A beaming Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s delight was unmistakable as Manchester United sealed a thrilling 3–2 victory over Arsenal at the EmiratesUnited stun ArsenalUnited headed into the Arsenal with plenty...
A beaming Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s delight was unmistakable as Manchester United sealed a thrilling 3–2 victory over Arsenal at the Emirates
United stun Arsenal
United headed into the Arsenal with plenty of confidence from their previous game, a dominant 2-0 win against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
United, however, had to survive an early onslaught as Arsenal controlled the ball and penned them back from the start. The Gunners deservedly broke the deadlock in the 29th minute. However, Bryan Mbeumo capitalised on a massive error from Martin Zubimendi to restore parity soon after.
Michael Carrick’s men took the lead when Patrick Dorgu played a slick one-two with Bruno Fernandes before lashing the ball home from beneath the crossbar.
Mikel Merino came on from the bench and prodded home from a scruffy corner-kick routine to make it 2-2.
Matheus Cunha had the final say, producing a moment of magic late on to clinch the win for United and another landmark victory for Carrick.
Speaking after the final whistle, Carrick praised his squad’s collective spirit and their rapid assimilation of the coaching staff’s tactical instructions.
The former United man has implemented a dynamic style of play, with the side now attacking with fluidity and defending with aggressive intensity off the ball. Assistant coach Steve Holland has been widely credited for his pivotal role in this tactical transformation.
Present at the Emirates was co-owner Ratcliffe, who sat next to chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox.
Ratcliffe’s reaction
As he departed the stadium post-match, Ratcliffe’s face was a picture of pure elation, beaming with uncontainable joy.
The INEOS billionaire was asked if he could speak to journalists. He answered, “No, no, no.”
He added, “Just get the smile”, while gesturing that his lips were sealed.
Asked whether he was happy with the win, Ratcliffe responded in just two words, “Very, yeah.”
Ratcliffe’s reaction marks a remarkable turnaround from him, having insisted earlier in the season that Ruben Amorim would not be sacked and would be afforded a minimum of three years to get it right.
While Amorim’s stubborn adherence to a controversial 3-4-3 system yielded poor results, Carrick has achieved a staggering change with the same group of players. The scale of this turnaround explains Ratcliffe’s massive grin at full-time.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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Category: General Sports
