Feeble Arsenal deserved to be punished and Tottenham took full advantage

John Dillon28 February 2016

So it turns out that Manchester United do have a future after all. For Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sunday, though, there was just that awful nagging feeling that things are never going to change.

Arsene Wenger’s side twice pulled back goals in the wake of the extra-ordinary heroics of the youngster, Marcus Rashford, who scored twice and then set up United’s third.

But don’t in any way get the idea that they staged some do-or-die bid to stay at the forefront of the title race, just as Tottenham made sure that they remained on the tail of leaders Leicester by coming from behind to beat Swansea.

No, this was a feeble and muted response both to the occasion itself and to the setbacks Arsenal suffered when their defence was ripped apart, twice in the first-half and then again soon after half-time, with Ander Herrera getting United’s killer strike.

It came against a United team sprinkled with youthful and inexperienced players, too.

This fact alone at this unrelenting stage of the season must be one of the major concerns for those supporters who are now seriously doubting whether their side has the mental toughness to see this thing through.

Put simply, Arsenal didn’t work hard enough, didn’t chase it hard enough and didn’t fight enough.

Their apparent best chance of lifting the title in years is slipping away and more smart money ought to be on Spurs now, even if, somehow, Wenger’s side are only five points from the summit.

Old Trafford used to be a place where the big, strong characters of Wenger’s early years came and put down big markers.

Now, they haven’t won there in the league since 2006, a run which coincides pretty closely with the fact that they haven’t won the title since 2004. Do they really want to win this championship?

Maybe it is possible to argue that Tottenham had the easier assignment among those in the pack still seriously considering their chances of winning (and they surely don’t include United despite this victory).

But none of that matters here in the raw late winter. Spurs responded to adversity, Arsenal couldn’t and were slightly flattered by the score in Manchester. And this in a season in which United have floundered so much themselves that they ought to have been there for the taking by any major side – like this Arsenal one which is supposed now to be the finished article – which really believes it can win the prize.

On TV afterwards, Graeme Souness said they “bordered on a joke.” Even more significantly, the two ex-Arsenal players, Thierry Henry and David Platt, voiced their despair at the Gunners lack of forcefulness, bottle and will.

Dependent on what happens in the midweek fixtures – Arsenal play Swansea and Spurs travel to in-form West Ham - the north London derby at White Hart Lane next Saturday could be one of the most important in years.

In Pictures: Manchester United vs Arsenal

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Spurs might realistically finish off Arsenal’s hopes. Then again, Wenger’s team might discover something within themselves which was missing at Old Trafford and set things alight again.

But certainly, they will have to be better than they were on Sunday to make that happen.

After a frantic week for both north London clubs, the lift Arsenal engineered for themselves by beating Leicester a fortnight ago has been flattened by significant defeats by Barcelona and now United.

Spurs, by contrast, are exploring all the possibilities that momentum can bring, with the skewering of Fiorentina surely helping convince them of their own worth when things were going wrong against Swansea.

It’s a hard concept to define specifically but Tottenham certainly have it just now. For some weeks , it has looked like they were better equipped mentally and physically to last the course than Arsenal. This weekend has only confirmed that idea.

Admirably, Mauricio Pochettino has managed to shield his players from some of the expectation building around them. That will increase hugely, now, though. And on the evidence of recent weeks, you have to guess that they are quite capable of handling it.

Arsenal, by contrast, are headed for another round of biting criticism of their spirit and desire.

Perversely, it may suit them to become unfancied and for the game as a whole to believe they have blown their chance – because they certainly don’t seem to cope well when it is suggested they really are good enough to go all the way. But if that is the case, what does it really say about them?

Meanwhile, things have suddenly taken on a more rosy hue for the United boss, Louis Van Gaal. The fans are loving the way he is introducing young players and after progress in the Europa League, this finished off a fine week.

The whole nation knows the name of Marcus Rashford now.

More significantly for the title race, however, Van Gaal insisted afterwards that Arsenal are one of the best teams in the country.

We all know that. Or we all know that they can be. Whether they ever will be, however, is now seriously in doubt.

Now is the time for Arsenal players to prove that Van Gaal’s judgement is right. And to repay the belief of their own manager, Wenger, who has put so much stubborn faith in them – and is being let down badly just now.

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