Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville believes the Red Devils were close to a perfect away performance before Arsenal struck two late goals to claim the points.
Man United and Arsenal fought an intense and dramatic battle yesterday, with the Gunners eventually coming out on top.
Speaking after United’s 3-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium, Neville told Sky Sports: “Erik ten Hag would have been proud of what his players have done.
“It was a better performance in terms of concentration, which is required in a big game.
“They have been accused of, and rightly so, for their appalling record in big away matches against top nine teams.
“The last ten minutes were significant for them, but they fell short again.
“There will be massive disappointment, but the elements of their performance were much better than what we saw against Tottenham (Hotspur), Nottingham Forest and Wolves (Wolverhampton Wanderers).
“There was no serious defensive structure in previous games. But, today, I saw something that resembles a team in defence.”
Man Utd have had a below-par start to the new season
The Red Devils have accumulated only six points from the possible 12 in the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
Both defeats have come on the road, one against Tottenham and the other against Arsenal.
They were lucky to beat Wolves and had to rely on a penalty to escape with three points against Forest.
Playing Mason Mount in the number eight spot has made the midfield imbalanced.
Christian Eriksen’s return to the starting XI has improved the balance but at the cost of dynamism on the attacking front.
An average transfer window has not helped Man United either. To pour salt into the wounds, Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal have improved their squads significantly this summer.
An increasing number of injured players are a big concern for team management. Raphael Varane, Tom Heaton, Amad Diallo, Luke Shaw, Tyrell Malacia and Mount are on the sidelines.
Hopefully, this international break can give the manager and the players enough time to gather their thoughts and return stronger.
