MANCHESTER UNITED 3 ARSENAL
2
Barclays Premier League | 28 February 2016 | Old
Trafford | Attendance: 75,329 | Scorers: Rashford
(29', 32'), Herrera (65'); Welbeck (40'), Ozil (69')
Marcus Rashford scored two goals and set up
another as Manchester United secured a dramatic
3-2 victory over Barclays Premier League rivals
Arsenal.
The young striker repeated his midweek debut
heroics, firing United into a 2-0 lead with a double
in three first-half minutes, but former Red Danny
Welbeck pulled one back five minutes before the
break.
Rashford was involved again with 25 minutes
remaining, teeing up Ander Herrera to add a third,
and Mezut Ozil's reply proved in vain for Arsene
Wenger's side.
Ahead of the game, the Reds were boosted by the
news of David De Gea's return to the starting line-
up, in one of two changes from the side that beat
Midtjylland on Thursday. Marcos Rojo was also
named on the teamsheet, having come on as a late
substitute against the Danish champions.
As expected, both sides were eager to make an
early impression and came out of the traps quickly.
The first chance was a significant one and fell at
the feet of Nacho Monreal, who was found
superbly by Ozil on six minutes but couldn't beat
De Gea from close range.
The Reds had an appeal for a penalty turned down
shortly after, as Rashford went past two defenders
before going down under a challenge from Gabriel
Paulista. Replays showed the fouled occurred
outside the area, and Memphis forced Petr Cech
into a good save from the resulting free-kick.
With chances few and far between, the game burst
into life just before the half-hour mark. United
broke forward in numbers and the ball found
Guillermo Varela on the right; Arsenal failed to
clear the youngster's first-time cross, and Rashford
calmly fired the Reds into the lead.
The goal left the Gunners shaken, and Wenger's
men were soon picking the ball out of their net
again. The Reds attacked at pace once more, and
another right-wing cross did the damage. Varela
picked out Jesse Lingard, and the winger's pin-
point delivery was met by Rashford, who headed
beyond Cech to send Old Trafford into raptures.
Arsenal weren't going down easily, though, and
fought back five minutes before the break. Again
Ozil was the provider, whipping in a free-kick for
Welbeck to easily nod home, and cap an
entertaining half of football.
HALF-TIME STATISTICS
POSSESSION: United 45% Arsenal 55%
SHOTS (ON TARGET): United 4 (3) Arsenal 8 (2)
CORNERS: United 0 Arsenal 2
The second half began as the first had ended, with
the visitors on the front foot. Having played a key
role in October's reverse fixture, Alexis Sanchez
was starting to grow into the game, and saw an
effort well blocked by Rojo after darting along the
18-yard line.
The United defender was forced off shortly after
following a 50-50 challenge with Welbeck, meaning
18-year-old Timothy Fosu-Mensah would make his
first-team debut. The injury setback prompted
Arsenal into a change of their own, with Olivier
Giroud on for the final 30 minutes.
It was Louis van Gaal's side who continued to
create the better chances, though, and the next
opportunity provided United's third. Rashford picked
up the ball in the Arsenal area and turned before
teeing up Herrera, whose shot took a heavy
deflection off Laurent Koscielny on its way in.
Memphis might have added a fourth after more
excellent hold-up play by Rashford, but the
Gunners again produced a quick response. Welbeck
found space in the area and produced a superb
save from De Gea, but Ozil was there to score
from the rebound, volleying in off the turf.
Tensions inside Old Trafford were as high as they
had been throughout the game, and players from
both sides were booked during a period that was
typical of the fixture. Amid the chaos, Arsenal were
still looking for an equaliser, and Giroud reminded
the Reds of his aerial threat when heading over the
bar with time running out.
Though chances were few and far between, the
away side continued to press, and five minutes of
added time were announced at the end of the half.
United, though, stood strong to see out a vital win
and claim all three points.
FULL-TIME STATISTICS
POSSESSION: United 39% Arsenal 61%
SHOTS (ON TARGET): United 7 (5) Arsenal 13 (5)
CORNERS: United 2 Arsenal 3
THE TEAMS
United: De Gea, Varela, Carrick (c), Blind, Rojo
(Fosu-Mensah 55'), Schneiderlin, Herrera (Weir
90+5'), Lingard, Mata, Memphis, Rashford (Januzaj
80').
Subs not used: Romero, McNair, Riley, Pereira.
Booked: Varela, Carrick, Herrera.
Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Gabriel, Koscielny, Monreal,
Ramsey, Coquelin (Elneny 70'), Walcott (Giroud 63'),
Ozil, Sanchez, Welbeck (Iwobi 83').
Subs not used: Ospina, Mertesacker, Gibbs,
Campbell.
Booked: Ramsey, Elneny, Ozil.
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