Manchester United hit Arsenal's championship ambitions hard when Matheus Cunha's late goal in the 87th minute brought a dramatic 3-2 victory for the away team right at the Emirates Stadium.
This defeat leaves Arsenal only 4 points ahead of Manchester City and Aston Villa, and ends their homeless streak lasting from May 2024. With Michael Carrick, this is a particularly meaningful victory when he helped the "Red Devils" triumph for the first time at the Emirates since December 2017, continuing their impressive debut against Man City with an effective counter-attacking defense.
Arsenal opened the scoring in the 29th minute after Lisandro Martinez's own goal under pressure from Jurrien Timber. However, that advantage did not help the "Gunners" play more smoothly as they continued to face difficulties in controlling the game.
Just 8 minutes later, Martin Zubimendi's pass error created conditions for Bryan Mbeumo to escape and finish delicately past David Raya, bringing the match back to the starting line.
Stepping into the second half, Man United suddenly took the lead in the 50th minute. Receiving an assist from Bruno Fernandes, Patrick Dorgu launched a beautiful shot from a distance of about 25m, the ball hit the crossbar and flew straight into the net in the helplessness of the home goalkeeper.
Arsenal tried to push up to find an equalizer and seemed to have kept one point when Mikel Merino took advantage of the chaotic situation after Bukayo Saka's corner kick to score.
However, the drama was pushed to a climax in the 87th minute, when Matheus Cunha - who came on as a substitute - unleashed a classy curling shot from the edge of the penalty area, sealing a 3-2 victory for Man United, and making the Premier League title race more tense than ever.
Worthy victory for Man United
Can Carrick create a miracle by turning Man United into a championship contender after only 2 matches in charge?
It sounds unbelievable, but after a breathtaking 3-2 victory over league leaders Arsenal right at the Emirates, Man United has risen to fourth place in the standings and is currently only 12 points behind the top spot. After the final whistle, the away team's fans shouted "we will win the tournament".
In normal seasons, the 12-point gap at this time is almost synonymous with being eliminated from the race. However, the 2025-2026 season is taking place in a very unpredictable way.
Both Arsenal and Man City - two teams above Man United and both lost to coach Carrick and his team in 8 days - do not show the stability of a true champion. Aston Villa also narrowed the gap to 4 points after the victory over Newcastle, just one week after they unexpectedly collapsed at home against Everton.
The top 3 teams are all having to strain themselves on many fronts, from the Champions League to domestic cup tournaments, leading to a dense schedule and increasing pressure in the remaining period of the season.
Conversely, Man United was soon eliminated from the cup arena and is currently focusing entirely on the Premier League. That means Carrick and his students only have 15 matches left to turn the rest of the season into a memorable journey.
In the immediate future, the most realistic goal is still to ensure a position in the top 4 and a Champions League spot. However, Carrick quickly turned Man United into a particularly dangerous team in big matches, with 2 consecutive victories against Man City and Arsenal.
The home match against Fulham next week opens a series of matches considered easy in February for Man United. However, ironically, these types of matches have caused them to lose the most points recently.
The real challenge is now clear. Can the "Red Devils" consolidate their position in the top 4, and then gradually dream further? The possibility of winning the championship is still a very unlikely scenario, but in a season full of fluctuations like the present, Carrick's Man United has at least won the right to dream.
