MU vs Arsenal: Overcoming the nightmare

Difficulties at Old Trafford

Trips to the "Theatre of Dreams" have been nothing short of a nightmare for Arsenal over the past 16 years.

In the last 16 matches at Old Trafford on the Premier League front, Arsenal have only had 1 victory, taking place in the 2020-21 season.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored the only goal from the penalty spot to help the Gunners win, at a time when MU hit rock bottom with Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

To find another Arsenal win at Old Trafford, we have to go back to September 2006, with Adebayor scoring the decisive goal in the 86th minute.

During this period, Arsenal received 10 defeats and drew 5 other matches every time they visited MU.

"If you want to win the Premier League and the big trophies, you have to come to these stadiums, show yourself and win", Mikel Arteta encouraged his students when Arsenal arrived at Old Trafford (10:30 p.m., May 12).

The Spanish military leader emphasized:"That's the journey we're on. We're trying to win the game on Sunday".

This is a really big challenge and Arsenal need to maintain their confidence and form in recent matches.

Man City's easy win over Fulham and taking the top spot has somewhat affected the mentality of Arsenal players, in their efforts to escape the nightmare at Old Trafford.

Good form against "Big 6"

There is one point that Arsenal fans believe in a victory in Manchester: Mikel Arteta's army has improved its form against opponents in the "Big 6" group.

A few years ago, Arsenal lost 0-6 to Chelsea, lost 1-5 to Liverpool, or were defeated 5-0 by Man City.

In the 2017-2023 period alone, Arsenal lost by 3 goals or more to Liverpool and Man City 9 times in the Premier League.

However, this result has improved in the last 2 seasons. Last season, Arsenal won 1.9 points/game against "Big 6" opponents, and 2.11 points/game this season.

Arsenal have made a significant change. No one has more points than the "Gunners" when facing the "Big 6" at this time.

Accordingly, Mikel Arteta's team has won 2 points/match against the "Big 6" in the Premier League since the beginning of the 2022-23 season, far surpassing Man City with 1.74 points/match.

MU only won 1.21 points/match during this time. This is the reason why Erik ten Hag is always criticized by "Red Devils" fans.

Arsenal have been very good in attack with 88 goals scored, only less than Man City (91). They have the best defence in the league, with just 28 goals conceded so far.

From this move, Arsenal confidently improved their results at Old Trafford and made MU experience their worst season in the Premier League era.