Arsenal vs Manchester United result: Gunners defy calls of regression to hand Ole Gunnar Solskjaer first defeat as United boss

Arsenal 2-0 Manchester United: Granit Xhaka and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ensured Unai Emery's side bounced back after defeat to Rennes midweek

Is this what regression to the mean looks like? Whatever happened, it certainly means everything looks so much better for Arsenal, as Unai Emery’s side recovered from the Rennes embarrassment to inflict Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first defeat in the league, and also displace Manchester United in the top four.

The Norwegian will fairly wonder how exactly that happened given the game but it was impossible not feel there was an element of football just levelling itself out, especially after the peak - of both emotion and results - of what happened at Paris Saint-Germain. After a frankly unsustainable good run where everything fell exactly right for United, and more than a few games where David De Gea helped secure results where they had been second best, they this time lost after a goalkeeping error and missing all of the better chances.

There was no luck coming United’s way here, particularly for the two goals: a wickedly Granit Xhaka swerving shot and a contentious penalty. Arsenal’s victory, however, was obviously down to much more than luck.

The major move in the game was Solskjaer having to throw out his gameplan and switch to three at the back after United had gone behind and been overrun, because Emery had basically given him a tactical schooling from the off. The Spanish manager won that initial battle, bringing out fine individual performances from many of his players, and thereby won the game.

It was when they got the goal United could just never recover from. It was also just brilliantly focused coached from Emery.

Emery’s formation, however, wasn’t really the cause of the strike. That was much less explainable.

There was first of all the fact that United’s midfielders - and especially Nemanja Matic - just gave Xhaka so much space and time on the ball in front of the 18-yard box. It was as if they were imploring him to pick his spot.

They could scarcely have imagined what happened next, mind, and it’s equally difficult to think that was the type of effort Xhaka picked. A low strike suddenly changed direction wickedly, to catch De Gea completely flat-footed. Even if the swerve was too sudden to do anything about it, the goalkeeper’s reactions were strangely slow.

Rashford shoots under pressure (Getty) (Getty Images)

United in general looked a bit jaded at that point, as if they didn’t have that much to give after Paris. Arsenal meanwhile seemed like they wanted to prove a point after their own very different experience in France, and were completely overrunning Solskjaer’s side in midfield.

It got so bad, and so often saw Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette get in behind, that the Norwegian simply had to change it.

That is to be fair something Solskjaer genuinely deserves more credit for. He is decisive and proactive, and it made his team so much more proactive too.

The move to three at the back gradually saw United take control of the game, and very quickly start creating the better chances.

The problem was the majority fell to Romelu Lukaku, who was having one of those days when you can understand why United are looking at another forward in the summer. The Belgian can be just so frustrating as a player, given his capacity to quickly follow sublime first touches with atrocious final finishes. There were two bad ones here, as he could only hit the crossbar from five yards out early on, and then snatched at a chance right in front of Bernd Leno in the second half.

Lukaku really should have scored the second, that came at such a tense period of the game. That wasn't where the game was won, but it was where it was lost.

Fred had actually been having quite a sharp game in the centre up to that miss, while offering some fine threaded passes, which meant it only summed up United’s day that it was the Brazilian who gave away the penalty.

Aubameyang of course scored that, and that was pretty much the win. United thereafter never looked like getting back into it, and Arsenal never looked anything other than comfortable.

Xhaka celebrates after putting Arsenal ahead of Manchester United (AFP/Getty)

Whether it actually was a penalty was another matter. It did seem quite a soft decision as Lacazette went to ground under the slightest pressure from Fred.

But, for all the debate about how the game went, it did lead to the hard fact that Arsenal had won 2-0 to go ahead of United in the table, who now must rouse themselves after their first defeat under Solskjaer.