The importance of Casemiro
There were some fascinating battles all over the pitch at the Emirates but one of the most intriguing was the midfield duel between the two captains and the two number eights.
Bruno Fernandes and Martin Odegaard have been in fantastic form recently and have developed from creative midfielders to all-round midfield generals. Odegaard started well, picking Fernandes' pocket on two occasions in the early stages.
Fernandes got an assist for Marcus Rashford's goal, although it was all about the forward, and Odegaard was involved in the fine move for Nketiah's equaliser.
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It was Odegaard who had the bigger influence as the game wore on, getting on the ball in deeper areas to get Arsenal moving and then popping up in more attacking areas as well. It felt like he was involved in every move the hosts put together.
Manchester United's midfield wasn't at full strength and the absence of Casemiro always felt like it was going to be costly, but the quality of Odegaard and the control Arsenal exerted was a reminder there is improvement still to be found in that area.
Christian Eriksen has been excellent since his arrival on a free transfer, but his levels have dropped a little recently and he was culpable twice for Bukayo Saka's goal, firstly losing the ball under pressure from Gabriel Martinelli and then not doing enough to stop Saka cutting inside and getting his shot away.
United just couldn't deal with Arsenal's intensity in the final 15 minutes and it felt like Casemiro was a big miss at that point in the game. So it proved.
Wan-Bissaka's weakness
Aaron Wan-Bissaka has improved in the past month for United but as good as he is as a defensive full-back, he does have a weakness when it comes to defending the back post.
He is a fine tackler and can keep most wingers quiet, but when the ball is on the opposite wing he can switch off and that cost United.
Wan-Bissaka was defending at left-back after losing possession in the build-up but was flat-footed and unaware of Eddie Nketiah's movement when Granit Xhaka floated the cross in. Nketiah was moving towards the ball and had a simple task to head home.
De Gea targeted
Arsenal had set their stall out early when it came to pressing United if they tried to play out from the back and there was a feeling it was a matter of time before they caused themselves a problem.
David de Gea had already clipped one pass straight into the stands and when they tried to play out midway through the first half it led to the equaliser. De Gea didn't find the best ball out and Wan-Bissaka lacks the quality on the ball to receive under pressure and find another forward pass. From a goal kick they ended up conceding a corner, which eventually resulted in the goal.
De Gea made a stunning save in midweek and then said he had nothing to prove to anyone when asked about his ability with the ball at his feet, but this was a reminder that he isn't at the very highest level when it comes to that department. United's attempts to play out from the back never looked convincing.
A new era
The Premier League weekend might have begun with a whimper, but it ended with a bang. If Liverpool vs Chelsea was a below-par contest between two struggling teams, this was a match featuring two sides who are heading in the right direction.
It might be too early to write Liverpool off under Jurgen Klopp and Chelsea are clearly determined to spend their way out of trouble, but neither are anywhere close to the standards being set by Arsenal and United at the moment.
This Emirates fixture was pure box office and the standard was stunning. Arsenal look ready to win the title and it didn't feel like United were far behind them. They struggled to get out in the closing stages and the pressure Arsenal put them under for the final 15 minutes was impressive.
Manchester City obviously remain a danger but Arsenal are most definitely back and United are on the way. The quality of this fixture, at a high-pressure stage of the season, was proof of that.
Weghorst the wall
Wout Weghorst might not have a goal or an assist to his name at United yet but he's already having a major impact on this team.
His movement was praised by Fernandes after the midweek draw to Crystal Palace, opening up the space for the midfielder to score, and he performed a similar role for Rashford's goal at Arsenal.
Weghorst dragged Gabriel away from Rashford with his run across the box and that created some space for the forward to fire in the perfect shot. It doesn't go down in the statistics but it was picked up in the half-time analysis on Sky Sports.
The 6' 6" Dutchman hasn't yet looked likely to score for United but he is making the attack better, not only with that movement but with his ability to receive the ball under pressure and keep it.
Weghorst isn't as strong in the air as you might expect for someone of his size, but he is very good at taking the ball into feet and bringing others into the game. His link-up play against Arsenal was good.
United players would regularly fire passes into Weghorst and he was like a wall at times, someone to bounce the ball off and move the defence around. It's a very different role to that of Anthony Martial when he plays as the striker.
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