LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 22: Oleksandr Zinchenko celebrates with Leandro Trossard of Arsenal after their sides third goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on January 22, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
3 standout players from Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Man Utd
by Toby Hill
Eddie Nketiah’s last-minute winner gave Arsenal their latest accomplishment of half Centurions after just 19 matches – their best-ever start in the Premier League.
After Marcus Rashford opened the scoring by beating Aaron Ramsdale from distance, Nketiah equalised just six minutes later with a header following Granit Xhaka’s cross. Bukayo Saka then gave the hosts the lead after swerving a shot past David De Gea into the United goal. Just as Nketiah had done in the first half, Lisandro Martinez responded quickly to equalise by looping a header over Ramsdale and Gabriel Magalhaes.
The late goal felt a little Danny Welbeck against Leicester-esque. Arsenal are on the hunt for the title. Winning matches like this are key.
3 standout players from Arsenal’s 3-2 win over Man Utd
Here are the three standout players from Arsenal vs Manchester United:
1. Eddie Nketiah
You reckon Eddie Nketiah's an England international in 2023?
— Pain In The Arsenal (@PainInThArsenal) January 23, 2023
Nketiah took his goals with a level of confidence that is needed from an Arsenal striker, but it wasn’t just his goals that were impressive today. He was influential in the first half of the match and gave Arsenal a sense of direction in attack when some looked lost. His immense positional play, something which he has always been credited with, was key to his goals.
After the corner was taken short, the 23-year-old stayed alive within the box and made a darting run ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka to head the ball past De Gea. His second goal demonstrated his positioning too. Despite Martin Odegaard’s contact not being the cleanest, Nketiah adjusted himself to redirect the ball into the net to ensure all three points were staying in London.
If there are any doubters of Nketiah left, this performance would have isolated them. He isn’t just a fill-in player of Jesus. He has the qualities needed to play a vital role in this Arsenal title charge.
Continued on the next slide…
January 23, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Nketiah took his goals with a level of confidence that is needed from an Arsenal striker, but it wasn’t just his goals that were impressive today. He was influential in the first half of the match and gave Arsenal a sense of direction in attack when some looked lost. His immense positional play, something which he has always been credited with, was key to his goals.</p>
<p>After the corner was taken short, the 23-year-old stayed alive within the box and made a darting run ahead of Aaron Wan-Bissaka to head the ball past De Gea. His second goal demonstrated his positioning too. Despite Martin Odegaard’s contact not being the cleanest, Nketiah adjusted himself to redirect the ball into the net to ensure all three points were staying in London.</p>
<p>If there are any doubters of Nketiah left, this performance would have isolated them. He isn’t just a fill-in player of Jesus. He has the qualities needed to play a vital role in this Arsenal title charge.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/23/3-standout-players-arsenal-3-2-win-man-utd/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #2 standout performer </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2>2. Bukayo Saka</h2>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">What a WIN! 🔴<br />We never stopped believing. Thank your for the support Gunners, the energy was unreal. We keep going! <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/23/3-standout-players-arsenal-3-2-win-man-utd/"https://t.co/TR1jFsQw3c">pic.twitter.com/TR1jFsQw3c
<p>— Bukayo Saka (@BukayoSaka87) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/23/3-standout-players-arsenal-3-2-win-man-utd/"https://twitter.com/BukayoSaka87/status/1617241037428195328?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>January 22, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>The 21-year-old’s goal rivalled Rashford’s – that’s a compliment due to the nature of Rashford’s strike – but it was no fluke. We saw it again just moments later. An isolated Saka one-on-one against Christian Eriksen before cutting inside and firing with his dangerous left foot. The second time, Eriksen’s touch proved vital as it deflected the ball onto the post. His second strike goes in on a different day and we witness a beautiful double so clearly crafted on the training ground. It just wasn’t to be today.</p>
<p>Despite playing his part in giving the ball away leading to United’s opening goal, his overall play ensured that Luke Shaw was backing off of him each time – enabling Saka to either cut inside or pass into the box, which we saw on multiple occasions.</p>
<p><em>Continued on the next slide…</em></p>
<div class="next-slide slider"> <a class="next-slide-btn" style="background: #c01f2f" data-track="shortcode" data-track-action="next-slide-shortcode" href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/23/3-standout-players-arsenal-3-2-win-man-utd/"#"> <span class="title">Next:</span> #3 standout performer </a>
</div><!—pageview_candidate—><hr id="pagebreak"><h2>3. Oleksandr Zinchenko</h2>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">🥇Our Player of the Match yesterday?</p>
<p>🔋Energy. Commitment. Quality.</p>
<p>🤩 ALEX ZINCHENKO <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/23/3-standout-players-arsenal-3-2-win-man-utd/"https://t.co/ocJQWBGJV9">pic.twitter.com/ocJQWBGJV9
<p>— Arsenal (@Arsenal) <a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/23/3-standout-players-arsenal-3-2-win-man-utd/"https://twitter.com/Arsenal/status/1617453970070605829?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%22>January 23, 2023</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>Another week, another time to praise Zinchenko. Especially in the second half, the Ukrainian was crucial in so much of the success Arsenal had. He roamed around the left side of the pitch with a sense of coolness that we have seen so often.</p>
<p>When it mattered the most, his cutback to captain Martin Odegaard gave the Norwegian the opportunity to strike – despite it being flicked in by Nketiah instead. But even on other occasions, his shot could have been turned in by Nketiah in the first half had it been just a tiny bit slower.</p>
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<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="vHdzWD1w5K"><p><a href=https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/23/3-standout-players-arsenal-3-2-win-man-utd/"https://paininthearsenal.com/2023/01/22/arsenal-3-2-man-utd-player-ratings/">Arsenal 3-2 Man Utd: Player ratings as Nketiah nets late winner</a></p></blockquote>
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<p>The four-time Premier League winner has given Arsenal the experience that was needed to mount this title charge. It is clear that he is a figure off of the pitch too. He is a signing that ticks all of Mikel Arteta’s boxes – thank you Pep.</p><!—pageview_candidate—>">
