Declan Rice has issued a clear verdict after the win against Manchester United saw Arsenal's biggest strength showcased yet again. Jurrien Timber and William Saliba were both on target in a 2-0 victory at Emirates Stadium with the Gunners' very best attributes on display.
Not only will Mikel Arteta be very pleased with his side keeping only their second Premier League clean sheet of the last 10 games, but also because of how they broke down a resolute Man United. In the opening 45 minutes, Arsenal struggled to find a way past Ruben Amorim's starting XI, but they were very dangerous from corners.
That trend continued in the second half and finally Arsenal got their reward as Rice's delicious corner was glanced home by Jurrien Timber in the 54th minute. Just under 20 minutes later, Saliba doubled the hosts' advantage after a Bukayo Saka delivery was played back across goal by Thomas Partey with Saliba getting the final touch.
During the 2023/24 season it became clear that Arsenal had unlocked a new attacking weapon with their set-pieces causing opponents numerous problems and often leading to goals. The man tasked with making the most of those moments is Nicolas Jover and he has certainly proven it is worthwhile working on them in training.
After picking up his fourth assist of the season, Rice was asked about corners and his answer was certainly telling as to why Arsenal get so much joy from them. "You have to believe in your process," he said on Amazon Prime. "We keep at it all the time and we never get bored.
"When you go up for a corner, it is a chance to score a goal not relax. So to score again on both of them, I know Nico [Nicolas Jover] will be buzzing and I'm so happy." Man United now join the list of teams to have conceded from a set-piece against Arsenal with Manchester City, Liverpool and Tottenham having also fallen victim to them.
While Arsenal secured a fourth consecutive victory in all competitions, title rivals Liverpool dropped points for the first time in the league since their 2-2 draw away at Arsenal. A late Fabian Schar equaliser, which ironically arrived from a set-piece, saw Newcastle salvage a point with that clash ending 3-3.
Arne Slot's side remain seven points clear of the chasing pack but Arsenal are among the teams pushing to reduce that deficit further. As there is still 24 games left to play, Liverpool are bound to drop points again and Arsenal will be hoping they are ready to pounce once that does occur.
However, though it is extremely unlikely the Gunners win all of their remaining games, their strength from set-pieces seems to give them a clear advantage that no other title challenger has when it comes to breaking down teams.
While it is hardly a secret weapon anymore, actually trying to stop them is proving to be another challenge entirely and it could give them a slight edge as the race for domestic silverware heats up.
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