GK: David de Gea (7)
Another solid outing for the Spaniard. Confident while claiming aerial balls, and smart with his distribution, he could have done nothing about Arsenal’s goal
RB: Antonio Valencia (6)
This is becoming the norm for the Ecuadorian; lots of effort and good defensive displays that are marred by shoddy attacking play. The quality of his crosses was shocking, which ruined a number of decent opportunities for United
CB: Chris Smalling (7)
Competent performance from Smalling. Dealt with Arsenal’s limited threat well, but as usual his passing needed to be more ambitious
CB: Victor Lindelof (8)
Lindelof had a good outing; he handled quicker opponents with ease, while his passing was accurate and often the catalyst for a United attack
LB: Ashley Young (6)
A performance to mirror that of his counterpart on the right. Showed lots of industry in attack and defence, but his final ball was abysmal till the very end, when he delivered a perfect cross for Fellaini’s winner
CM: Nemanja Matic (7)
Another quietly dominant performance from Matic secured the midfield for United; he controlled the game with his passing, was competent defensively and even stepped forward on a number of occasions to contribute to attacks
CM: Ander Herrera (7)
Provided a lot of energy to what was a sluggish United midfield. His passing was crisp and quick, and he was a hassling presence at the feet of Arsenal’s players
CM: Paul Pogba (8)
Pogba started off slowly, but grew into the game with some superbly dominant passages of play. Scored the opener after Sanchez’s header had hit the post
RW: Jesse Lingard (7)
A typical performance from Lingard; he was hardworking without the ball, and his movement was a constant nuisance to Arsenal when United had possession. A tad wasteful with the ball though
LW: Alexis Sanchez (7)
His chemistry with his fellow attackers is improving game-by-game, and he was able to glide away from his markers on multiple occasions. Familiarly intense and hardworking in attack
CF: Romelu Lukaku (7)
Another understated gem of a performance from the Belgian. He dropped off intelligently, while his hold-up play has improved massively since his arrival at Old Trafford. And it is tempting to wonder how many goals he would score if he could cross to himself; he is probably the best crosser at the club, with his pass to Sanchez setting up the first goal
Substitutes:
CF: Marcus Rashford (7)
Came on for Lukaku in the 50th minute, and his pace was vital in stretching Arsenal’s backline
RW: Anthony Martial (7)
Brought on for Lingard around the hour mark, he had a similar impact to that of Rashford; his speed dragged Arsenal’s defenders wide, creating space in the middle
CM: Marouane Fellaini (8)
On at the same time as Lingard, Fellaini was a nuisance in midfield, and he also popped up with the late winner to ruin Wenger’s last appearance at Old Trafford
Man of the Match: Victor Lindelof
This performance was built on United’s defensive solidity, and that was down in no small part to United’s Swedish centre-back. Sturdy in the tackle, superb with the ball at his feet and able to match opponents for pace, this was a complete performance, and one that hopefully allows him to kick on and secure his place in the side
