Arsenal demonstrated their set-piece superiority Sunday, scoring twice from corners to defeat Manchester United as visiting manager Ruben Amorim suffered his first loss in English football.
Defenders Jurrien Timber and William Saliba provided the goals that helped Arsenal close the gap on league leaders Liverpool to seven points. The victory, Arsenal’s 500th match at Emirates Stadium, marked their third consecutive league win and extended their unbeaten run to five matches.
The breakthrough came in the 54th minute when Declan Rice’s corner found Timber at the near post, who headed home. Saliba sealed the win later when Thomas Partey’s header from a Bukayo Saka corner deflected off the French defender past United goalkeeper Andre Onana.
The goals highlighted Arsenal’s set-piece prowess under manager Mikel Arteta – they’ve now scored 22 times from corners since last season, leading all Premier League teams. United, despite practicing defensive set-pieces during warm-ups, conceded multiple corner goals in a league match for the first time since January 2014.
“We’re back to looking like title contenders,” Arteta said, noting the impact of Martin Odegaard’s return coinciding with their unbeaten streak.
Amorim, who took charge of United on November 11, had warned of an impending “storm” before the match. Despite organizing his side well in the first half, United’s resistance crumbled against Arsenal’s relentless set-piece assault, though they did see £62m defender Leny Yoro make his competitive debut.
