeat this season. Manchester United secured back-to-back wins over the Premier League’s top two teams (Man City and Arsenal) and rose to fourth place. After the loss, Arsenal leads by only 4 points, leaving the title race still open.

For Arsenal vs Manchester United, Arteta deployed a 4-3-3 formation with Saka, Jesus, and Trossard as the front three; Odegaard, Soumaré, and Rice formed the midfield trio; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, and Incapié made up the back four, with Raya in goal. The starting lineup’s market value was €760 million. Carrick lined up a 4-2-3-1 with Mbappé advanced, Bruno Fernandes behind him, flanked by Doku and Amad; Meno and Casemiro partnered in defensive midfield; Luke Shaw, Lima, Maguire, and Dalot formed the back four, with Ramsdale in goal. Their starting lineup was valued at €351 million.

In this match,Arsenal held 57% possession at home, taking 15 shots with 4 on target; Manchester United had 10 shots with 3 on target.Arsenal dominated the game, but their biggest weakness was a lack of firepower up front, especially in the striker position. This season, the main striker Ødegaard has struggled to score. Arteta chose the recently recovered Jesus to start as striker, but the Brazilian forward was ineffective. The Swedish striker Ødegaard came on as a substitute but also failed to make an impact. On the other hand, Manchester United’s winger Mbappé, playing as striker, was able to deliver consistent output. Therefore, targeting Arsenal’s set-piece defense can neutralize half of their attacking threat. As leaders in both the Premier League and Champions League, Arsenal faces great difficulty in winning either competition without a prolific number 9. Particularly in the league, they are prone to dropping points again. So as long as Manchester City regains form, Arsenal’s Premier League title this season is far from secure.

Finally, congratulations to Carrick—Manchester United’s new coach is like a sharp sword. In his first two games, he defeated the Premier League’s top two teams: a home win over Man City and an away win against Arsenal. Carrick’s Red Devils are truly formidable!