The noise was deafening at the final whistle as Arsenal celebrated a huge moment.
It deserves to go down as a Premier League classic, a blood and thunder game which should be remembered with the Battle of Old Trafford and Pizzagate. These two giants used to play the biggest games in any season but, even at their peak, they rarely produced entertainment like this. A five goal thriller, non-stop drama and a 90th minute winner.
Two-goal hero Eddie Nketiah eventually settled it in Arsenal ’s favour, it broke Manchester United hearts and in doing so might just have turned the title into a two horse race. Arsenal are now five points clear of Manchester City in second place but what will please Mikel Arteta more than anything is the way his players pass every test and overcome every barrier.
City had beaten Wolves earlier in the day to apply some pressure and yet Arsenal held their nerve, showed unbreakable spirit and won through against a United side who have been flying under Erik ten Hag.
With Sir Alex Ferguson and David Beckham in the directors’ box at the Emirates, this felt like old times with the great rivals going toe-to-toe.
But for the second time in four days, United conceded in the 90th minute. Last Wednesday it was Michael Olise’s late leveller at Crystal Palace and this time it was even more painful.
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No wonder the fans celebrated, the Arsenal players mobbed Nketiah and Arsenal boss Arteta was on the pitch dancing in delight. If there were any doubts about Arsenal being good enough to win the title, then there are not any more.
Arteta has worked miracles at the Emirates, instilling an incredible belief and even when the biggest rivals come to town, there is no fear.
It was United who struck first when Bukayo Saka and then Thomas Partey got themselves into a mess, Marcus Rashford nicked the ball, nutmegged Partey and was given too much space to hit a stunning low 20 yard shot past Arsenal keeper Aaron Ramsdale.
In the past, the home crowd would have lost heart. It would have gone quiet or worse become toxic. Now there are no poisonous vibes, just belief in the stadium. Back came Arsenal with the fans roaring them on. How Arsenal have transformed the fans is Arteta’s biggest achievement.
Arsenal equalised after 24 minutes when they had good possession down the left, Granit Xhaka’s superb dinked cross went to Nketiah who stormed in at the back post and headed powerfully home.
Referee Anthony Taylor booked Arteta on the touchline as tensions reached boiling point as the Arsenal manager berated the officials, opponents and was losing his temper.
Ben White was hooked at half time after struggling, Arsenal turned up the volume after the break and took the lead after 53 minutes. This time, Saka cut in from the right, unleashed a low shot which flew into the far corner but United keeper David de Gea should have done better.
Ramsdale made a super save to keep out Rashford’s deflected shot but the Arsenal keeper then flapped at Christian Eriksen’s corner, Lisandro Martinez’s clever header looped in and suddenly it was level again.
Arsenal went for the win. United dropped deeper. Saka’s shot deflected off Eriksen and onto the post. Nketiah’s close range shot was kept out brilliantly by de Gea.
But Arsenal settled it. Oleksandr Zinchenko put the ball in from the left, Martin Odegaard got it to Nketiah who somehow hooked into the net. It survived a nervy VAR check before Arsenal’s celebrations could start.
