Arsenal delivered a commanding performance to hand Manchester United their first loss under new manager Ruben Amorim, winning 2-0 in a clash dominated by set-pieces.
Jurrien Timber and William Saliba both scored from corners, propelling the Gunners to victory and reducing Liverpool’s lead at the top of the Premier League table. Arsenal now sit third with 28 points, level with Chelsea and seven behind league leaders Liverpool.
The breakthrough came in the 54th minute when Declan Rice’s near-post corner was expertly headed in by Timber. Arsenal continued to exploit United’s vulnerability from corners, nearly doubling their lead when Manuel Ugarte cleared Joshua Zirkzee’s flicked header off the line.
Saliba sealed the win after Thomas Partey’s header from a Bukayo Saka corner deflected off the French defender’s back and into the net past Andre Onana.
Set-pieces have become a major weapon for Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, with Timber and Saliba’s strikes contributing to their league-leading tally of 22 goals from corners since last season.
United’s chances were limited, with Diogo Dalot narrowly missing in the first half and David Raya making a superb save to deny Matthijs de Ligt. Arsenal remained dominant late on, with substitutes Mikel Merino and Kai Havertz also testing Onana.
Amorim’s promising three-game unbeaten start ended with a reminder of the challenges ahead for United.
