Arsenal defeats Manchester United [2 : 0]. Arsene Wenger finally end Jose Mourinho hoodoo

   

Two goals in three minutes gave Arsenal the victory over Manchester United and finally delivered Arsene Wenger his first competitive win over Jose Mourinho at the 15th attempt. If he leaves at Arsenal manager at the end of this season at least the “specialist in failure” will have ended that horrible statistic against The self-styled “Special One”.

Wenger will also have taken delight at ending United’s 25-match unbeaten run in the Premier League and, maybe, rekindling Arsenal’s outside hopes that they might finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League. That would represent a remarkable comeback.

Mourinho will point to the eight changes he made after the Europa League semi-final victory over Celta Vigo, with the second leg to come this Thursday, and the competition representing United’s best chance of reaching the Champions League, but his team was hugely disappointing in a game that – frankly - felt like a skirmish between also-rans.

Wenger had beaten Mourinho before but only in the Community Shield with second-half goals from Granit Xhaka and Danny Welbeck – scoring for the third successive match against his former club – giving Arsenal their unassailable advantage here. For the first Xhaka delivered a left-foot shot from 30 yards that took a heavy deflection off Ander Herrera – who foolishly turned his back and ducked - to wrong-foot goalkeeper David De Gea who could not adjust quickly enough with the ball sailing over his head and into the net.

Before United could re-group Arsenal had doubled the score-line with a goal that was an even worse concession for the visitors with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s right-wing cross being met by Welbeck, who ghosted in between Chris Smalling and 19-year-old Axel Tuanzebe, making his league debut, to plant his header over De Gea. It was a fine finish but terrible defending.

 

Liverpool’s goalless draw at home to Southampton before this game kicked off had given both these sides hope they could steal ahead of them and into the top four but United never really appeared to have the ambition – or, Mourinho will argue, the energy – to do it.

Still there were two smart saves from Petr Cech in the first-half as he denied Anthony Martial, beating away his toe-poked shot at the near post, and then Wayne Rooney – who should have scored – as the United captain latched on to Rob Holding’s poor back-pass and Laurent Koscielny and Cech hesitated. But snatched at the chance and Cech turned it away.

De Gea also excelled. He denied Aaron Ramsey, diving low to his right to push out a cross-shot, and then adjusted to beat away a fierce drive by Oxlade-Chamberlain from outside the penalty area that took a deflection. Smalling and Phil Jones – both recalled and apparently finally fit again - also charged down close-range shots from Welbeck but the game meandered until Arsenal scored.

Once in front the scoreline was never in doubt. Cech saved again from Rooney but there was no surge from United with Arsenal appearing the more threatening as they revelled in their win. It may have only been a battle between fifth and sixth places for clubs more accustomed to past glories of title fights but Arsenal had the win as their fans inevitably goaded Mourinho.