Arsenal continue to corner the market in flag kicks as Man United find no answer to set pieces

Arsenal (0) 2 Timber 55, Saliba 73

Man United (0) 0

No Gabriel for corners and free-kicks? No problem. There are plenty of other defenders only too happy to take up the responsibility.

First Jurrien Timber glanced in a near-post header from Declan Rice's arrowed ball in from the left - the Dutchman's first for the club - then Bukayo Saka's kick from the other side was headed back across goal by Thomas Partey and cannoned into the net off William Saliba.

"Set piece again, ole, ole " chanted delirious home fans. Who needs all those intricate goals of old from the great midfielder players of the Wenger era? This gets the job done more often than not.

Make that 22 goals from corners now since the start of last season. Nicolas Jover the maestro of set piece invention was the bane of Andre Onana's night. The Cameroon keeper was bombarded from the air all night.

Before that double strike in the second half, between them and after them, United could not cope with those balls lifted into the mixer. Arsenal simply bullied the visitors into submission.

A fixture that will never be without layers of fascination was as much about the new challenge of dealing with an improved Man United under new boss Ruben Amorim as it was about trying to close the nine point gap on Liverpool.

There was a fine double for the Gunners last season. But that was against Erik ten Hag. It felt likely that this would be a tougher prospect on the occasion of the Emirates' 500th competitive first-team fixture, especially as Gabriel was absent - at once taking away a source of those set piece goals that have been his speciality this term, as well as the defensive solidity.

But even without the injured Brazilian, the Gunners still menaced at corners from the word go. Partey came close to getting a decisive touch on Rice's wicked inswinging flag kick but the Ghanaian did not properly connect - the ball bouncing off his shoulder. From the opposite side, Saka's corner ended with Gaby Martinelli flashing a shot just off target.

United had a solid shape without causing too many palpitations - though a misplaced clearance did give Diogo Dalot a crack from inside the area - the United wing-back's shot fizzing just past the far post.

The Gunners realised they would not get through this United team with the staccato approach they adopted in the first half though, and their injection of pace after the break brought the breakthrough of Timber's glancing near-post header.

Amorim made a triple substitution - one of them seeing the arrival of the deftly-skilled Amad Diallo on the right. He hounded Oleksandr Zinchenko into losing possession and giving away a foul outside the box in trying to retrieve. From the kick out right, Matthijs de Ligt met Bruno Fernandes' chip with a well-directioned header that David Raya did so well to claw away to his left.

It was to be the last moment of real danger for Arsenal, apart from an Antony shot from a smart pass by Fernandes at a set piece very late on.

Arsenal oozed confidence and hunger after their second goal and might have scored more. It was no disaster that they did not. Better to save a few goals for Fulham on Sunday. As things stand, they have narrowed the gap on the leaders to seven points - Liverpool having being held to a draw at Newcastle.

Gunners: (4-3-3) Raya - Timber, Saliba, Kiwior, Zinchenko (Moerino 71)- Odegaard (Jorginho 90), Partey, Rice - Saka, Havertz, Martinelli (Trossard 71)

United: (3-4-3) Onana - Mazraoui, de Ligt, Maguire (Yoro 59) - Dalot, Ugarde, Fernandes, Malacia (Diallo h/t) - Mount (Rashford 89), Hojlund (Antony 80), Garnacho (Zirkzee 59)

Attendance: 60,256