Man United felt they were on the verge of a rare win at Arsenal but their careless planning cost them in the dying embers.
Alejandro Garnacho charged towards one corner and Casemiro sprinted quicker to the throng of Manchester United fans. Andre Onana raced into the Arsenal half, urging his teammates to maintain their concentration. The United analysts cheered loudly, thumping desks. Arsenal fans started to trudge up the gangways.
That United were denied their euphoria did not completely quieten their followers, still chanting defiantly as the game ticked into added time. "Oh United, we love you," they sang. Only the Arsenal fans were audible at the game's conclusion.When Gabriel Jesus added gloss, Aaron Ramsdale could not resist and waltzed into the United half to instruct his teammates to maintain their focus, deriding Onana.
United were too reliant on Marcus Rashford, who attempted to replicate his first-half goal but became too predictable with his decision-making. United improved with the debutant Rasmus Hojlund on for the anonymous Anthony Martial and the Dane's cute flick accelerated the attack that Garnacho fruitlessly finished.
The Dane asserted himself confidently, pressing diligently, grappling with Gabriel Magalhaes and instructing Antony to ease the tempo on a counter-attack. Hojlund has to start against Brighton when United resume their season. The wretched injury record also worsened and United now have an injured XI to contend with. Scott McTominay and Jadon Sancho were absent at the Emirates while Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof were the latest flies to drop.
For the second season running, United scored first at Arsenal but conceded three times. Victor Lindelof was the only United outfield player who skipped the celebrations as Rashford was mobbed. Perhaps others should have, too. Arsenal's equaliser was clocked at 25 seconds from the restart and, well worked and finished by Martin Odegaard though it was, a surfeit of United players were guilty of ball-watching.