Although the two teams were evenly matched in midfield, the difference became immediately apparent once the ball entered the attacking end.
Manchester United's defense has been arguably improved quite well by Mourinho this season, with Smalling and Lindrov being relatively reliable. However, they just can't quite cut off the opponent's attacking intentions as accurately as Arsenal.
"call!"
As the game progressed, when the time came to the 26th minute, many players on the field couldn't help but stand up.
This was an Arsenal attack, with the on-loan trident of Sanchez, Lacazette, and Aubameyang, plus Ramsey providing support, putting on a textbook passing and scoring move at Old Trafford.
The brilliance of the goal surprised both Arsenal and Manchester United fans.
De Gea was completely unable to react effectively to Arsenal's attack. Just when he thought Aubameyang was going to be one-on-one with the goalkeeper, he selflessly passed the ball to Sanchez on the other side. Sanchez calmly slotted the ball home, finishing the attack.
The goal brought cheers from the Arsenal fans in the stadium.
Although the wait was a bit long, the moment the goal was scored was truly satisfying!
Mourinho remained relatively silent after the goal was scored. He waved to his players, signaling them not to rush and to remain calm at this moment.
But to everyone's surprise, the players wouldn't listen to the head coach at all. They were prepared to lose anyway, so why not lose decisively?
So even when trailing, Manchester United players didn't hold back at all, instead continuing to intensify their attacks on Arsenal's defense.
Seeing the players' choices from the sidelines, Mourinho looked helpless and sat back down in his seat.
Perhaps moved by the spirit of the Manchester United players, in the 37th minute of the match, Arsenal defender Chambers accidentally tripped an opposing player due to a defensive error, earning him the first yellow card of the game, which could not be changed even with the intervention of Lei Ming.
This decision also gave Manchester United a penalty opportunity.
Logically, Lukaku should have taken the header penalty for Manchester United, but this time, he humbly declined.
The main issue is that Lukaku has some psychological trauma when facing thunder.
Based on past encounters and the information I've gathered, this guy's forte is actually penalties. Countless people have fallen to his penalty kicks, and I myself have been defeated once.
This also made Lukaku completely lack the courage to face Thunder.
Rashford, on the other hand, did not have this psychological burden. He was very confident in his footwork and believed that he would definitely be able to score this goal.
There's a saying that goes, "A newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger." Rashford clearly didn't think his opponent was that scary, and he was quite happy to see Lukaku let him take the ball.
Holding the ball and standing at the 12-yard mark, watching the opponent's outstretched arms and ready for battle, Rashford smugly flicked a tuft of hair back in front of him.
To make a spectacular shot, your form must be impeccable.
Rashford knows how to get himself filmed.
On the sidelines, Manchester United manager Mourinho was instructing his players to be wary of the opponent's counter-attacks, but it seemed his instructions weren't very effective, as the Manchester United players remained positioned far forward.
Lei Ming stared intently at the other person, but made no move to sway left or right.
Although it was his first time playing against the opponent and he didn't know their shooting habits or other data, it didn't hinder his prediction. So he was relatively relaxed during the penalty kick and even gestured to his teammates to prepare for a quick counter-attack.
At this moment, the focus of the entire stadium was on his duel with Rashford. The moment the referee blew the whistle, Rashford started his run-up, paused briefly, and then shot.
He chose a relatively safe spot on the far right, and as he watched, his mouth gradually formed an "O" shape.
It was clearly visible in the field of vision that, facing his powerful penalty kick, the opposing goalkeeper had guessed the direction correctly and had even managed to catch the ball safely into his arms.
Good grief, am I really that bad?
Not only was he not knocked away, but he was actually tackled. At that moment, he felt like he was being betrayed by all the cameras.
I never expected that I would become the backdrop for the goalkeeper's outstanding performance!
However, before Rashford could finish his reflection, Lei Ming quickly grabbed the ball and ran forward, completely ignoring the fact that Rashford was still in a daze.
His throw sent the ball flying towards the center circle, where Arsenal's attacking trio, already on high alert, quickly broke the offside trap, leaving Manchester United's defense unable to catch up.
In an instant, Arsenal switched from defense to attack, catching Manchester United completely off guard.
What angered De Gea even more than Aubameyang's one-on-one chance was that he himself fell into the same hole twice in a row.
He thought Aubameyang would be able to take the shot himself on this one-on-one opportunity, but after he was about to rush out, the opponent passed the ball to Lacazette, who was in a better position. Lacazette took the opportunity to score his first goal of the game.
"Goooooooooooooooola!!!"
"Great teamwork, selfless teamwork, Aubameyang was really great! Lacazette also shot very calmly, they truly deserve to be called our Gunners' twin stars."
"A perfect attack, that's so Arsenal, hahaha!"
This season, counter-attacking has undoubtedly become Arsenal's most prolific attacking method. This attacking style is almost always initiated by Lehmann in the backfield. After attracting the attention of the entire Manchester United team with his outstanding performance, he quickly orchestrates the transition from defense to attack, making Arsenal's counter-attacks fast and accurate. From the perspective of the game, it is also very pleasing to the eye.
Therefore, many people jokingly refer to this efficient and rapid counter-attack as Arsenal-style attack.
On the scene, even Mourinho, who once brought counter-attacking football to the world's top level, had to admit that Arsenal's fast counter-attacks were really entertaining.
But having lost this penalty opportunity, it will be very difficult for them to catch up in the rest of the game!
Mourinho seemed to have anticipated Rashford's failure, especially after seeing that the defenders didn't take his instructions seriously, he stopped struggling!
We lost, we lost completely!
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