Arsenal defeated their Premier League rivals Manchester United at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles as the Gunners continue their successful tour of the United States of America. Rasmus Hojlund gave the lead to the Red Devils after a burst of pace left him one-on-one with the goalkeeper. The Dane finished well, squeezing the ball past Karl Hein to put United 1-0 up early in the game.
Arsenal responded well, creating some chances before they equalised through Gabriel Jesus, who tapped in Ethan Nwaneri’s excellent low cross. The Gunners had a good spell of play after that, but it was United who came close to scoring, with Hein stopping a fierce shot by Mason Mount.
The Gunners looked much more dominant in the second half, coming close to scoring a couple of times. Gabriel Martinelli got the winner late on, coolly slotting the ball home after a good cut in by the Brazilian international. Following the match, the two teams decided to have a penalty shoot-out in which United triumphed 4-3.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Player Ratings
Karl Hein – 5
A good save to deny Amad Diallo early on but should have done better for Hojlund’s goal, having let the ball go through his legs. However, his ability with the ball at his feet continue to frustrate, as he gives away possession too many times under pressure.
Ben White – 6.5
A typically decent performance from him. He worked hard and linked up well with his teammates.
Ayden Heaven – 6
Let Hojlund get past him too easily for United’s goal. Apart from that, he was fairly decent in possession. He build up from his mistake for Man United’s opener, and Heaven build up pretty well from there to show confidence with the ball especially in the first-phase of build-up.
Jurrien Timber – 7
Looks to be a very solid option for the center-back position. Looked confident and distributed play well.
Oleksandr Zinchenko – 5.5
Went forward well but was a bit shaky overall. His defending wasn’t great and he played a terrible ball to Jorginho. United targeted playing Amad Diallo behind the Ukrainian in the first half as they had plenty space to work with.
Jorginho – 6
A composed performance by the veteran. Always made himself available as a passing option and made sure to look out for Heaven after United’s goal.
Ethan Nwaneri – 8
Arsenal’s next big thing. What a phenomenal talent this 17-year-old is. Bagged an assist with a good cross and in general linked up well with his teammates.
Martin Odegaard – 6.5
Arsenal’s captain had a decent game. He passed well and forced Andre Onana into a good save.
Reiss Nelson – 6.5
Had another good game, creating a good chance for Nwaneri. His performances of late could bump his asking price.
Gabriel Jesus – 7
Looked lively and bright throughout, showing great intensity. Capped off a solid performance with a goal.
Leandro Trossard – 7
Another bright performance by the Belgian international. Situated on the left wing, Trossard worked hard off the ball and also had some fantastic touches with the ball.
Substitutes
Jakub Kiwior – 6
Introduced at half time, Arsenal looked more solid with him in defence.
Salah – 6.5
Another encouraging performance by the youngster in midfield. He showed maturity with the ball, especially in the rotation. The youngster could head out on a loan that can develop his game this summer.
Josh Nichols – 6.5
Drove forward well and overall looked at ease playing as the right back. He had a fantastic 1v1 against Jadon Sancho in the dying minutes of the game.
Myles Lewis-Skelly – 6
Another promising display from one of Arsenal’s biggest talents.
Gabriel Magalhães – 7
Came on to solidify things at the back and showed his experience and leadership qualities well.
Fabio Vieira – 6
A quiet performance on the wing.
Thomas Partey – 6
Did his midfield duties diligently after coming on.
Eddie Nketiah – 6
Hardly involved after coming on.
Gabriel Martinelli – 8
Some great runs down the left, one of which led to his winner. He has only had one training session, but was moving with confidence while using his PnP pretty well. This performance could change his season going forward.
