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From the archive
At the final whistle, as Arsenal celebrated around Marc Overmars, the camera cut to a thin man with curly black hair, stubble and a black leather jacket. He was wild-eyed, clenching both fists and growling “YES!”. Barry Ferst is a laid-back, softly spoken man, but sport is one of the few areas of life in which happiness is demonstrated through aggression. It brings out the Danny Dyer in most of us.
Sky have reunited Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane in the studio for today’s game. It’ll never get old, will it? Please, never let it get old.
Keane You were going to war. But there was also respect for Arsenal and their players [points thumb at Vieira]. Huge respect.
Vieira This is the kind of game every single player wants to be involved in. There’s a passion, there’s a respect. But you want to win.
This, from my MBM colleague Tim de Lisle, is a terrific read on what Michael Carrick’s Manchester United did so well last weekend.
United showed more intensity than usual, as you’d expect in a derby, but they also showed more composure. Carrick had called for it beforehand, and as possibly the calmest player ever seen in a United shirt, he speaks with some authority on the subject. When Amad broke away in the 33rd minute, he coolly rounded Donnarumma and rolled the ball into an empty net. When Fernandes broke away eight minutes later, he went one better, landing a defender on his backside after rounding the keeper. Both goals were disallowed, but they stood as statements of intent.
Michael Carrick’s on picking an unchanged XI
It’s never the same again! Every game is different but we’ve had a good week and we’re in good shape. We understand this has been a tough place to come for many teams. But we’re going into the game in a good spirit and that’s the most important thing.
Mikel Arteta on the selection of Gabriel Jesus
We have to work game by game. We have to understand where each individual is, who were going to play and then make a decision.
There are still three horses in the Premier League title race. Ollie Watkins has just scored a fine goal to make it Newcastle 0-2 Aston Villa at St James’ Park. With only a couple of minutes of normal time remaining, Villa are on course for another outstanding victory. What a team!
Niall McVeigh
Set pieces are dominating the Premier League this season, with almost 30% of goals coming from corners, free-kicks, penalties or long throws. The leaders, Arsenal, are kings of the dead ball, scoring 17 of their 40 league goals from set pieces (including penalties). But what makes Mikel Arteta’s side so effective in these areas, and what can opponents do to stop them? The data provides some answers.
Team news
Gabriel Jesus, who scored twice against Internazionale in the week, is preferred to Viktor Gyokeres up front. It’s his first Premier League start since a 1-1 draw at Brighton on 4 January 2025.
Jesus’s inclusion is one of four changes from last week’s goalless draw at the City Ground. Piero Hincapie, Leandro Trossard and Bukayo Saka replace Ben White, Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke.
No great surprise that Michael Carrick sticks with the Manchester United team that beat Manchester City so impressively.
Arsenal (4-3-3) Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Odegaard, Zubimendi, Rice; Saka, Jesus, Trossard.
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, White, Eze, Marinelli, Gyokeres, Madueke, Merino, Lewis-Skelly.
Man Utd (4-2-3-1) Lammens; Dalot, Maguire, Martinez, Shaw; Casemiro, Mainoo; Amad, Fernandes, Dorgu; Mbeumo.
Subs: Bayindir, Heaven, Malacia, Mazraoui, Yoro, Ugarte, Mount, Sesko, Cunha.
Referee Craig Pawson.
Jamie Jackson
Michael Carrick has revealed that Ole Gunnar Solskjær has been fully supportive of his appointment as Manchester United’s interim head coach because the Norwegian, who was also interviewed for the role, is a close friend.
The pair were at United together during the 2006-07 season and Carrick was a member of Solskjær’s coaching staff when the Norwegian was first the club’s caretaker manager then a permanent appointment from December 2018 to November 2021.
When Solskjær was sacked Carrick managed United for three games but he departed after Ralf Rangnick took over, stating that loyalty to Solskjær was a factor. Carrick was asked whether he had spoken to his former teammate since beginning his second interim tenure.
“Yes, I spoke to him,” he said. “I’m close, we’ve been through a lot together, so he’s been fully supportive as you’d expect. He’s some man and I respect him an awful lot. He wished us all the best and he was happy that we got the right result against Manchester City.”
David Hytner
Mikel Arteta says nobody is more driven than him to win the Premier League this season as he promised his Arsenal players would not be distracted by talk of them as champions-elect.
The signs for Arsenal are extremely promising despite the inevitable anxiety among their fanbase, which has been felt during the past two league matches – the 0-0 draws against Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.
Pep Guardiola, whose Manchester City are second, described Arsenal as “the best team in the world” on Friday and Arteta has heard the line about how it is their title to lose. Arsenal last won the league in 2003-04.
Jonathan Wilson
‘Where do you want you statue, Michael?’
The problem Manchester United have – after 13 years and seven managers of failure – is that for whatever action they take now, there is a bad precedent. Keep Michael Carrick on, and it’s just another Ole Gunnar Solskjær situation. But replace him and, for almost whoever they appoint – be it a Premier League veteran, foreign maestro, renowned past-his-best winner, Red Bull-adjacent gegenpresser, austere Dutchman or Portuguese ideologue – they have done it before and it hasn’t worked. It’s almost like the biggest problem at the club isn’t the manager.
Carrick’s start was undeniably impressive. There was pace and zip and creativity. The relief of players being released from the 3-4-2-1 was akin to one of those videos of cows being allowed back into the pasture after being kept in a barn over the winter. Who could possibly have predicted that Amad Diallo would excel as a right-sided forward, or that Bruno Fernandes might thrive as a No 10? United didn’t just beat Manchester City 2-0; they hammered them.
Preamble
Fun fact: only one of the first nine Premier League meetings between Arsenal and Manchester United was televised in England. Since then, it has been an and-it’s-live banker: this afternoon’s game at the Emirates is the 59th consecutive league meeting to be shown live on Sky.
Arsenal v United is a unique fixture – the biggest south/north match in English football, but also a game that is largely sold by its past. We all remember the golden age of Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira, Remi Moses and Peter Nicholas, and at times it has felt sad, even pathetic, that such a great fixture has to be sold through nostalgia.
The resurgence of Arsenal under Mikel Arteta has changed that. Since 2022 this game has usually been relevant to the title race, no matter what state United are in, and today is no exception. If Arsenal win they will restore their seven-point lead over Manchester City; but if Michael Carrick’s United™ do unto Arsenal as they did unto City, it will change the mood of this season’s title race. Arsenal, who have drawn their last two league games 0-0, would love a dominant victory to remind everyone what time it is.
United have plenty to play for as well. Despite everything, they are fifth in the table* and will go fourth if they win. It’s not 1st v 2nd, like it was so often between 1997 and 2005. But given the context, 1st v 5th is appealing enough.
Kick off 4.30pm.
