Expectation and reality seem to have aligned in north London, giving Mikel Arteta’s side a sense of unstoppable momentum
, and yet it felt as inevitable and inexorable as the kiss at the end of a romantic movie. It felt inevitable from the moment Erik ten Hag produced Fred from the bench with 20 minutes left and informed the world that Manchester United would be happy with a draw. Fred played well, and on the whole so did United, but it was a fatal tell.
It started happening to Mohamed Salah around the end of his first season at Liverpool. Yes: right now, Saka is in that league. There was one nutmeg of Scott McTominay in the first half that was pure disdain, a move that said: “What are you even doing here m8, I wanted Casemiro.” Luke Shaw initially handled him well by standing off, and so like the best players Saka adjusted. He started releasing the ball first time. He started shooting on sight.
This is the difference between United and Arsenal, two teams on a similar trajectory but at wildly different stages of it. Remember how pragmatic Arteta’s Arsenal could be in their first couple of seasons. That was Ten Hag here: a coach who has not yet earned the time and credit to discard caution. This is the hardest fixture in the league right now and one point is a good point. So Fred, not Alejandro Garnacho. A compact midfield diamond, not a late blitz.
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