Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang goal cancels out Scott McTominay opener
Tuesday 1 October 2019 09:03, UK
Who impressed most during Manchester United's 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Old Trafford? Gerard Brand was there to assess...
David de Gea - 7
Made a fine double stop before United's opener, but went down early to allow Aubameyang to dink over him for the leveller. Nevertheless, solid aerially.
Ashley Young - 6
Lost the ball 26 times, more than anyone on the pitch, but snapped away well in what was for the majority a dogged encounter.
Harry Maguire - 7
Powerful in the air and calm on the ball. Played Aubameyang onside, but the majority of blame goes to Tuanzebe for losing the ball.
Victor Lindelof - 7
Organised well and won all of his duels, but somewhat sloppy on the ball.
Axel Tuanzebe - 6
Was United's best player for nearly 60 minutes, but his loose pass to Pepe before the equaliser showed inexperience. He then looked uncomfortable on the left, and has a lot to learn, but will be given a good chance at Old Trafford.
Paul Pogba - 5
Many eyes were on the Frenchman at kick-off, and he struggled to prove his doubters wrong. A few miscued passes didn't help, and failed to control a midfield crying out for a calm head. His passing accuracy in the opposition half was the poorest of all United players bar Rashford (64.5 per cent).
Scott McTominay - 7
Scored when he wasn't expected to, but headed over a glorious second-half chance. Fought well in the first half as both sides struggled to find rhythm. The best of, let's admit it, a bad bunch on display.
Andreas Pereira - 7
Unlucky not to get a goal with the game's first shot, saved well by Leno, and this was an improvement on recent showings. Booked, but his pace left Arsenal desperately tracking back at times.
Jesse Lingard - 6
Keeps the ball ticking over nicely, but United want more. His best work seems to come off the ball.
Daniel James - 7
Always a threat down the left, drawing a booking out of Chambers early on, and then moved more centrally. His run from deep also made United's goal.
Marcus Rashford - 6
Did well to keep the ball alive after United's break for the opener, but otherwise looked slightly off the pace. Should have done better with a first-half chance after being played through by Pogba.
Subs
Mason Greenwood - 6
One piece of miscontrol on the edge of the box a disappointment, but otherwise unsettled Arsenal.
Fred - 5
Introduced as part of a formation reshuffle, but had little time to stamp his mark.
Bernd Leno - 7
There are questions as to how much Leno organises the defence, but he made very good stops from Maguire and Rashford in the closing stages.
Calum Chambers - 5
Forced into a yellow card by James early on, and United then reacted by sticking Rashford on the right-back. It nearly worked, with Rashford played through on goal moments later, as Chambers failed to make a positive impact.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos - 7
Always at full stretch and brave, but that says more about why Arsenal must rely on last-ditch defending. Ball deflected off him for the goal, but otherwise a solid showing.
David Luiz - 6
Defended OK given recent performances. Made more clearances (6) and more blocks (3) than any other Arsenal player.
Sead Kolasinac - 6
Didn't offer much going forward, such was Arsenal's approach, but very solid defensively. Still, the Gunners want and need more.
Lucas Torreira - 5
Fluffed a golden chance to equalise before Aubameyang's goal, but more generally, his pressing game wasn't completely effective.
Granit Xhaka - 5
Ducking out of the way of McTominay's shot for the opener will not do his popularity any good, and though he otherwise got on the ball when he could, it was without impact.
Matteo Guendouzi - 6
Always looked forward with the ball, and showed plenty of energy to track back when needed. It doesn't always look pretty, but United struggled to push him out of position.
Nicolas Pepe - 4
Poor delivery, fluffed an early chance, and generally had little impact. Arsenal need more from their big signing.
Bukayo Saka - 7
Arsenal's best performer in the first half, and was calm in setting up Aubameyang for the goal. He also has a defensive side to him, getting involved in more duels (19) and tackles (5) than any Arsenal player.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - 7
Had to drop deeper a lot in the first half, but proved his worth with a superb finish over De Gea. His seventh in seven games.
Subs
Dani Ceballos - 6
Arsenal fans were singing his name as he came on, desperate to make an impact, and he did help in moving Arsenal up the pitch.
Reiss Nelson - N/A
Joe Willock - N/A
