Manchester United defeated Arsenal 3-1 at Old Trafford, thanks to a brace from Marcus Rashford following Antony’s debut goal.
Antony scored United’s first goal after Gabriel Martinelli was denied by another controversial VAR intervention just three days after joining United from Ajax.
22 – Manchester United winger Antony – who today becomes the 100th Brazilian to appear in the Premier League – is the youngest player from the nation to score on his debut in the competition (22y 192d). Samba. pic.twitter.com/XOV7wGTNbs
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) September 4, 2022
Arsenal deservedly equalized on the hour mark when Bukayo Saka stroked home, but United drew away when Rashford finished off two spectacular counter-attacks in the closing 25 minutes.
Arsenal’s possession dominance was ultimately in vain as they surrendered points for the first time this season, with the revitalized hosts closing down on the Gunners by three points.
United had a quick start, with Christian Eriksen and Jadon Sancho creating chances, but they were dealt a severe blow 12 minutes in when Martinelli applied a beautiful one-on-one finish after referee Paul Tierney saw a foul on Eriksen in the build-up after walking to the monitor.
With Arsenal’s confidence rising, David de Gea was forced into a fantastic one-handed save from Martinelli, but the hosts seized the lead against the run of play after 35 minutes, with Antony slotting home after latching onto Rashford’s feed.
After the interval, Arsenal continued to control the ball, with Saka firing a low effort wide just before Antony was replaced by Cristiano Ronaldo.
On the hour mark, Saka seized on a loose ball to swipe home after the excellent Gabriel Jesus was dispossessed by the Gunners.
But Rashford proved to be the match-winner as United caught their opponents off guard, running onto Bruno Fernandes’ ball to put United ahead before tapping home from Eriksen’s cut-back to earn United’s fourth successive win.
