Manchester United’s defense flailed—quite literally—in a midweek Shakespearean drama at the Emirates, flailing under Arsenal’s set-piece brilliance. Nicolas Jover, Arsenal’s set piece whisperer, looms in the background, like a conductor for havoc, while Bukayo Saka steps up to the corner flag, an artist knowing how to start painting. We had a spectacle of towering headers, perfect crosses, and United’s defenders looking like they were about to drown.
No secret is Arsenal’s proficiency from corners. They have scored 22 goals from set pieces since last season, the most in Europe. However, even knowing it’s coming and stopping it is an entirely different challenge. Rasmus Hojlund, for example, grabbed William Saliba in the box as though life itself depended on it—before Timber tapped the ball past Andre Onana.
Arsenal Set Piece: a Nightmare
The laser-guided precision. Throw that all together with a precisely rehearsed routine, a physically frightening team, and the electricity around the Emirates crowd, and you have pandemonium.
Arsenal’s coach, Mikel Arteta, summed it up perfectly post-match: “We want to be dangerous and effective from every phase of play, from the prevention of easy scores in front of our nets to the ability to counterpunch on attack.” And dangerous they were. And they are still generally unstoppable when it comes to taking good free kicks despite the absence of Gabriel Magalhaes, their most regular heading target. “Usually, we are very good at defending set pieces, but the set pieces changed the game,” said United manager Ruben Amorim, who could only shake his head in frustration.
A Tale of Two Halves
It seemed for 45 minutes United might hold firm. But Arsenal’s attacking play appeared to be stifled by their double full-backs strategy with Noussair Mazraoui and Tyrell Malacia, forcing the likes of Martin Ødegaard into more areas. The cracks started to show, though, on and on the game went.
It was pure artistry from Declan Rice’s wicked delivery for the opener. A perfectly weighted ball carried by his short run-up lobbed past United’s defenders and nestled into Timber’s head. By the time the second goal came, United’s defense was rock solid, more like a Jenga tower on a wobbly table than something dependable.
Fans React to Arsenal’s Set-Piece Domination
With each corner, fresh anticipation, Arsenal fans were in full voice chanting, ‘Set-piece again, ole, ole, ole’: Memes of Jover as a ‘Set Piece Sorcerer’ and Gandalf were flying around social media. One fan on Twitter quipped, ‘Not even a rainy night at Stoke could have prepared United for this storm.’ “This is like watching Alex’s hat trick from watching Arsenal’s corners; you know something amazing is about to happen,” added another.
The Bigger Picture
It isn’t just that Arsenal are winning more than their share of set pieces (a statistical quirk of sorts); their smothering dominance in this area under Arteta’s_LOGIN sets a philosophy that maximizes every phase of play. While set pieces are only one part of Arsenal’s attacking arsenal, the Spaniard bristles at the use of his side to compare with teams such as Stoke under Tony Pulis. “We didn’t win all of the set pieces last year, or all the matches we played in the Champions League, but we scored the most goals in this club’s history,” he told reporters.
However, their corner routines have no denying the psychological effect on Arsenal. Saka or Rice marching for the flag, each run-up, each delay, becomes louder and louder in the stadium. For opponents it’s like a slow-motion car crash; you know exactly what’s going to happen, but you can’t do a thing about it.
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