Alexandre Lacazette and Edinson Cavani both went close, but nobody could find a winner at the Emirates
Updated
Sat 30 Jan 2021 14.53 EST
First published on Sat 30 Jan 2021 11.30 EST
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Key events
No word from Mikel Arteta, with attention switching to the Saints-Villa 8pm kick-off. You can follow that here with Simon Burnton. But you can also read David Hytner’s verdict on the big game at the Emirates, which has landed for you to peruse at your leisure and pleasure. Thanks for reading this MBM. Nighty night!
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer talks to Sky. “I felt we had the bigger chances to win the game. Decent performances, good defensively, two massive chances in the second half. We had a good performance. You come away with a share of possession, the bigger chances. There was a spell when we dropped off and were a little bit passive, but otherwise I’m pleased with the boys. Wednesday night was a disappointing one, but today was a good performance. We take this point and move on, it’s Southampton again.”
David Luiz, Sky’s man of the match, speaks: “It was a great game. Both teams tried to win. Both had opportunities. It was a proper match. It’s frustrating because we love to win, but we tried our best. We have to try to improve every single day. You have to be humble. The boss is doing a great job. The young boys have progressed a lot and are fantastic. The team has a great atmosphere. We are far from first. But the ambition has to be there, for the first position. When it is mathematically possible, you have to try.”
That’s a new club record set by Manchester United: 18 undefeated away matches in the league. Not that they’ll be particularly pleased with their performance this evening. Alexandre Lacazette came closest to scoring, belting a free kick off the underside of the bar, though Edinson Cavani missed two chances from a combined distance of roughly eight yards, so both teams will go away thinking they might on another day have nicked it. But as goalless draws go, it was more than entertaining.
FULL TIME: Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United
Both teams had their chances, but this is probably a fair result on balance. Arsenal leapfrog Chelsea into eighth place, while United remain in second, three behind leaders Manchester City having played a game more.
90 min +5: Fred has a lash from 25 yards. Nope.
90 min +4: Nketiah comes on for Lacazette.
90 min +3: Lacazette is groggy, but thankfully there seems to be no need for stretcher and neck brace. He’s gently lifted to his feet.
90 min +2: Lacazette has come off worst. Maguire is up and about again, while the Arsenal striker has yet to get up.
90 min +1: The first of three added minutes is spent seeing to Maguire and Lacazette, the former having executed that aforementioned Harry Kane trick. Suffice to say there will now be more than three added minutes.
90 min: But the short end is, Cavani has now missed two extremely presentable chances in the six-yard box. That won’t have happened too many times in his career.
89 min: Wan-Bissaka curls in from the right. Cavani connects, six yards out, with a low bicycle kick. It’s a wonderful effort, but whistles inches wide right. Martial was standing behind him, and probably better placed, but you can understand Cavani going for it himself.
87 min: Cedric takes, aiming for the top left, but it’s no good.
86 min: Arsenal probe. A few nice first touches for Odegaard. Then Wan-Bissaka kicks Willian up the jacksie and it’s a needless free kick to concede. It’s just outside the United box to the left.
84 min: Bruno slides Greenwood into space down the right. Greenwood pulls back for Martial, who fails to react. Bellerin blooters clear.
83 min: Smith-Rowe, who has been excellent, is replaced by the new boy Odegaard.
81 min: Space for Pepe down the right. He strolls into the box and tries to steer a low diagonal shot across De Gea and into the bottom left. Not far away at all, but wide.
80 min: Some space for Rashford down the right. He enters the box and lashes violently into the side netting. That’s his last contribution tonight: he’s replaced by Greenwood.
78 min: Rashford crosses from the right. Holding clears. Lacazette pulls the Harry Kane aerial trick on Pogba, backing in. Pogba lands awkwardly, but thankfully he’s up and about again quickly.
77 min: Bellerin has a bash from the corner but his shot is easily blocked.
76 min: Luiz takes, the free kick pinging off the wall and out for a corner on the left.
75 min: Arsenal are dominating possession again. Lacazette tries to spin clear down the inside-left channel, between Maguire and Lindelof, and the former decides to take him down. A free kick and a booking for Maguire.
73 min: Willian drifts in from the left and is unceremoniously upended by Pogba, who goes in the book for his cynicism.
71 min: Fred has a whack from distance. It’s deflected into the path of Martial, who prepares to shoot from an angle on the left, only for the offside flag to go up.
70 min: United have steadied the ship after that brief storm. Plenty of probing, albeit to little effect in the final third.
68 min: And so following that, United nearly take the lead against the run of play, Cavani and Martial thinking about shooting from the edge of the box, Shaw firing low into the mixer from the left. Luiz hacks out for a corner, from which Pogba wafts a weak effort straight at Leno from distance.
66 min: And now Smith-Rowe forces De Gea into action, skelping a shot towards the bottom right from 12 yards. Great save this time. Arsenal have come mighty close to scoring on four separate occasions since the restart.
65 min: Lacazette takes. A gorgeous fierce shot, with little backlift. It’s aimed towards the top right, but twangs off the underside of the bar and out! So unlucky!
64 min: A long ball down the right nearly releases Lacazette. Maguire ties himself in knots and is forced to drag his man down, just to the right of the D. Big free kick coming up.
62 min: Luiz advances on the United box and considers a shot. He tries to release Pepe instead. Pepe can’t sort his feet out, so gives it back. Luiz has a crack now. It’s well over.
61 min: Replays show Cavani shot wide. How on earth did he miss from there? Absurd. No clip from Cedric, though the ball may have shaved Leno’s leg, hence the corner. That doesn’t explain the miss, though.
59 min: That’s as close as United have come. Both teams will wonder how they’ve yet to find the net.
58 min: Shaw and Martial one-two their way into the Arsenal box from the left. Shaw fizzes low and hard into the centre. Cavani must surely slam home from close range ... but he’s put off by Cedric, who nicks the shot out for a corner. That was inches wide of the left-hand post. Nothing comes of the resulting set piece.
57 min: Willian gingerly leaves the pitch, but soon perks up and comes back on.
56 min: Willian is down. He looks to have a problem with his left knee. The physio comes on and has a long look.
54 min: Martial and Cavani one-two briskly down the middle. They would have opened Arsenal up were it not for Luiz’s last-gasp interception. Superb football all round.
53 min: The corner’s no good either. United clear easily. But this has been a decent start to the second half by Arsenal. They’ve had 83 percent possession since the restart! Will they come to rue the failure to convert one of those two fine chances?
52 min: Wan-Bissaka is booked for sliding in clumsily on Cedric. This is effectively a corner out on the left. Pepe fizzes it in. Wan-Bissaka clears out for an actual corner this time.
50 min: Nothing comes of the corner. Arsenal come again, Willian reaching the byline on the left and cutting back for Pepe, who creams a first-time effort towards the bottom left. It looks to have the beating of De Gea, but Maguire stands firm to block bravely. Wonderful defending.
48 min: Bellerin crosses from the right. It’s a poor ball, but somehow finds its way to Willian, on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. He should score, with only De Gea to beat, but stabs at the ball with great uncertainty. A weak effort is blocked out for a corner.
47 min: A really scrappy start to the half. Neither team put anything resembling a passing sequence together.
United get the second half underway. They’ve made no changes, but Arsenal have replaced Martinelli with Willian.
Half-time entertainment. In lieu of goals at the Emirates ...
HALF TIME: Arsenal 0-0 Manchester United
Nothing comes of the corner, and the whistle goes at a good time for Arsenal, with United beginning to ask some serious questions.
45 min: Bruno looks for the top right. Luiz flicks over the bar. That’s fine defending, because it didn’t look like Leno would get to an on-target effort.
43 min: Shaw curls dangerously from the left. Wan-Bissaka takes a fresh-air swipe. Xhaka tries to clear but is dispossessed. The ball lands at the feet of Rashford, one on one with Leno on the edge of the six-yard box. Leno does extremely well to close him right down, forcing Rashford to attempt a dragback before shooting. Blocked. The ball breaks to Bruno, who is upended on the edge of the D. Great chance for United here.
41 min: Corner for United out on the left. Maguire meets it with a header, but it’s tame and straight at Leno. The keepers haven’t had too much to do.
40 min: It’s very scrappy now. Both teams could do with some tactical tweaks. Fortunately opportunity for a pow-wow is coming up soon.
38 min: United stroke it about, though they don’t really go anywhere. The game almost grinds to a complete halt.
36 min: McTominay is really struggling. Down he goes. He looks green. He’s really not enjoying himself. Down the tunnel he goes, hopefully to find some sweet relief. Martial comes on in his place.
34 min: A couple of half-chances for United, as Wan-Bissaka flashes a header wide right, then Bruno curls one wide right from a deep position on the left, using Luiz as a shield.
