DECLAN RICE rescued a point for Arsenal after David Raya failed to stop a Bruno Fernandes freekick.
Fernandes’ set piece was followed by a confident Rice strike in the second half, leaving the sides with a point apiece.
After a quiet first half, both sides woke up and provided more going forward after the break but lacked quality in the final third.
Raya’s display in the second half more than made up for his earlier error and, alongside Rice, kept his side in the game.
Coming off the back of a riotous 7-1 victory over PSV, Arsenal reverted to their goal scoring drought and proved once again that they desperately need a striker.
United fans staged a protest before the match, marching against the club’s ownership but had something to smile about after their captain whipped a free-kick that was just enough to beat Raya.
The result all but solidifies Liverpool’s title hopes as Mikel Arteta drops more unnecessary points in a game where his side dominated but failed to break down United’s defence.
The Gunners now sit 15 points behind leaders Liverpool with just 10 matches left to play and questions will be asked of Arteta’s failure to keep his side in the title race.
But, who was on the mark for the Gunners?
Can Arteta push for the title without an out-and-out striker?
Did anyone shine off the bench for Arteta’s side?
Here, SunSport’s Conor Jones delivers his Arsenal player ratings against Manchester United…
DAVID RAYA – 9
With Fernandes’ freekick not hitting the corner, Raya should’ve saved it and you need to deliver in those moments if you want to challenge for a title.
The Spanish keeper dived slowly and has no excuses for this one.
However, the keeper made up for his fatal error, producing three world class saves in the second half.
An outstretched right leg managed to deny a Noussair Mazraoui volley from close range and the Spaniard spread himself in Peter Schmeichel fashion to stop a flick from Joshua Zirkee’s backheel, again from incredibly close range.
A late chance for Fernandes was stopped with a flailing dive and scooped off the line with a Seaman-esque save.
JURRIEN TIMBER – 8
With Ben White back to the Arsenal bench, Timber is fighting to make sure the right-back position is his and made a strong case at Old Trafford.
A comfortable display against PSV midweek saw the Dutchman start and he delivered with a solid defensive performance and a wonderful assist forRice.
Timber constantly made himself an option on the right hand side where the Gunners focused their attacks, and displayed a fantastic work rate.
He was strong in aerial duels and returned most of Onana’s goal kicks to the delight of the travelling faithful.
WILLIAM SALIBA – 7
A solid performance managing the counterattacks which United were reliant on.
The Frenchman was comfortable in possession which was vital on an afternoon where the Gunners had a lot of it.
Though United looked more dangerous in the second half, it’s hard to fault either of the Gunners’ centre-halves.
GABRIEL – 7
Following on from a solid display in the Champions League, the Brazilian marshalled Zirkzee well, often getting in front of him to sniff out United attacks early.
The defender was quick to spread the ball out to Calafiori and Trossard helping to push his side forward at each opportunity.
Neither himself nor his partner lived up to their success from corners this year which could have been the difference for a blunt Arsenal attack.
RICCARDO CALAFIORI – 6
The Italian left-back replaced Myles Lewis-Skelly to deliver a goal and an assist against PSV, earning him the starting spot at Old Trafford.
After a solid first half, Calafiori struggled to deal with Garnacho in the second 45 and the home side saw most of their joy attacking his flank, so his replacement felt necessary.
On the attacking front, Calafiori again proved to be a nuisance for the opposition and featured in a number of attacks but needs to work on his deliveries if he wants to solidify his spot in the starting lineup.
THOMAS PARTEY – 7
A dangerous challenge on Garnacho in the fifth minute and the midfielder was lucky not to see yellow.
Other than that, he swept up in front of his back line well and effectively recycled possession, often winning the ball back to stop attacks.
The midfielder played some strong passes between the lines but can offer more to his side’s offensive unit than he did today.
DECLAN RICE – 9
The England star showed his eagerness by offering forward runs throughout, nearly going clean through in the third minute of the game, and saved his team from an embarrassing loss.
Timber laid the ball back to Rice just inside the area and the midfielder struck cleanly beyond Onana to round off a strong performance.
The midfielder linked up with Trossard a couple of times but lacked the final pass on most occasions.
Rice went on to provide a goal-saving challenge on Rasmus Hojlund after Merino was dispossessed just outside his own area and proved to be the difference for his side.
Arsenal would have struggled without him on the pitch and most likely lost.
MARTIN ODEGAARD – 7
Odegaard confidently pulled the strings for Arsenal combining well with Rice and Nwaneri.
The Norwegian tested Andre Onana with a shot from outside the area and dinked a couple of balls over the top but lacked the cutting edge.
While he failed to deliver on this occasion, the captain was at the heart of Arsenal’s attacks and was unlucky to see a curling strike saved by Onana in the second half.
ETHAN NWANERI – 5
Constantly offered an option down the right but carelessly gave the ball away to kick off a United counterattack which luckily ended in a Mazraoui handball.
Like many of his team-mates, and the opposition, he lacked the final pass or shot and wasn’t as dangerous as he can be.
The attacking line needed to be freshened up in the second half and his departure made sense as he failed to create as much as Trossard on the left-hand side.
MIKEL MERINO – 6
Merino defended doggedly, popping up to help the Gunners defend in their own final third but nearly gave the game away in the 82nd minute after being dispossessed.
The Spaniard’s pressing almost nicked him a goal in the fourth minute after a defensive calamity from United and he was unfortunate to drag a shot wide of the post later on.
The makeshift striker was unlucky not to send Declan Rice through in the third minute but showed again that the Gunners are in dire need of a goalscorer.
LEANDRO TROSSARD – 6
The attacker was at fault for Fernandes’ freekick opener with a careless challenge on Garnacho, earning him a deserved yellow card.
Nonetheless, Trossard pressed ferociously and got the better of Matthijs De Ligt on a number of occasions.
The Belgian came close with a strike from the left that sailed just wide of the right post and nearly got on the end of a neat chip over the defensive line from Odegaard.
Subs
MYLES LEWIS-SKELLY (Calafiori, 58) – 7
The youngster made a positive impact again and won his side a dangerous freekick on the edge of the area.
GABRIEL MARTINELLI (Nwaneri, 58) – 7
Brought fresh legs into the attacking unit and managed to make himself a reliable option on the right wing.
Was unlucky not to score in the final ten minutes after Rice played him through while United’s backline were napping.
An offside flag saved him from the embarrassment of missing a chance to win the game.
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